Exploring Wales and the West Country by bike

Spring is the time to explore Wales and the West Country - regions that are especially beautiful when explored by bike, says cyclist and author Jack Thurston

"There was a time when I would cycle to Cornwall every summer from my home in London, to join friends in a holiday cottage on the beach. Each year I took a slightly different route, staying overnight with people I knew along the way, or just sleeping out in the open. It usually took me four full days. By train it’s just a few hours. My average speed on those summer rides was about 12 miles an hour, which sounds slow but by historical standards, the bicycle is actually pretty quick. It’s four times walking pace and double the speed of a horse-drawn carriage.

"The bicycle, and only the bicycle, combines speed, efficiency and freedom with a total immersion in the world around us. Riding through the sun, the wind and the rain, every sight, sound and smell is as vivid and immediate as it can be. Cyclists experience the landscape with a detail and definition that is just a blur when travelling by car or train. As Ernest Hemingway puts it, “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.”

Jack Thurston is author of Lost Lanes West and Lost Lanes Wales (Wild Things Publishing)

Turn to page 79 of May's The Simple Things for more of Jack's springtime cycling advice.

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

More from the April issue:

More outdoor inspiration:

Win a legendary weekend in Wales worth £500

So many epic things to do this autumn. But only so many hours in the day. What you need is some legendary Welsh hospitality. One of the best ways to experience Wales is from the comfort of a Welsh Rarebits country house, seafront hotel, boutique bolthole or restaurant with rooms.

Enter now
 

Terms & Conditions: 
•       Welsh Rarebits Gift Vouchers MUST be presented at time of arrival at the property to enable the property to validate the voucher. The property reserves the right to refuse the voucher if presented at any other time.
•       Welsh Rarebits Gift Vouchers have an expiry date of 12 months from date of voucher issue. This date is shown on the individual voucher. Under no circumstances can the voucher be extended beyond the date stated. Please contact Welsh Rarebits before the voucher expires if you are having difficulty booking your stay. No refund will be given in the event on non-redemption during the 12 month validity period.
•       Change is not given on purchases which cost less than the value of the Gift Voucher presented.
•       Gift Vouchers cannot be exchanged for cash.
•       Gift Vouchers will be subject to verification at time of presentation and each individual property reserves the right not to accept any voucher that have or appear to have been forged, damaged, defaced or otherwise tampered with.
•       No responsibility will be accepted for lost, stolen or damaged Gift Vouchers and such vouchers shall not be refunded. To deface a voucher will render it invalid.
•       Welsh Rarebits gift vouchers can only be redeemed for accommodation and food at Welsh Rarebits properties that have a current Welsh Rarebits membership at the time of redemption. Welsh Rarebits gift vouchers CANNOT be used at any Great Little Places or Rare Hideaways properties.
 

More from the October issue:

More holiday inspiration:

Escape | A Welsh eco retreat with room to roam

See, do, stay, love the UK. This month: Nina Nixon heads to Wales for a weekend retreat 

Our regular travel series comes from online UK travel guide This is Your Kingdom, whose handpicked contributors explore favourite places, special finds and great goings on.

You can read about one we love each month in The Simple Things – turn to page 76 of the August issue for more of this outdoors adventure – and plenty of others at thisisyourkingdom.co.uk.

Nina Nixon is a contributor to thisisyourkingdom.co.uk. She has a passion for photography, capturing moods and making memories. More of Nina’s work can be found on her blog ninanixon.co.uk and on Instagram @nina_nixon

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

More from the August issue:

More This is Your Kingdom inspiration:

Escape: A house lost in time

Escaping for a peaceful weekend at a house lost in time makes spring all the more exciting. This Welsh cottage inspired Laura Pashby to explore its old charm and the wilds of the surrounding countryside.

Our new series comes from online UK travel guide This is Your Kingdom, whose handpicked contributors explore favourite places, special finds and great goings on.

You can read about one we love each month in The Simple Things - turn to page 66 of the March issue for more of this Welsh cottage adventure - and plenty of others at thisisyourkingdom.co.uk.

Laura Pashby is a contributor to thisisyourkingdom.co.uk. She blogs at circleofpinetrees.com and shares daily stories on Instagram as @circleofpines. 

Read more:

From the March issue

Escape posts

Spring posts

Plenty more in the March issue of The Simple Things, out now - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here