Pedal Away

The first full stage of the Tour de France races out of London into Kent on July 8: through

maritime Medway to the hop and orchard country of the Weald, Tonbridge, Royal Tunbridge

Wells, Tenterden, Ashford, then on to the finish line in Canterbury.

Come and watch, or better still get on your bike - make Kent your escape route to freedom.

All-ability, all-interest trails, including sections of the National Cycle Network, mean you don't

need to be yellow jersey standard to have a magnificent time.

Check out the Explore Kent website, choose a route that suits or plot your own using the

interactive map.

(www.kent.gov.uk/explorekent).

Then you're off: maybe pedalling the Chalk and the Channel Way along the Dover- Folkestone

Heritage Coast (take breathers beside the artworks en route)

Ashford to Tunbridge Wells is 42 miles of quintessential Garden of England, while the 28-mile

circuit of Romney Marsh is a hauntingly beautiful world apart.

And what satisfaction when you complete the Crab and Wrinkle Way from Canterbury to

Whitstable - reward yourself with an oyster supper as the sun sets across the sea.

Many trails are traffic-free and there are plenty of places to hire wheels if you don't bring your

own, as well as companies that provide itineraries and sort luggage transfers.

There are off-road surprises, too: test your skills on the mountain bike tracks and obstacle-

strewn North Shore - style freeride area of Bedgebury Forest, or opt for the dedicated family

trails. Bike hire here includes cycles for the disabled.

Bewl Water is another pedal-pushers' paradise, featuring a picturesque 12.5 - mile round

reservoir stretch of the legs.