Two miles off the south coast, the Isle of Wight is just 22 minutes by ferry from Portsmouth Harbour. A loop of the island is a varied (read: hilly) 97km (60 miles) that will show you the best of what this fine isle has to offer - from the Needles and the beautiful beaches of Compton Bay in the west to the splendour of Osborne House in the east.
So great is the Isle of Wight as a cycling spot that, in 2012, Lonely Planet named number 1 in their list of the 'world's best cycling routes'. Not too shabby, eh?
And, when your legs tire of ascents up its chalky cliffs and over its rolling hills, there are plenty of gastro pubs to refuel with delicious meals. Plan your trip right and you could also combine cycling with a trip to a festival or two.
Our developer Marc, and his dad, went to check it out.
Ferries from the mainland give you three choices of setting-off point: Yarmouth, Cowes and Ryde. Mark and his dad got their wheels rolling at Yarmouth and headed clockwise.
The day was pretty rainy so Marc and his dad bombed it round as quickly as they could; stopping only for fish and chips and, of course, a cream tea.
If you head over to the Isle of Wight, let us know what you find! #ridebeeline
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