One of my favourite routes isn't really a regular ride. In fact, l've only done it 3 times, and I vary it a little every time. My wife is from Germany, and we like to visit her family most summers. My family take the train and I follow on by bicycle. Having Newhaven ferry port so close to home is a game changer as it means I can leave home in Worthing on my bike and arrive at Bodensee (Lake Constance) in Germany in 4 or 5 days.

The ferry throws you out early in the morning in Dieppe, and it's straight on the Avenue Verte towards Paris before anywhere is open for breakfast. The route swings east before you reach Paris, crossing over eventually to the Champagne region, where the vast majority of the route takes you along canal towpaths and quiet country roads, cutting through the Vosges down to Strasbourg.

At Strasbourg, you cross the Rhine and climb up over the Black Forest or follow the river south which eventually joins Lake Constance. I've done both options, one's longer, one's hillier. Then of course, you have to ride home, so that's double the fun, and the route works both ways.