YOU don't need leg muscles like Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman to tackle Jersey's roads. This cycle-friendly island is just nine miles wide by five miles long.

But if you are staying in St Helier, the main town, you would be forgiven for thinking pedal power can't match sightseeing by car.

The entrance to St Helier on the main road from the airport can get as clogged with traffic as York's ring road in summer. The prospect of pedalling on relatively narrow roads mixing it with horse-powered beasts did not look an enticing, or safe, prospect.

But first impressions can be deceptive. The island's authorities have come up with a simple solution - get the cyclists off the roads.

There are eight dedicated cycle routes spread over Jersey's 45 square miles like a spider's web, making cycling a breeze.

It's not just the tourists who take to the saddle. Each day office workers zip to and fro along the sea wall past the beautiful sweeping arc of St Aubin's Bay heading in and out of St Helier.

For visitors it is probably the most popular of the rides and was the first one that Jenny and I chose to tackle during our stay on the island.

It has the added advantage of being fairly flat because the higher terrain in Jersey is in the north and slopes away to sea level in the south.

Once we had collected our hire bikes on St Helier's Esplanade it was a simple case of walking a few yards to the cycle lane out of town towards St Aubin's, home of some of the island's smartest eateries and hotels.

The sea wall bike lane was wide enough to be split for cyclists and walkers taking in the sea air and the views of Elizabeth Castle and St Aubin's Fort. There are cafes, kiosks and loos dotted along the way if you need a pit stop.

St Aubin's hosts a string of smart bistros, restaurants and pubs including the Old Court House.

At St Aubin's we picked up the gravel track of the old Jersey Railway Company which took us through some wonderful wooded terrain to the

south-west tip of the island and La Corbiere Lighthouse. Built in 1873 it was the first concrete lighthouse in Britain and is a dramatic place to linger and look across to the long expanse of beach at St Ouen's Bay.

The infrastructure of the cycle network is highly impressive. It spans 96 miles and the series of routes are clearly sign-posted. Even from our little corner of the island it did not take long to pick up another cycle route and head inland.

For a couple of days we were able to pick up a different route and enjoy some of the varied attractions on offer, including the ingenious a'Maizin

Maze at La Hougue Farm - a cunning maze in the shape of a dragon covering six acres was littered with treasure hunt-style clues. The maize crop was only open for ten weeks as it was harvested - but another one is planned for 2003 with a different theme.

To check out how farming used to dominate the island we tried the Hamptonne Country Life Museum - complete with cider press and cabbage bread - which provided an entertaining picture of how people lived on the land down the centuries.

La Hougue Bie at Grouville is dominated by a massive burial mound dating from 3800BC, complete with Neolithic passage graves, medieval chapel and a memorial to the slave workers of the Second World War.

Jersey can get a bit preoccupied with the Occupation but a trip to the German Underground Hospital, which unfolds the story of the German Occupation in its complex of tunnels, is a must.

Armed with a good cycle map it is easy to work round the country lanes from one sight to another.

Around each corner and over each hedge are constant reminders that tax haven Jersey contains plenty of rich people. Posh country homes are commonplace and you see plenty of them from your saddle.

As part of the bike network Jersey has 45 miles of 'Green Lanes' where a 15mph speed limit is enforced and cycles have preference over cars. There

is a certain amount of smug satisfaction to be gained from having greater access than the numerous Mercedes and BMWs which are forced to give way in the leafy lanes.

We were blessed with great weather - Jersey has one of the best sunshine records in the British Isles - but if you hit bad weather, the island's excellent bus service will get you to and from most places of note. Alternatively, you could hire a car, but I bet it is not as much fun.

Fact File:

Martin and Jenny Jarred stayed at Hotel Du France, St Saviours Road, St Helier, JE1 7XP. Tel: 01534 614000 or e-mail enqlsr@defrance.co.uk. It has an outdoor pool and sun terrace, indoor pool with health and beauty complex, whirlpool, Sauna and solarium. There are two restaurants: the continental-style Gallery Restaurant ad the more informal Atrium Bar and Brasserie.

Cycle hire was courtesy of Zebra Car and Cycle Hire, 9 The Esplanade, St Helier, JE3 3QUA. Tel: 01534 736556.

Updated: 09:38 Saturday, January 04, 2003