How do you choose your route

[Nigelnaturist]

One of the things I have done, is to try and cover as many of the A & B roads around my area, excluding stretches of the A1. And using sporttracks export to google earth in different colours for each month and I can see where I went and when at a glance.

 

[ColinJ]

I try to avoid main roads and built-up areas where possible so that restricts me to a fairly small number of hilly routes in and out of Hebden Bridge. It makes route planning much simpler!

Forgetting that ...

I use Memory Map which includes a giant digital OS Landranger map covering the entire mainland UK plus various islands. I choose a start/finish point and somewhere that I'd like to cycle to. I work out roughly what distance I want to do and plot a rough route avoiding busy roads and towns. I then tweak the route to make it longer or shorter and take in any other points of interest, cafes etc. I upload the route to my Garmin GPS and just follow the line on its screen!

 

[MrJamie]

I normally use google earth's path tool for drawing routes because it measures as it goes or google maps to streetview the roads. Sometimes i'll go and try a whole new route, but most of the time ill bolt little new bits on to existing routes, so there's not too much to remember that I get lost or forced onto a big scary road but I get a bit of exploring. Sometimes I print a screenshot from google earth, sometimes I write directions in my own bizarre shorthand

 

[SRSE]

You could contact your local council for a cycle route map from the local library or their tourist information point. In Swindon, Wiltshire they used to give out free cycle route maps.

 

[SWSteve]

You could contact your local council for a cycle route map from the local library or their tourist information point. In Swindon, Wiltshire they used to give out free cycle route maps.

Yeah, local library is a great place to go for free cycle maps, includes cycle paths and has different markings for gravel/tarmac paths

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Yeah, local library is a great place to go for free cycle maps, includes cycle paths and has different markings for gravel/tarmac paths

rwgps download transfer to gps unit, mainly these days just to confirm the road I need to turn onto, or into, but I can use almost any method of map reading, and direction,it is usually easy enough from time of day and sun position, (which can usually be determined, unless really overcast) then just head in the general direction, I was more cautious about routes when I started due to the fact I hated hills, these days not so bothered so what ever the road has in front of me I can usually tackle it, round here anyway.

 

[flissh]

In the end I used a website called transport direct (www.transportdirect.info) they have a journey planner and you can opt to use cycle routes. I went of piste a bit so that I could make it circular, although my route home was on busier roads than I normally use, but I made it!

 

[coffeejo]

sometimes I write directions in my own bizarre shorthand

Oh good, not just me that does that. Well, not that I'd call it shorthand: just bizarre. "Left at the house with the crooked tree" (and then hope that they've not chopped it down since the Google van went down that road).

 

[Supersuperleeds]

This morning I just rode where the mood took me.

 

[ColinJ]

Here's a way to explore random routes without getting lost and without having to plan anything before you get on the bike... It requires the use of a GPS with a trackback function. Most devices have such a function.

Set off heading for somewhere new with your GPS switched on to record a tracklog. Whenever you come to a junction, head down the road that appeals to you most. Keep going until you have covered half the distance that you want to do that day, then stop, turn round, and use the tracklog recorded by the GPS to remind you of the way back to your starting point.

Note - this will not work if you choose to go down one-way streets on the outward leg!

If you enjoyed your new route, keep a copy of the tracklog so you can replicate the ride on another occasion.

 

[MrJamie]

Oh good, not just me that does that. Well, not that I'd call it shorthand: just bizarre. "Left at the house with the crooked tree" (and then hope that they've not chopped it down since the Google van went down that road).

Brilliant Mines more like hieroglyphics, basically a list of squiggles showing junctions and notable buildings/bridges etc, a symbol like an F would indicate second turning on the right for example and a symbol like 4n on the canal would indicate I pass 4 bridges until next instruction. Sounds crazy but it works so well for a quick reference

 

[coffeejo]

I used to do something similar but would forget to count so I'd be at the 3rd bridge trying to work out if I was there yet, inevitably make the wrong choice, and end up somewhere completely different. Landmarks stick in my memory. Well, most of the time...

