Biking can be a breath of fresh air; Go Green STEVE EMSLEY writes about his new-found love for cycling.

Byline: STEVE EMSLEY

I STARTED using my bike regularly 18 months ago now and have cycled around 2,000 miles in that time. It was one of the easy things to do to reduce my impact on the environment.

Many cyclists are younger, but at 56 years old I find it a pleasant change to use a car a good bit less. I have been using it on about half of my work days as well as weekends.

Most of the cycle journeys I do are between one and four miles. I am by no means a total cyclist. I am neither fast nor willing to cycle long distances. I don't like being in a hurry when I cycle, so I allow enough time to pace myself.

I think there is room for all kinds of cyclists including weekend- only cyclists, commuters, three-wheelers, toddlers, oldies, racers and long-distance travellers.

I recently set my heart on cycling out to see some friends near Wylam. I picked a good sunny autumn Sunday. The 12-and-ahalf miles each way was much more than I would usually tackle.

This was the kind of distance my dad used to cycle to work in the 1960s.

I rode out through Fenham and down to the N72 cycle-route out towards Newburn. Most of the track is off road, some on old railway tracks.

After Newburn you follow signs out to Blaney Row. It has countryside all around and is a short walk from the riverbank.

Then I used Stephenson's old railway track, which is an easy flat cinder track.

Being outside meant I saw a lot of things I would have missed in a car. The journey became part of the event, not just a way of getting from A to B. And for those who don't like roads, I only did about three out of 25 miles on the road.