About Explore Cheshire

About Explore Cheshire

I have used a bicycle to explore Cheshire for quite a few years now. I am a leisure cyclist at heart - cycling is above all a pleasant way to arrive at attractions and to see the countryside. At first I would often return feeling that the route I had done was not the best use of the day, not enough variety, too far, tracks too muddy or overgrown to be a pleasant experience. So I started dividing the county up and planning routes which connected places of interest and combined the maximum of variety in cycling terms – good off-road sections, good refreshment stops, historic interest, pleasant views, a mixture of town and country - trying to pack as much as possible into the experience. This, combined with an interest in making things on a computer, is what has led to the setting up of Explore Cheshire. The routes have been much tweaked over the years, and of course there is more to do – there will eventually be more than the present 14 routes I am sure – but these 14 cover most of the county and most of the main attractions, big and small.
The routes were all cycled using a ‘hybrid’ bicycle, - a mountain bike in as much as it has lots of gears, but with much thinner tyres and less tread so that it is easier to cycle on road. The routes could easily be cycled with a mountain bike and indeed these offer some advantages being less prone to punctures, having low gears and offering a more comfortable ride on stony tracks. For the sake of variety there is some off-road riding in most of the routes though I have avoided any really muddy soft trails or offered an alternative route to avoid these areas after wet weather. I cycle all year around and find something to enjoy in every season, from the scrunching of acorns under tyre in autumn, frosty meadows in winter, frogspawn and wildflowers in spring, to the fantastic verdant colours of summer, so these are rides for all seasons.