How do you choose your route

[flissh]

The title says it all really! My partner is away this weekend and I'm ashamed to say I always leave route planning to him. I could just do one of our local tried and tested routes but I thought I might be a bit more adventurous.

I've had a google and looked at national routes but feel a bit overwhelmed really

 

[stewby]

I have a few set routes that I do regularly but now and again I'll try and venture off somewhere different. I think the key is knowing how local villages locate to each other, that way I can usually find my way home by navigating village to village using road signs.

 

[G3CWI]

The Bikehub website has a route planner that will suggest circular routes.

 

[snorri]

What I want to see on the day, time available, weather forecast, wind direction and speed, if I may need to buy food en route, if I have been that way recently or am likely to go that way in the near future....that's it!

 

[HLaB]

I'm bit adhoc when it comes route planning and quite often just go out heading into wind so I blown back if the wind is light I just go where I please. If I plan a route I know the types of road I'd like so I just plot quickly on RideWithGPS; I might use Streetview (built in to RWGPS) if I have a query. If I'm totally new to somewhere I look at cyclestreets and join things up on a os map.

 

[totallyfixed]

Unless it's a short one I don't plan, just make it up as I go along, very large choice of quiet country roads to pick from but like HLaB I normally work it so I have a tailwind on the last leg.

 

[WiganLardster]

I plan my routes mainly based on expected volume of traffic. I try to stick to quiet 'B' roads, as I hate HGVs. (edit: and white-van men. Usually I don't like generalisations, but white-van men almost alway seem determined not to move over into the other lane and give you room, even if there's nothing coming in the opposite direction.)

 

[Deleted member 23692]

I've got about 30 or so routes stored in GIS, all with differing distances and ascents etc. I just pick one (or two) that take my fancy, load it on the Garmin and off I go

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Garmin Connect/mapmyride then download to my GPS

 

[flissh]

Thanks for all the replies,
Haven't got any GPS type stuff, but am looking on the bike hub website. Also thinking I might just head out and see where my nose takes me.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

I use memory map and start dragging a route out, look at the profile and if I think it looks to steep adjust it. I always have in mind roughly how far I want to go.

 

[Deleted member 23692]

No GPS? Here's a nice little site which'll give you a good idea of what's what (and where)?

http://wtp2.appspot.com/wheresthepath.htm

 

[Hacienda71]

Just explore. It is great finding routes and places you haven't cycled to or from before. Keep an eye on town names on road signs so you have a rough idea of your general location.

 

[derrick]

I just head of in a new direction and see what i come across, i find the new routes when i ride alone, when i ride with others we normally do a route we are all happy with, but i do enjoy ridding alone i don't have to worry about anyone else, so what ever i come across i just deal with it. got tottally lost a few weeks ago it's all part of it, you will always find your way home. go explore.

 

[Saluki]

I rarely plan a route, I tend to make it up as I go along depending on how I am feeling once I am out and warmed up, and what the weather is like.