Having spent much of his life in the saddle, Ross Hamilton has numerous bikes cluttering up the garage. These include a 1980s’ Raleigh Pursuit which he used to ride to school – and which, decades later, he used to cycle from coast to coast, following the route of Hadrian’s Wall. Hamilton has cycled all over southern England, from Kent to Cornwall. He completed RideLondon four years running to raise money for guide dogs and has also completed other famous rides such as the Nightrider (in London and Bristol) and the London to Brighton Cycle Ride. A former history teacher who also worked in the heritage sector, ran historical walking tours and has even taught English in China, Hamilton retains a particular fondness for his home county of Surrey, where he uses local knowledge and exploratory zeal to devise unusual routes taking in cyclist-friendly cafés, sites of historical interest and nature reserves.