This is a collaborative post.
With over 11,000 miles of stunning coastline, the United Kingdom is an ideal place for a bike tour. In the summertime, you’re unlikely to get rain, and with the mild sun, it’s a comfortable environment to be on the road with.
We can also compartmentalise the country into different landscapes. The Southwest of England receives a lot of sunshine with many hills, villages and stunning beaches. The East coast, however, is much more flat and agricultural, whilst the North and West have many national parks and mountains.
Through ebooking, you can book a wide range of accommodation throughout the trip – be it a room above a Cornish pub or a skyscraper hotel in Liverpool. Before booking anywhere, let’s take a look at some route options.
Cornwall
In the very bottom right of England lays Cornwall, a popular county with a jagged coastline and highly private beaches. Padstow to Land’s End is a stretch of 70-mile road with stunning coastal views, taking around 6 hours to complete for those not in a rush. There will be a lot of panoramic sites of the ocean, along with otherworldly hills and farmland.
Dorset
Coming along to the centre of England’s south is Dorset and the Jurassic Coast. The Jurassic Coast is almost 100 miles long, with Old Harry’s Rock and Lulworth Cove being two of the most popular sites to see – with the former being three chalk formations, and the latter being a famous geological cove with stunning rock formations.
There are also many fantastic villages to stop off at in Dorset, like Swanage, which is a highly nostalgic town, and Poole, which has some of the richest areas in Europe. Stop off at Bournemouth for one of the best beaches in the UK – 7 miles of golden sand, accompanied by a popular Airshow in late August.
Yorkshire
Scarborough to Whitby is a 25-mile journey that is along with the Northwestern coast of England. It’s not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of an English coast, but it’s a stunning and often overlooked one. The North York Moors are stunning, and this route takes you right through them. There are many B-roads that run through small, picturesque villages with bendy country roads.
Norfolk
When in Yorkshire, it’s worth heading south to Norfolk. The journey will take you through past King’s Lynn port, which is beautifully cosy and has a tonne of history, along with many other towns and villages like Hunstanton. This part of England is a lot more slow-paced and agricultural compared to the part of the coast just south of it.
Of course, England is just one part of the puzzle. There are many stunning routes in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. In particular, it’s worth checking out Aberystwyth in Wales, the NC500 in Scotland, and the 130-mile journey from Londonderry to Belfast. It would take a good couple of weeks to drive the circumference of England if you’re looking to really soak in the views.