The Isle of Wight's number-one attraction for mountain biking enthusiasts is the chalk ridge that runs across its centre. From here, you're rewarded with views across the chalk downs and out over the English Channel – and even over to the north coast of France on a clear day. A newly waymarked cycling route, the 50-mile Chalk Ridge Extreme, offers superlative off-road cycling. Start in the west, at Freshwater, where the Tennyson Downs rise to 150 metres above sea level. Cheverton Farm is a trail centre based in 298 hectares of farmland, chalk downs, coniferous and broadleaf woodland. We 10 minutes south of Newport