Hit the North

I've always counted myself to be very fortunate to live in the north west.  Not only for the famed hospitality, humour and fine baked pastry products, but it you have an enjoyment of the great outdoors, you really are spoilt for choice in this neck of the woods.
Within a couple of drive you can get to pretty much anywhere in North Wales, the Lake District or England's best attempt at wilderness around Kielder Forest in Northumberland.
Other parts of this sceptered isle will no doubt lay claim to similar fortuitous locations but if you add in the fact that an hour's ride from Manchester city centre, you can find yourself lost in the magnificent surroundings of the Derbyshire Peak District which bleed seamlessly into Staffordshire and the plains of Cheshire, then the North West does have a great claim to being the UK's best cycling region - especially which you factor in the the wonderful roads around the Trough of Bowland.
It appears that I am not alone in this view.
Every week, Cycling Weekly publishes a training ride with a significant figure from UK cycling.  The idea, presumably, is to provide a bit of insight into the rides 'the pros do' and to inspire and educate the enthusiast to try different routes or expand their horizons.
While the feature covers all four corners of the North West is regularly represented with this week's entry being a case in point.
Russell and Dean Downing take the Weekly readers on a ride along the Hope Valley in Derbyshire along familiar roads to club cyclists from the North West - although we'd usually approach from the west.

Route around Derbyshire in this week's Cycling weekly

Now maybe the region has an unfair advantage as British Cycling is based in Manchester with much of the squad being based here too.
But they're here for a reason or reasons.  One of those must be the access to tough but relatively quiet roads.
Ride safe