Where would you live in the UK?

[Cush]

Carlisle. Near the Border country, near the Lakes, good railway connections to the Dales. From my home I can be climbing Hartside in an hour or cutting across the Border or heading East to my home town Trains are still not over crowded, Oh I better shut up in case the hords invade and spoil what we have.

 

[Hacienda71]

I'm happy where I am in Cheshire\South Manchester. Pennines to the east if you want hilly riding and mountain biking, the Cheshire plain for nice flat rides around the lanes. North Wales to the west for some serious mountain biking and hill riding, Manchester to the North if you want a bit of an urban escape and the added advantage of good transport links to the rest of the UK.

 

[Kirstie]

Carlisle. Near the Border country, near the Lakes, good railway connections to the Dales. From my home I can be climbing Hartside in an hour or cutting across the Border or heading East to my home town Trains are still not over crowded, Oh I better shut up in case the hords invade and spoil what we have.

I would be torn between Carlisle and Lancashire. I nip up to Carlisle on an early train once every few months or so and enjoy the riding it has to offer. It's also close enough to the lakes for MTBing as well. Lancashire is the best place in the world...

 

[Daisy]

Was going to say Wells but Cheddar is spot on I think!

 

[Ajay]

I'm biased of course, but my vote goes to Lancaster
my "ride from home" routes include:
2 national parks; Lake District - loads of quiet lanes if you know where to look.
Yorkshire Dales - the western dales, particulary Dentdale (the best cycling valley in the country...)and its associated climbs.

AONBs Forest of Bowland, my personal favourite, outrageously beautiful scenery, classic Tour of Britain climbs, and there's virtually no traffic as everyone rushes past to the honeypots of the national parks mentioned above.
Silverdale/Arnside AONB.

Lune and Ribble Valleys

Beacon Fell and the Fylde coast

Off roading including Grizedale and Gisburn Forests

Lancaster Canal.

Lancaster itself is a "cycling demonstration town" which means we've had lots of new lanes, junction improvements etc appear recently

Active cycling scene with Road, CTC, TT clubs and other groups

Salt Ayre circuit for traffic-free racing and TTing

West Coast mainline blah blah blah

 

[slowmotion]

But my favourite place to cycle?
London.

A man of excellent taste

 

[montage]

Yorkshire is pretty good, although the area to the east of Barnsley is not particularly recommended for cycling for a variety of reasons.

Scunthorpe....says it all

 

[looe]

CORNWALL.............every day

 

[Globalti]

Lancashire seems to be doing rather well in this thread!

 

[Fnaar]

Northumberland, yes but not quite the number of quiet lanes that I like

How very dare you! ;-) there's almost nobody here, man! Abundances of quiet cycling friendly lanes are what N'land does best!

 

[dragon72]

Sussex.
Lovely rides in the weald & downland of West and East Sussex
There is a selection of cross-channel ferry ports within easy reach for foreign getaways.

 

[dellzeqq]

if you're looking for a thriving cycling corps, then Lancashire and the West Midlands. If you're looking for peace and quiet and pretty countryside then Suffolk.

County to avoid - Berkshire.

I love cycling in southeast England, but I'm always struck by how much more traffic there is here, irrespective of the kind of road I'm on.

 

[GordonB]

How very dare you! ;-) there's almost nobody here, man! Abundances of quiet cycling friendly lanes are what N'land does best!

I very dare 'cos I was born there and lived just south of the Tyne until I was 21, although I went to school in Newcastle and spent most of my time in Northumberland. Yes, there are quite a few quiet lanes up there but I can do a direct comparison to Suffolk and if you overlay OS maps of the two counties you'll see what I mean. West Suffolk in particular is an absolute maze of little lanes, and the overwhelming majority have very little traffic. A cyclists delight, give it a try some time!

Mind you, I'm holidaying in Northumberland later this year and will be bringing the bikes. We're going partly because we all do love the area but also so that my wife can get some more help with her Northumbrian Smallpipes. Bit odd that, a Suffolk lass taking up a heathen instrument

Gordon

 

[threebikesmcginty]

How very dare you! ;-) there's almost nobody here, man! Abundances of quiet cycling friendly lanes are what N'land does best!

There were some nice slag heaps and stuff too when I cycled round there.

 

[Kirstie]

I'm a fan of northumberland too. You get a lot of bang for your buck- long challenging climbs but similarly long rewarding descents. You don't climb for ages and then lose it all very quickly, unlike other places in the UK.