So you've ridden a whole bunch of well worn routes and have a good idea of what kind of adventure floats your boat. Why not have a go at creating your own bikepacking route?
This post is split into two sections. The first section provides a background into what makes a good route. It covers how to calculate distances and timings and a number of excellent resources you can use for inspiration. The second section is a step-by-step guide, gathering all the information and piecing it together to create your route.
If you've landed here looking for how to plan a bikepacking trip and already have a route planned, then why not head over to my previous post, how to plan a bikepacking adventure, for hints and tips about how to prepare an awesome trip.
What's behind a good Bikepacking route?
Building a good route is an iterative process. For me, it normally starts with a simple thought; perhaps a stunning clifftop campsite I want to visit, a part of the country I haven't explored or maybe I just want to get away and de-stress after a busy week at work. Whatever it may be, it helps shape the route and influences where I stay and the paths I take.
There’s nothing quite like sitting round the kitchen table with a cup of tea in hand and an Ordnance Survey map spread out, stitching a path through the landscape to get from one place to another. Digital mapping platforms are great but it's far easier to see good routes through the surrounding landscape when it’s all laid out in front of you in infinite detail.
Where exactly can I cycle?
In the UK cycles are not allowed on public footpaths or Motorways, so look for a combination of the following:
Public bridleways
Public by-ways
Permissive bridleways
Dedicated cycling trails (National, Regional or Local cycle ways)
Quiet B or C roads.
I would definitely avoiding using a digital route planning app as your sole tool for creating a route. They are notorious for plotting routes across private land, down public footpaths or on busy roads. Some don't even use path terminology relevant to the UK leaving you bemused when a landowner is giving you grief for being on a "Path" or wasting time looking for an elusive "State Road."
Having said that, these apps are great tools if used in the right way and I regularly use them in the later stages of the planning process to get the route into a digital format for my GPS.
Understanding the terrain is also important on a cycle ride. On a road bike, routes around quiet C roads are more pleasant than battling it out with speeding traffic on an A road. A low geared mountain bike will be better if you’re looking to venture solely off road on rugged bridleways. National Cycle Network routes cover mixed terrain so a hybrid, touring or gravel bike would be a great all round choice that will pretty much take you anywhere in the UK.
Ordnance Survey maps
As old school as it might sound, an Ordnance Survey map is an excellent place to start. They contain a wealth of information about the surrounding landscape and have easy to follow symbols for roads and trails making it quick to identify good quality routes. They are also as close as you can get for representing definitive rights of way in the UK. As far as I know there isn't any other resource that has this level of accurate information contained in one place.
For about the equivalent cost of four paper maps, you can download the Ordnance Survey app and subscribe (yearly) to the full suite of 1:50,000 and 1:25,000 maps across the entire UK. Apart from being incredibly good value, it's extremely useful for carrying on your phone as a back up to your GPS. I normally have my route running on my GPS for primary navigation and the same route downloaded onto the Ordnance Survey app, so I can quickly refer to it if I'm struggling to find the correct paths.
I can't really emphasis enough the importance of using Ordnance Survey maps as part of your route making process. Although we commonly enjoy using terminology such as: Trail, Single Track, Double Track, Gravel Trail, Dirt Road and so on, these don't exist when it comes to looking for Rights of Way in the UK.
The National Cycle Network
The UK charity Sustrans, manages a network of approximately 16,000 miles (21,000km) of signed cycle routes. The criteria for a National Cycle route is that 50% of the total mileage should be away from a road and all sections should be suitable for an unsupervised 12 year old to ride on. These cycle trails can form the basis of a really great adventure. Cycle UK's Cantii Way follows the best part of five National Cycle routes to form its loop of the Kent coast and the utterly brilliant Lon Las Cymru is in fact National Cycle route #8. My long way round to Brighton and back, stitched together National Cycle routes #21, 2, 223 & 22 to form a excellent three day adventure from London to the south coast.
(Image courtesy of Sustrans)
The National Cycle Network can be found as a map overlay accessed via both the Ordnance Survey and Sustrans websites.
Route planning inspiration
There are oodles of fantastic resources that offer great ideas for routes. The selection below are by no means exhaustive, but I've found they're a great place to start.
