Leading through lush countryside scenes and patchwork farmland, over gentle hills where the Romans built historic cities and valleys where the Industrial Revolution spurred world-first engineering, the Mercian Way, aka Route 45, combines the very best of England’s history, landscapes, and culture as you ride from north to south.

This adventure guides you between the historic cities of Chester and Salisbury via miles of wonderful countryside. In this Collection, I’ve split the 302-mile (486 km) route into 9 stages, but you can choose to lengthen or shorten each stage as you wish. There are lots of train stations en route so you can be flexible and even skip out some hills if you want. Although with 11,090 feet (3,380 m) of climbing spread across the 9 stages, the Mercian Way is relatively easy on your legs.

Following rural lanes, quiet backroads, and traffic-free paths where possible, you explore the counties of Cheshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, each with its own charm, identity, and lovely towns and villages. You can fall in love with the honey-coloured cottages in Cotswold towns like Cirencester and wander the Medieval streets of Shrewsbury on your way.

There are few Sustrans Cycle Routes that offer more diverse historical highlights than the Mercian Way. You will ride by the ancient ruins of Roman cities, explore magnificent country estates, crumbling Cheshire castles, Iron Age hill forts, 12th-century abbeys, spectacular cathedrals, the heartlands of the Industrial Revolution and two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Stonehenge and Ironbridge.

Even if they slow you down a bit on the road sections, tyres with at least 32mm tread will be the most comfortable on this ride as you follow canal towpaths, gravel trails and farm tracks through the countryside. Your hybrid, adventure, or mountain bike are ideal for the sometimes off-road bumpy roads.

Traffic-free sections make up around 12% of the terrain, however, bear in mind that some busier stretches are unavoidable, especially when entering and leaving cities so it may not be the best option for young families or inexperienced riders.

You can ride this route any time of the year, although riding in the summer increases your chance of sunny days and drier trails. If you get caught in a downpour, there’s plenty of towns, villages and cities dotted along the route where you can dry off, grab a bite to eat, and explore a museum or two.

You can also enjoy spectacular nature as you follow the Mercian Way. The Mid Cheshire Range hills, wild nature reserves, the unusual rocky Hawkstone Park Follies, verdant parklands, the enchanting Wyre Forest, Cotswold Waterpark, the banks of the gushing River Severn and quintessentially English countryside scenes from your saddle.

Chester and Salisbury are great locations to begin and end your adventure as both cities are well-connected by rail. Both cities were once Roman strongholds and boast beautiful historic buildings which paint a picture of their bygone days.

The Mercian Way crosses paths with lots of other great long-distance cycle routes. You can pick up the Severn and Thames Way from Gloucester (komoot.com/collection/889552/cycle-along-historic-waterways-the-severn-and-thames-way), or extend your adventure in either direction on the Cheshire Cycleway from Chester (komoot.com/collection/897566/a-lush-adventure-through-rural-britain-riding-the-cheshire-cycleway) or the Wiltshire Cycleway from Salisbury (komoot.com/collection/910262/cycle-through-5-000-years-of-history-wiltshire-cycleway)