Sustrans: We love you, we hate you

Sustrans is a non-profit organization here that has created routes all around the UK for cyclists - they call it the National Cycling Network. We've been following their routes for the past few days. They make every effort to keep you off the main roads, but sometimes it's really frustrating because they will take you waaaay out of the way on paths and roads that are sometimes tough for loaded touring bikes, just so you can avoid a short stretch of a busier road. On the other hand, following their signs is much easier than trying to figure out our own route. We are getting pretty good at scanning for the signs, but through the cities, sometimes they're hard to find. The good part about their routes is that we get to see all the unusual areas and views of places that we would never find otherwise. We love the small villages and back roads - the people in the towns are very friendly if we ask for help, but most of the time, the reserved English don't approach us.