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ortsmouth is a great city for cycling. Not only is it as flat as a steamrolled pancake, it’s compact as well and that’s not to say we’re lazy, we just like our exercise leisurely.

There are a number of cycle routes in and around Portsmouth, but our favourite is the Famous Figures Cycle Ride. Where else can you take in maritime history and the homes of the literary greats in just seven and a half miles?

The route explores Portsmouth’s most famous sons, a diverse but talented bunch that include the audacious engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the actor, comic genius and original Goon, Peter Sellers.

And bookworms are certainly in for a treat as you ride past Charles Dickens’ birthplace, Rudyard Kipling’s childhood home, and where sci-fi writer H G Wells used to work. You can also snoop around Southsea where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle worked as a GP, created Sherlock Holmes, and still found time to be the first goalkeeper for what is now Portsmouth Football Club.

You’ll also pedal through the historic Dockyard where the world’s most famous ships are located. There’s Henry VIII’s favourite Mary Rose, Lord Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory, and Queen Victoria’s battleship HMS Warrior to admire.

It may sounds like a lot to pack in to a short bike ride, but the joy of cycling is that you can do it entirely at your own pace, stopping whenever something catches your eye.