"A joyous rallying cry for middle-aged couch potatoes everywhere" - Mike Parker, author of All the Wide Border

"Steve's adventure reminds us all that wildness and countryside is never more than a bike ride away" - Alastair Humphreys, author of The Boy Who Biked the World

What would happen if you got on a bike in central London and didn't stop riding until you hit the Welsh coast? Steve Silk, the best-selling author of The Great North Road, provides the answer over eight days, 300 miles and rather a lot of hills

Admittedly, he doesn't take the direct route. Country lanes replace dual carriageways, castles and museums are preferred to service stations and there's even a day-long diversion down the River Wye by canoe.

But seen from the saddle, he gets a much more intimate view of historic towns and cities like Oxford, Gloucester, Monmouth and Carmarthen, as well as the spectacular scenery in between. After all, which other direction out of London can offer three areas of outstanding natural beauty and two national parks in such short order?

Join Steve as he rides solo across England before being joined by three of his cycling buddies for the tougher terrain of Wales. Enriched with legends, humour and tales of friendship, Go West is a must for anyone who has dreamt of a cycling adventure.