L'Escala to Pals by Mountain Bike, Catalonia

 

The best part of 50km, the round trip between L'Escala and Pals is a flattish ride through a relatively peaceful part of the Costa Brava. Once you leave L'Escala, you can take a back route that follows minor roads and dusty tracks to skirt the stark hills that overlook Torroella de Montgrí. After you pass through the pleasant town, you'll need to take the busy C-31 down to Pals. However, the road is safe enough for cyclists and, for the last stretch, you can follow some tracks into the medieval village of Pals - a fine place to stop for refreshments before retracing your route. 

L'Escala to Cadaqués by Mountain Bike, Catalonia

 

If you have a mountain bike, you can mix and match roads and trails on the 100km round trip between L'Escala and Cadaqués - a charismatic and picturesque seaside town nestling below the hills north of the Bay of Roses. For the challenging stretch between Roses and Cadaqués, you can take the mountain road (GI-614), which carries a fair bit of traffic, or a rocky trail closer to the coast. Both routes through the Cap de Creus Natural park are very scenic, but the latter (marked as cycle route 12 on the local leisure map) has the edge when it comes to broad vistas and you don't have to worry about cars.  As the trail is tough and long - it goes up hill and down dale - it is probably best to only take it in one direction, particularly in the heat of summer. In any case, make sure you refuel properly, while enjoying the cobbled streets and handsome white-washed buildings of Cadaqués. 8/10 

More cycle routes in Catalonia can be found here.

Windsor Great Park, Berkshire

 

From the higher elevations in the eponymous Great Park, you can see Windsor Castle rising above the treetops, like something out of fairy tale.

Windsor, Berkshire

 

Lightening up the mood in Windsor, three customised white mopeds strike a pose in a town centre almost devoid of tourists.