With a rare moment to myself the other day I was doing something every bike nut likes to do every now and again, I was trawling the internet for new and exciting bikey things and news. These searches can go in any direction and you begin looking at new lights for your steed but end up looking at high-end custom carbon frames you will never be able to afford let alone justify on your measly yearly mileage.

But something stopped my erratic browsing and really inspired me; I came across a completely altruistic little website. Not a big commercial site with advertising plastered all over it but my favourite type of website just a little unassuming word press page called Square wheels. In fact it has absolutely nothing to do with square wheels but instead documents an Oxford to Cambridge ride (or Cambridge to Oxford depending on where your loyalties lie).

You may think this unimpressive if you have ridden to Cambridge before, but how did you do it? With GPS, maps, following a friend or an organised bike ride? Well this little site gives thorough and accurate instructions on how to cycle either way. Now that is pretty impressive. To document 83.9 miles purely for others is something really nice to do.

Nowadays everyone’s using Garmins and Stravas, but they are enough to make me mad. I use technology at work but when it comes to pleasure I prefer not to rely on technological gadgets that are prone to breakdown or battery fatigue. So handwritten or neater typed notes do me fine on bike rides, I can navigate London on a Brompton better with screwed up paper notes pushed into my sports bra than I can with a Garmin.

And isn’t a friend’s favourite route when they decide to share it with you always the best? Don’t get me wrong exploring unchartered countryside or riding unknown routes together can be fun, but once someone has done all the hard work figuring out the best and scenic way for a cyclist it can alleviate all map reading stress leaving you to enjoy the ride.

All that is stopping me from getting in the saddle and trying this route is the wait on mine and my partner’s new bikes. We are then going to try Richard’s of www.squarewheels.org.uk’s Oxford to Cambridge route taking only his neatly chaptered instructions and some homemade flapjacks with us.

Don’t worry if you are a techno freak, scared to leave the house without GPS there are GPX files to download on Richard’s site but I wouldn’t bother if I were you the notes will more than get you there.

If only more of us had foremost the passion to start a site like Richard’s, and secondly the time to maintain it, there could be many other freely available wonderful routes out of Oxford to try without prior hours of preparation and mapping.