Travel guides, books, magazines, web articles, social media
These provide a plethora of inspiration, normally accompanied by stunning photos and evocative descriptions. This is probably where I get the first seeds of a cycle adventure. Below are just a few of my favourites:
Pannier.cc a cool and funky UK site dedicated to the art of Bikepacking. Just looking at the photos will have you strapping on your bike bags and heading off for an adventure.
Bikepacking.com An American website, YouTube channel and glossy publication. Heaps of useful information and plenty of UK route inspiration as well.
Lost Lanes Beautifully produced cycling guide books, now covering most of England and Wales, written by The Bike Show's, Jack Thurston. Although primarily single day rides, they celebrate scenic cycling with detailed ride descriptions and evocative photography. I sometimes incorporate parts of Jack's routes into longer point-to-point multi-day rides. They also come with access to downloadable gpx routes.
Keep Smiling Adventures A YouTube channel featuring the ever happy Josh Parsons, a long distance cyclist who appears to be on a mission to ride all the UK bikepacking routes (along with creating his own).
Inspiring bike rides Down to earth people who just enjoy cycle touring without the accompanying marketing hype. It was this site that got me back into multi-day cycling. (Unfortunately their site is down at present but hopefully will return soon)
Sustrans
As well as offering access to the National Cycle Network and some great information about using the trails, Sustrans also have a 'Find a route' function on their website allowing you to select a location, ideal distance/length of ride, and route type. For the latter you can select: "all road", "traffic free" or anywhere in between. The routes are printable but they also offer digital and paper cycle route maps, plus a whole host of other useful cycling information.
Cycling UK
Formerly the Cyclist Tourist Club (CTC), Cycling UK has set about reinvigorating UK touring and bikepacking by releasing a steady stream of new routes, such as the King Alfred's Way, the West Kernow Way and the Cantii Way. Whilst these are great routes in themselves, they also have accompanying guide books with numerous route variations making a good basis for understanding cycling around a location if you didn't fancy following the prescribed route.
cycle.travel
In my opinion cycle.travel is one of the best route resources, and certainly the most intuitive route planning software on the internet. Created by Richard Fairhurst, a Cartographer, Sustrans volunteer and an early pioneer of Open Street Map, cycle.travel is the route planners secret weapon for creating brilliant routes anywhere across the UK.
The software uses a clever algorithm to derive point to point routes, not just by the correct UK specific path type but by analysing traffic density and choosing roads that are less frequented by other vehicles.
In addition to its clever mapping tool, it has a huge selection of route guides which include detailed descriptions, overnight stops, suggested leg distances and so on. In terms of a route mapping tool it beats all the mainstream sites hands down!
However you go about planning your route, it’s advisable to be a little flexible at first so you can tailor the route to encompass the best views, stopping points and accommodation. It’s not uncommon for me to tweak the route a couple of times before it finally fits the bill, so don't just plump for the shortest line between destinations.
How far should I make my route?
For me, this is dependent on two factors: the terrain (and therefore what type of bike I'll be riding), and how many hours per day I want to ride.
Mode of travel and terrain
A rough trail on a mountain bike with wider tyres will take more effort to pedal than a road bike on smooth tarmac. Therefore, you'll travel slower and cover less distance on a MTB than a road bike for the same given time. It’s also important to take into account how hilly the route is and the added weight you'll be carrying on the bike, as these will also have a significant effect on the amount of miles coverable in one day. If you're a Sunday morning road cyclist, expect to double the distance, duration and weight of the bike for a bikepacking trip.
(Image courtesy of cycle.travel)
One of the great features of a digital route planning tool is the ability to quickly display the terrain type across the entire route. The example above is from Lon Las Cymru in Wales and at a glance shows that 93% of the route will be on road or cycle path. It made it an easy choice to take my gravel bike with low gearing fitted with touring tyres.
Duration
I like to set off relatively early in the morning and get to my destination by late afternoon giving me plenty of time to put up my tent, cook and wind down. This also gives me a small buffer if the route is taking longer than expected,
Building time in to stop on route for photo's, breaks and lunch all means that I may only be physically riding for around 6 hours.
