Routes to explore on your bicycle in Sussex and Hampshire

The National Cycle Network is a UK-wide network of signed paths and routes for walking, cycling, wheeling and exploring outdoors.
Cycling is a great way to explore and keep fitCycling is a great way to explore and keep fit
Cycling is a great way to explore and keep fit

It features a number of routes you can enjoy.In West Sussex there is Centurion Way, which is 8.5 kilmetres it takes 27 minutes to cycle or an hour 46 to walk. It starts on the outskirts of Chichester and heads down into the South Downs. The route takes you past two archeaological sites at Devil's Ditch and Brandy Hole Copse before eding at West Dean.The Cuckoo Trail takes place in East Sussex and is popular with families. It is about 16.7km and takes about 55 minutes.It got its name from an old Sussex tradition of releasing a cuckoo at the Heathfield Fair, once a railway line, this trail from Polegate to Hailsham, offers a superb, peaceful, traffic-free route ideal for cyclists and walkers of all ages.The Hastings and Bexhill Waterfront is a coastal cycle route ideal for beginners and families. It runs alongside a railway line, linking two existing paths to complete a 5 km traffic-free route from Hastings to Bexhill-on-Sea, offering fantastic seaside views along the way.The ride begins at Rottingdean on a path between the A259 and the sea, with the ups and downs and spectacular views you would expect from a clifftop path. The path takes you down to Brighton Marina, and ends at Shoreham Port.Another route featured on the website is about 20.7km/12.9 miles and takes around one hour and five minutes and is 59 per cent traffic-free. It goes from Worthing to Brighton and is deemed perfect for families. The route is very flat and at either end there is a railway station to take you back again.In Hampshire Starting at Alice Holt and the junction with Route 22 (Shipwrights Way), the route sets out west to Bentley Station. From there it heads south-west to Alton and Medstead, connecting to Route 23 (Alton to Basingstoke) at Medstead.

Bentley Village is a great pit-stop and has pubs, cafés and shops.

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Alton Town Centre has a number of facilities and a mainline rail station with a connection to the Watercress Line Steam Railway.

The southern section links with the Meon Valley Trail at Wickham, following quiet streets and shared paths through Fareham. Between Fareham and Gosport a new busway provides a direct and high speed route between the two towns. At the southern end a shared path within the old railway corridor leads to Gosport town centre facilities, connection with Route 2 and the ferry to Portsmouth.

Now which route to pick?