Transitioning from bike paths to road

[DuncanM]

My daughter (and my wife) are enjoying riding along the Marston Ferry cyclepath and some of the back roads around the Parks (most recent route here: https://www.strava.com/activities/1584614909 ). We'd like to do more riding as a family along different routes, but neither are particularly fast/strong cyclists, so we need to keep our distances short and our routes flat ish (shouldn't be too hard around Oxford). The bigger problem is that neither are happy about riding on busy roads or roads with high speed traffic (ie country roads).

What's the best way to encourage proficiency and confidence to allow them to explore the back roads (of which we have plenty), and/or to discover good local routes that we can ride now?
I've done a fair bit of googling for routes, but most seem to have cyclepath joined by roads, often busy ones.

[ElyDave]

Thames path?

Might be a bit bumpy and or busy with peds to avoid?

[DuncanM]

In Oxford the canal bits are either very busy (walkers, other cyclists, rowing coaches) or terribly surfaced. NCN 5 has bursts of good surface, bits of terrible surface and bits of road (I choose to ride on the road rather than NCN5 when I ride to work). I shall look for other towpaths though - thanks for the suggestion.

[orienteer]

Might be worth thinking about some Bikeability training? Give them some confidence to ride on roads. Some councils offer free training.

[Phil W]

Do you have an OS map of where you live? Take a look at the yellow roads and try and join them together.

You could go out following the cycle route signs through Elsefield, to Beckley. You could then do a little triangle back to the pub in Beckley. Maybe a drink and lemonade. Then cycle back through Elsefield the way you came.

[mattc]

Oxford has quite a few good-ish cycle lanes that border proper roads, so they might be a safe "acclimatization" zone to try out. A short stretch to a nice pub, shop, picnic spot by the Thames ... whatever

(I don't have the right kind of local knowledge to contribute any more, sorry! )

[Kim]

Do you have an OS map of where you live? Take a look at the yellow roads and try and join them together.

FWIW Bing maps has an extremely usable OS map mode.

[DuncanM]

Do you have an OS map of where you live? Take a look at the yellow roads and try and join them together.

You could go out following the cycle route signs through Elsefield, to Beckley. You could then do a little triangle back to the pub in Beckley. Maybe a drink and lemonade. Then cycle back through Elsefield the way you came.

Elsfield - Beckley - Woodeaton is one of my favorite routes, but at the moment there's no way either my wife or daughter are getting up that hill! And TBH, they wouldn't be comfortable riding on that sort of road either, even if it were flat.
The ring road and the A40 have a decent segregated cycle path, but connecting them up to anything of interest is more complex.  I'll see what I can find using Bing maps - thanks.

[chrisbainbridge]

We have a ladies bikes ility group in Derby who specifically train women to ride on the road.

My wife will ride on the road with me but would t on her own. I always ride behind her and in the primary position. Also riding in Spring when hedges are less bushy makes roads seem bigger.