Cycling is about exploration: finding previously unridden roads, tackling new climbs, putting a pin in the map and devising a route to get there (and back).

There are few better ways to see the world than by bicycle. The world is your oyster but start closer to home: the UK has thousands of miles of beautiful roads through diverse landscapes, even if the weather is a hit-and-miss and the roads often potholed.

Round up a few riding buddies, choose a region of the UK to explore and book a series of B&Bs – then it’s up to you to ride between them.

You could devise a circular route to take you back to your car/home, or ride from A to B.

Why not take on Land’s End to John O’Groats, the opening three days of last year’s Tour de France (with an additional leg between Yorkshire and Cambridge for good measure) or the 173-mile Chilterns Cycleway?

Scotland boasts some of the UK’s most fierce climbs too, from the Lecht to Bealach na Ba so there are no shortage of options.