This picturesque ride is just over 20 miles and includes a good mixture of quiet roads, rural lanes, off-road tarmac paths, farm tracks and offroad gravel paths.

There is one main road to cross and a very short section on the A36. Touring, hybrid and mountain bikes are all suitable.

Start at Mansel Park Pavillion (free parking), Evenlode Rd, Millbrook.

Take the path across the park and cross Kendal Ave to join Mansel Rd West. At the end turn right right onto Lower Brownhill Rd, crossing Brownhill Way at the toucan crossing.

Take the turning off Brownhill Way close to the crossing (Frogmore Lane), continue into Yewtree Lane and join the tarmac cycle path. Follow this past the new OS building to Nursling Street and turn left, passing the Four Horseshoes to join Dairy Lane (bridleway).

Follow Dairy Lane under the motorway, passing in front of the Tesco warehouse, and turning right into Station Road. Continue on Station Road under the motorway; go straight on at the cross roads into Lee Lane then go first left into Church Lane. Pass the Mountbatten Gallery on the right.

Ignore “dead end” highways signs.

When the road ends, take the bridleway (marked on OS map as part of the Test Way) across the River Test and through Moorcourt Farm to join Ridge Lane.

Turn right into Ridge Lane and continue on to the A3090 (steep uphill); cross over the A3090 into Gardeners Lane and take the first left into Ryedown Lane.

At the end of Ryedown Lane, go left for a short distance and Carlo’s Ice Cream Parlour and Tea Room is on the right. Having enjoyed a break there, return via Ryedown Lane, Gardeners Lane and Ridge Lane but, instead of turning off at the bridleway through Moorcourt Farm, continue south through Hillstreet to the A36 Salisbury Road.

Turn right then almost immediately left into Pauletts Lane. It should be possible to avoid this short section of busy road taking the bridleway called Green Lane from Hill Street to the A36 opposite Pauletts Lane, marked on the OS map, but you may be confronted by dogs.

Take the first left into Cooks Lane and Calmore Drive. At the roundabout take the second exit into Brunel Rd and continue through the industrial estate to the entrance to Testwood Lakes (clearly signed).

Various routes can be taken around Testwood Lakes as it is permitted to cycle on all paths except one, which is closed to dog walkers and bicycles for environmental reasons.

For the purposes of this ride, the suggested route is north as far as the study centre, then take the gravel track (to the right just before the Study Centre) around the northern end of Testwood Lake, through two kissing gates, and then take a path to the left away from the lake towards Nursling Mill.

The path between Testwood Lake and Nursling Mill is uneven and narrow and will involve lifting bicycles over a low style to access Mill Lane. Follow Mill Lane, turning left into Station Road then right into Dairy Lane and follow same route as before back to Mansel Park.

This route is easy to follow on OS map and Testwood Lakes paths are marked on the visitor leaflet on-line.

Lindsi Bluemel, secretary of Southampton’s Cycling Campaign