Unless your planning your trips around the middle of the year, it's also worth checking the times for sunrise and sunset. Late Autumn, Winter and early Spring have short daylight hours so factor this in or bring good quality lights!
The effects of elevation / ascent on cycle time
In the world of hill walking, a clever chap named William Naismith came up with a rule of thumb for the effects of ascent on walking time.
I haven’t discovered an official cycling ‘rule’ yet, perhaps because there are so many other factors involved (type of bike, range of gears, load carried, terrain etc.), however by analysing my own mixed terrain journeys I’ve found that Naismith's rule still works. Therefore the following approximations can be made.
I'll add on another 5 minutes for crossing a single gradient arrow (14%+) on the OS Map and possibly 10 minutes for a double arrow (20%).
Ordnance Survey Map symbols - Note: The arrows point down the hill. Add time if cycling up the hill!
Bikepacking distance ready-reckoner
By pulling together the typical terrain, distance and ascent you've pretty much ticked off the basic factors of a successful route. The table below is my take on these aspects drawn together into a simple ready-reckoner for a 6 hour cycling window.
(km in brackets)
Flow
Putting aside landscape and scenery, flow is the single biggest aspect that differentiates a good route from a satisfactory one. A good cycle route should flow from start to finish. It should to take you from valley to mountain, road to rugged track all within the limits of the bike you've chosen to ride. A journey in a beautiful part of the country that doesn't flow could potentially spoil the experience.
What does this mean in practice though?
In essence, any route that better suits a different type of bike, or a route that flits between extremes of terrain types, is one with poor flow. Cycling the Welsh National Trail, Lon Las Cymru, with a detour over Snowdon might seem appealing on paper but try it with a pannier loaded touring bike and a pair of smooth soled cycling shoes and you may not live to regret the day...
Use an 80% - 20% terrain ratio and the Terrain-o-meter below. By biasing a minimum of 80% of the route to suit the type of bike and terrain you're planning the trip around, the remaining 20% (or less) should fall into either of the adjacent boxes.
Eg. For a route based around a touring or hybrid bike, ensure that 80% is on general roads and the remaining 20% is either smooth tarmac or easy gravel tracks. Naturally, the ends of the scale are for illustrative purposes and don't necessarily reflect a bike packing trip. However, Alee from Cycling About used an Enduro bike for his bikepacking set-up which perfectly matched the terrain he was riding and is an excellent example of how the scale can be applied for a route. He perhaps could get away with part of his route on a Down Country / X Country bike but a Gravel bike wouldn't be sufficient. Hike-a-bike sections (pushing a bike along the route rather than cycling) and trails with multitudes of gates also have a detrimental effect on the flow of the route. A mile of hike-a-bike could take half an hour. Cycling for the same duration would cover around 5 miles. All in all, the overall average speed and distance the bike type dictates, as suggested in the Ready Reckoner, shouldn't be overly affected by the type of terrain the route covers. The UK's National Cycle Network regularly encompasses sections of semi rugged off-road track along their length, making touring, hybrid or gravel bikes the ideal choice. It's interesting to see that the middle three categories in the terrain-o-meter encompass the majority of bikepacking journeys and perhaps the Gravel / Adventure bike is the "jack-of-all-trades"? I felt that CyclingUK's, West Kernow Way, suffered from poor flow. Billed as an off-road route, around 70% was on roads. Of the remaining off-road sections, an MTB was only just sufficient and a number of stretches involved hike-a-bike along public footpaths. Cornwall is a beautiful part of the world and the trip was a fantastic adventure but the overall route itself was spoiled by poor flow.
Digital route planning tools
Navigating by map and compass in the hills is pretty easy but on a bike the GPS is king. In order to get a route into a format for use on a GPS, it'll need to be built on a digital route planning app and a .gpx file created. There are plenty of good tools around, these are just a handful of the most popular.
Ride with GPS I've recently switched from Map my Ride over to Ride with GPS. Over the years this tool has got better and better and now offers most of the features needed in a route planning tool. It still has its quirks. It's not UK specific so the terrain feature needs some interpretation and it doesn't fully define which type of paths you are allowed on so you'll still have to check with the OS map as you plan.
Map my Ride A really basic but superbly functioning tool. Because of its simplicity it's very quick to build good routes. There's no guidance on path, legitimate access or road type so you'll need the OS map open at the same time as you plot your route.
