Journey planners

Websites and apps for detailed route planning and navigation

Cycle UK journey planner – online cycle journey planner that helps you find the most suitable cycling routes from A to B. Designed by and for cyclists, it offers a choice of routing options based on your preferences, such as speed or traffic levels.

Komoot route planner for cycling, walking, hiking and running – excellent for planning adventure, gravel and off-road routes with detailed information on surface type and fitness required. It also offers offline maps and user-generated route highlights.

Bikemap route planner – a strong option for planning and navigating. It offers a flexible way to organise, track and log your cycling routes. It also gives real-time updates from other users.

Ride with GPS – a powerful tool for creating and sharing detailed routes with advanced features for long distance cyclists and bikepackers.

Google Maps – a good option for beginners and casual city riders, offering basic route tracking and navigation. A reliable, free option for on-the-fly navigation, especially in urban areas. It has a dedicated cycling layer that can sometimes direct you onto busier roads, but it provides elevation profiles and real-time guidance.

Cycle Travel route planner – a website and mobile application that serves as a route planner and cycle map. It helps cyclists find quiet lanes and traffic-free cycleways for commutes, day trips and long-distance touring. It offers free features including turn-by-turn directions and offline maps, with a focus on planning the quietest and most scenic routes.

Apps for tracking rides and social networking

Strava running and cycling app – the most popular platform encourages recording and sharing over route planning. The leading app for ride tracking and social features, allowing you to discover popular routes based on heatmaps, and to share your rides.

Mapmyride – this app tracks cycling stats, offers audio coaching and allows for route planning. It is available for free, with a premium subscription offering more features.

Garmin Connect – the companion app for Garmin devices. This is for Garmin users who want to integrate their ride data with physiological metrics and use heatmaps for route planning.

Trailforks – ideal for mountain bikers and those who ride off-road, focusing on trail navigation and information.