Hampshire is one of the best southern counties for both on road and off road riding. With a little planning you can ride on quiet country lanes avoiding traffic. Off road riding is varied ranging from short gentle family rides to challenging rides with steep hills. Most of the listed rides pass close to cafes, tearooms and pubs so if you are hungry or thirsty you should be able to stop for refreshments.

DIY Route Planning:
First point of call could be the trusted 1:50,000 Ordnance Survey Landranger Map, available online or from most outdoor activities shops and bookshops. The 1:50,000 is approx 1 and a quarter inches to 1 mile, so detail is good and for most normal rides one or two maps would be sufficient. On the OS website you can choose to have a map made for you, centered on your house or other place of your choosing.

Also online, Hampshire has a section on the Hantsweb site showing maps of the whole county at 1:10,000 scale - probably more suited to walking than cycling. Neighbouring Surrey has a more useful interactive map. For more links to digital mapping go to the 'GPS and Map help' page.

Before setting out please make sure that you and all your companions are physically capable of undertaking the ride, that your bicycle is roadworthy and that you know how to ride safely in the presence of traffic. It is suggested that you carry a spare inner tube, a pump and tools necessary to repair a puncture.

For cyclists who use a handheld GPS for route finding tracks are available for downloading. Click on the GPS and Map Help link to find out more about using the maps on this site and GPS navigation.