Cycle.travel I've already waxed lyrical about this site, so please use and support it. Unfortunately, as it lacks the backing of the marketing departments of Komoot or Ride with GPS, it doesn't quite have the extras that make for a great all round tool, such as an app based version (although it is in development) and the process of plotting the route is not quite as slick.
Ordnance Survey Whilst this is still the definitive route identification resource, it's route planning tool works on an older straight line, waypoint to waypoint format and doesn't follow the curves in the route. Good for hiking but not great for GPS based cycling. (NB: this has just been upgraded and routes now bend to follow the paths as in many other route planning tools. I've had a quick go, but will add some comments here as I use the feature more thoroughly.)
These next two are great for recording your trips, analysing data and sharing on social media but I avoid using them for route planning.
Komoot This platform works on a place to place route building process, but its base map and supporting route selection programming is poor in my opinion. When you want to modify the route avoiding the private path that it has taken you down, you'll have to add points and bend the route to hold it in place, all the while it's re-routing former unfixed points and taking you down yet more paths with no right of way. That said, it's actually great if you are just looking to plot a simple road route as it can handle this quite well. There are also plenty of good routes on Komoot and I cover this on my how to plan a bikepacking adventure article.
Strava The original trip data analysis tool, which it does supremely well. Just don't bother using it to try and plan a route from scratch, stick with the others at the top of this list.
Most of the good route planning tools allow you to create and shape the route as you see fit and offer a plethora of route export options to suit your GPS. Check your GPS model to see which file types work best. A .gpx file is generally the standard, but there are also .fit and .tcx files which may work better with your device. If you're using turn-by-turn directions, make sure you have reviewed the cue sheet before you export the route to ensure the direction instructions match the planned direction of travel.
(Image courtesy of Ride with GPS)
Route planning tools allow you to see the terrain and distance evolve as you create your route. It's a good idea to keep an eye on these as you select each waypoint to avoid carving out large sections of the route if the terrain or distance don't match your expectations.
Image courtesy of cycle.travel. Note the route summary terrain types on the left. At 68% paved paths and just over 1% of busy road, this was brilliant for planning the Red Squirrel Trail route on our kids 2-day cycle trip in 2022.
Pulling it all together - four steps to planning a good route
In reality these steps are a series of tasks that you'll cover off a number of times, each occasion refining the distance, points of interest, choice of path and so on, until you end up with something you're happy to go and ride.
Step 1 - Establish points of interest
Begin with at least a fixed start or end point to the journey. After this try and incorporate a number of things to see on the way. Having intermediate points of interest helps to provide a natural break or check points that can be ticked off towards the destination. Mark these on the map to get a general feel for where they are in relation to one another.
Factor in getting to the start or finish, can you ride there, catch a train or park your car if you're driving?
Try to see if there is a natural route between the points and what type of tracks it uses. How much is on road, are there bridleways or cycle network trails that get you from point to point. Is there a river that can only be crossed at a certain point?
Also consider adding in stopping points en-route for things like food and water or lunch / dinner if you're not planning on cooking for yourself. If you're planning on wild camping check to see there is somewhere off the beaten track for a stealthy tarp pitch. Alternatively, is there a cosy B&B in a quiet village that you'd really like to stay at?
Step 2 - Establish a realistic distance
Having established where to go or what to see, consider how far you can realistically travel in a day or how much time you'd like to be in the saddle. 50 miles a day is a great place to start for an average rider. Use the ready-reckoner to get an idea on distances vs bike type. The route planning tool on Google Maps is really handy for establishing very rough distances from place to place at this stage, just remember to set the mode of transport to "cycle"!
Step 3 - Get the route down digitally
When you're happy you've included all your points of interest and you're comfortable with your rough distances, start to get the route plotted on a digital route making platform. A digital route plan will facilitate the creation of a .gpx file which can be uploaded to a GPS (and phone for back-up).
Currently I create and store my routes on Ride with GPS but I'll also have the Ordnance Survey online mapping app open alongside for double checking road and path types.
