Best places for long traffic free dry cycle trails in winter - February

[soupfiend]

I feel like we have exhausted the areas of the UK that we can feasibly travel to but that we can also afford self catering properties too

So looking at a Feb holiday, was looking abroad and could do that, but we also like UK holidays where we can take the bikes and do long runs but nothing on roads, all traffic free flat routes, safe on purpose built routes

We've done all the Tissington/Carsington/Hulme End/Denstone/Biddulph/Manifold areas although we really love that area

We've cycled in and out of Lincoln

Not done the Bath cycle route but its very expensive to find something that meets our needs (parking and cycle storage but near pubs and restaurants)

Anywhere else that has a lot of routes all in one area, but really long ones, not short little jaunts?

Im nervous of tow paths because they get narrow in places but also can be very muddy and slippy

The Great Western Way is good - its well sign posted and the paths along the river/canals are well maintained and not too narrow. Lots of accomodation to be had (although we mostly used travelodge/premier inn type place, which were cheaper than some of the lovely country inns.) Very little on-road, and where it happened the roads were very quiet. https://www.sustrans.org.uk/find-other-routes/great-western-way/
We used the train to get to start/finish.

I think I might have overegged it with the word long!!

By that I mean a days ride of about 30 miles. Lots of pub stops!

The route from Bristol to Bath and then on to Devises I think is traffic free but after that its only in spits and spots. I couldnt find any affordable accommodation in Devises or Bath. I will have a look at Bristol

New forest. Loads of off road trails with some good recommended routes and the ability to plan your own loops.

North Norfolk also worth investigating, peddars way, weavers way, etc.

I should have mentioned we've done an awful lot of the new forest, I feel like we're always going there but more than that, its very wet in winter and lots of the routes incrporate unsafe roads if you want any sort of distance.

Yes same with tehse, we stayed in Aylsham once, really loved it but my god it was wet, OH fell over several times, it was like a quagmire and we couldnt get through bits of that at times.

Hmmmm? Nottinghamshire? Five pits trail, Southwell trail, ncn route 6? Lots of stuff round Sherwood, sherwood pines, Clumber park and you can link some of these up off road too.

Or East Yorkshire ? Hudson way?

The trans Pennine trail, you could go east one day, west another day and there’s also the branch heading north up to York.

And slightly further east there’s the cinder track from Scarborough to whitby

You'll probably need to go south at that time of year.

I will look at these, I dont think we have explored Clumber Park before

Its not really where they are thats the problem, its what sort of surface. There are some great purpose built hard packed or tarmacked trails so it doesnt matter how much its been raining you're not going to get stuck or slip over

And we live south anyway so thats not different for a holiday

The wall road in Northumberland. Loads of great tracks and small, quiet roads.

Well the Hudston Way looks like it could be good but on trip advisor there is mention of mud, its not even a green line on google maps though so difficult track it. Worth investigating, we love Yorkshire.

The Exe Estuary trail - the bit I walked on yesterday was tarmac but I don't know if the rest is. Its 22.5 miles and there are several pubs etc along the way. It's not far at all from the Great Western Way mentioned above.

I forgot about that one, we havent done it at the Exmouth end, we planned to last September but rode down from Exeter to Topsham and Doves farm and back, never made it down to Exmouth, however it did take us nearly 7 hours to get to that part of the country! (by car)

we really want to go back though, fantastic riding along the Exeter canal and the river and everything, loved it.

Try the Leeds Liverpool canal. I regularly cycle on there, lots of great different stops and lovely pubs on the route.