WELCOME A Brief Introduction

Hello and welcome to Essex Bike Rides. This site has been created so that I can share my personal bike routes with the wider world, and hopefully inspire you to make up some of your own. The landscape of Essex is very flat compared to other counties in England and as a result there is very little information on the web for riders in this area who want to get away from the noise and traffic of town. Many people have the misconception that all of Essex is 'built-up' like Romford, Southend or Chelmsford but in the further corners of the county there is actually plenty of countryside and lots to discover on two wheels. My aim is to find these hidden gems and share them with you through a number of routes that riders of any ability can enjoy.

The information that I've provided on this site comes from a wide range of sources and I'd be very happy to hear about your own routes as well. If you have any comments please feel free to send me an email

LATEST NEWS...
15/11/08: FIVE ESSEX LINKS ADDED
There are now some new links on the site, and each of them can direct you to a selection of cycle routes in Essex. Have a look and try them out.

22/02/08: TWO NEW JOURNALS ADDED - AT LAST!
I've finally got 'round to writing a couple of journal entries! First up is a report of my day at the first ever London Freewheel event last September, and the other is about the rides I've been on this winter.

13/04/06: 'TERMINATOR' MAPS ONLINE
The 2 maps for the 'Terminator' route are now available for download/print. As always, road names and details will be added after I've had a chance to ride it and take notes.

12/04/06: 'THE QUEST' MAPS ONLINE
The 4 maps for 'The Quest' route are now available for download/print. As always, road names and details will be added after I've had a chance to ride it and take notes.

09/04/06: 'MAMMOTH' MAPS ONLINE
The 4 maps for the 'Mammoth' route are now available for download/print. As always, road names and details will be added after I've had a chance to ride it and take notes.

31/03/06: 4 ROUTES NOW MAPPED
Despite my enthusiasm for riding this past winter seems to have dragged on and on and on. With a cold spell lasting much later than normal spring is finally starting to appear all around and I know that getting out for a ride at the weekend is a real possibility at last. Perhaps because of this (and also because the Mini scene's quiet 'til May) I've had a bit more time to work on this site and now have complete maps for 4 rides. Until I get out there to check fine details like road names, pub names and shops they're still a bit bare but when I have collated all that info it'll be added to the maps accordingly. If you can't wait then you can use the print-offs in conjunction with an O/S map.

20/10/05: WEBSITE LAUNCHED
After a period of almost four years the Essex Bike Rides website is finally back up and running - and it's better than ever. Originally created whilst my interest in local riding was at its peak I've learnt a lot more about writing in HTML and at last feel confident enough to set the site up again, as I'd always hoped to do. This time I've included more features than before as well as more 'useful' route information and downloadable PDF maps for you to print and take with you. You can also keep up to date on my own personal exploits through the 'journal' pages which will include photos and stories about my bike life. Well, that's all for now. It's still early days and there's much work still to be done (not least the maps themselves) so I'd best get on with them.
Enjoy your visit to the site.