 

[HLaB]

Here's a way to explore random routes without getting lost and without having to plan anything before you get on the bike... It requires the use of a GPS with a trackback function. Most devices have such a function.

Set off heading for somewhere new with your GPS switched on to record a tracklog. Whenever you come to a junction, head down the road that appeals to you most. Keep going until you have covered half the distance that you want to do that day, then stop, turn round, and use the tracklog recorded by the GPS to remind you of the way back to your starting point.

Note - this will not work if you choose to go down one-way streets on the outward leg!

If you enjoyed your new route, keep a copy of the tracklog so you can replicate the ride on another occasion.

Not track back but a similar principle is to wander off somewhere and when you feel like turning back switch to the map, zoom out go 90deg for a bit, then roughly parallel follow the track back.

 

[ColinJ]

Not track back but a similar principle is to wander off somewhere and when you feel like turning back switch to the map, zoom out go 90deg for a bit, then roughly parallel follow the track back.

That would work somewhere that has a vast network of lanes that gives you the choice of alternative roads parallel to the ones you went out on.

It also depends on your GPS having maps, which my ancient Garmin Etrex doesn't.

I cycled down to Coventry in 2007 and intended to come back by the same route in reverse but when I got to Hathersage I saw signs telling me that Snake Pass was closed for resurfacing. On a shorter ride, I would have tried my luck and headed up there anyway (you can normally squeeze by somehow on a bike!) but I was already doing about 140 very hard miles and didn't want to risk going all the way up and then having to turn back.

The signs were useless - "Snake Pass closed - choose an alternative route" - that really helped! I had come to rely on my GPS and was not carrying a proper map (just a few small scale printouts which weren't very clear). Fortunately, I had ridden there once before and knew that there was a good scenic alternative via Strines Moor. I went that way instead and really enjoyed the detour. It didn't actually add much to the distance, though the climb of Ewden Bank was very hard.

My advice is to plan rides using OS mapping, navigate by GPS, and to carry a decent map for backup.

 

[HLaB]

That would work somewhere that has a vast network of lanes that gives you the choice of alternative roads parallel to the ones you went out on.

It also depends on your GPS having maps, which my ancient Garmin Etrex doesn't.

I cycled down to Coventry in 2007 and intended to come back by the same route in reverse but when I got to Hathersage I saw signs telling me that Snake Pass was closed for resurfacing. On a shorter ride, I would have tried my luck and headed up there anyway (you can normally squeeze by somehow on a bike!) but I was already doing about 140 very hard miles and didn't want to risk going all the way up and then having to turn back.

The signs were useless - "Snake Pass closed - choose an alternative route" - that really helped! I had come to rely on my GPS and was not carrying a proper map (just a few small scale printouts which weren't very clear). Fortunately, I had ridden there once before and knew that there was a good scenic alternative via Strines Moor. I went that way instead and really enjoyed the detour. It didn't actually add much to the distance, though the climb of Ewden Bank was very hard.

My advice is to plan rides using OS mapping, navigate by GPS, and to carry a decent map for backup.

Ive done it a few times in Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and they do indeed ave a good network of lanes; Ive done it a few times up north also done it a few times up north (Scotland) where there isnt a good network, zooming out is the key but you have to do that more often when the network isn't the best. Ive only ever done it with my old 305 (breadcrumb trail only) its more fun IMO (on the right day) when you only know the rough direction to go you may get barriers but as long as you build in time you're ok

Its funny sometimes that little push of a detour is what we need to encourage us to explore

As to route planning what has worked for me is gradually building upon a knowledge map (cross referencing to OS before and after a ride) and only carry a map on longer rides. I personally found myself stopping too often when Ive carried a map and getting to particular about following a preset route. I prefer the freedom to explore but I guess we are all different; some folk just cant hold a mental map; however if you asked me to explain mine I couldn't