1. Choose the start and finish
Search for a UK town, address or postcode and choose a matching result. You can also use your current location or click directly on the map. Once both points are set, the mapper calculates a bicycle-specific route automatically.
Search happens only when you press Find. This avoids distracting suggestions while you type and reduces unnecessary requests to the community-supported location service.
2. Pick the ride style
Quieter ride favours cycle routes and calmer roads. Road bike places more emphasis on efficient roads and smoother surfaces. Gravel and mountain-bike modes permit progressively more off-road routing. Most direct looks for a shorter line and may use roads you would reject on comfort grounds.
The labels describe routing preferences, not guarantees. Inspect every proposed route, particularly where the line crosses a major road, river, railway or rural track.
3. Adjust the route
Drag the start, finish or numbered stop markers to reshape the route. Select Add a stop before clicking the map when you want to force the line through a particular town, cycleway or crossing. Remove individual stops from the control panel.
If the first suggestion is close but not ideal, use Find an alternative. Switching the ride style can produce a more meaningful difference than repeatedly requesting alternatives from the same profile.
4. Create a circular ride
Set a start point, open Create a circular ride and enter a target distance. The mapper adds shaping points and returns to the start. The result will not match the target exactly because the available road and path network determines the final line.
Choose Try another loop to explore a different direction. Check terrain, access and weather before treating a generated loop as a ride plan.
5. Read the route summary
Distance and estimated riding time come from the routing engine. Climbing is derived from elevation data. Cycleway, track and surface percentages depend on OpenStreetMap tags, which can be incomplete. The comfort estimate combines those tags to help compare routes; it is not a safety score.
A high number cannot confirm that junctions are easy, surfaces are usable or access is lawful. Zoom in, compare with authoritative sources and test unfamiliar sections.
6. Download or share
Download GPX to transfer the plotted line to a compatible cycle computer, phone or navigation app. Sharing creates a link containing the route points and selected profile, so another rider can reopen and recalculate the route.
Different devices can recalculate imported routes differently. Check the route after importing it and understand whether your device follows the GPX track or replaces it with its own directions.