Tips for creating a good digital route:
Place waypoints / control points (picking a point on the map for the route to include) at a significant point. This could be a junction, a feature you want to include or a hazard to be aware of. Some tools will permit added descriptions to the points to help when navigating. It's important to place sufficient waypoints in order to anchor the route along the selected paths.
When placing a waypoint try to place it just before or just after a turning. Placing on the turning can sometimes confuse the route.
Try to be as accurate as possible when placing a waypoint. When using turn-by-turn guidance on a GPS, a poorly placed waypoint at a junction may create confusing or contradictory directions. Also, pay attention to the direction of traffic on major roads or roads where a cycle lane is adjacent to ensure you stay on the right side of the carriageway.
Turn-by-turn directions
Turn-by-turn directions add another layer of navigational ease but also added complexity when creating the route. Most apps provide access to a number of navigable lines on the map. These could be Google (default) maps, Google satellite view, Open Cycle Map and so on. These are digital lines under the map image overlay on which you place your waypoint to create the route. In coding terms they are defined as: route=bicycle. Sometimes it's worth toggling between the different maps to get the best route for turn-by-turn directions. For example, you may be confident to cross a junction using the general road layout rather than the surrounding cycle lanes. The digital line for the cycle lane may suggest a number of confusing left and right turns over a very short distance as it takes you over a pedestrian / cycle crossing, whereas you may just want to stay with the traffic and take a single right turn. Judge each of these on an individual basis.
Routing off-road sections may not be possible by using the selectable roads or paths. Firstly try toggling between the map types as above to see if it provides you with a selectable option, if this doesn't work you may need to use a 'free-hand' function. These can generally be found within the menu or tool bar options. Remember to place a waypoint as close to the end of the 'selectable' road / path, before switching to freehand mode to avoid any 'undo' corrections re-routing previously uncontrolled path selection. Close the free-hand section as soon as possible by placing a waypoint on a 'selectable' section of the road or path.
Elevation
During this whole step, it's important to take note of the daily mileage and elevation. The more jagged the elevation profile, the more hilly the route will be and the more time it will take to cover the distance.
The West Kernow Way elevation profile - Cornwall is very hilly! (Images courtesy of Ride with GPS)
Step 4 - Tweak the route
Nine times out of ten, after creating a first pass of a digital route, it'll need a good tweaking. The route may have become particularly twisty and the overall mileage has increased or the elevation profile is so jagged that it might be worth going round some of the hills. Go back through the steps above a number of times to alter the route to make it more achievable. Use the elevation table in the previous section to add time for ascent accordingly. Check for flow to make sure the bike you're planning to use won't leave you frustrated for half the journey. If you're really looking to refine the route as best as possible from behind a desk, try the Satellite View and Street View functions on Google Maps to look at parts of the route that might be unclear. Even with an off-road route, you can normally stand your blue person at the start and end of a bridleway to see what it looks like, giving you a pretty good idea of the overall trail. Sometimes 360 degree images can be found at points down the trail as well. Some platforms can also provide a .kml file, which can be imported into Google Earth for a fly-through of the entire route! Ordnance Survey allows this feature straight from the route view tool bar. When you're happy with the route, download a .gpx file ready for use on your GPS / Phone.
Realistic expectations
It’s far more pleasant to travel at an easy pace than be chasing your tail the whole way, arriving after dark and missing your pre-booked meal (all said from bitter experience!). The weather is a big factor in the UK and can make even the shortest distances arduous. Lower your distance expectations and don’t be too over ambitious. If you’re new to this, a short route fairly close to home just to get used to being in the saddle for more than a couple of hours, is a perfect start. If it all goes wrong, you don’t have too far to limp home.
Final thoughts...
On my last few trips I've taken a paper map. Navigating by GPS is excellent for cycling but sometimes the small screen doesn't really give you a sense of place. Occasionally referring to a large area map is not only great for seeing where you are relative to your surroundings, it's also good for showing others the route if you're in a group and the only one with the GPS. Again, on my more recent trips, I've stored a handful of en-route cycle shops onto my GPS across each of the days and twice we've had to use them! One for a snapped rear derailleur and the other for a loose cassette.
If, having read this far, creating a new route still seems too daunting then just stick with tried and tested well documented cycle routes. The main thing is to just get out and have fun!
Happy adventuring!