UKH

Any suggestions (from experience) of a shortish and mostly off-road / quiet roads for an interesting bike tour. I'm thinking of something that could be done with a train start from Derby or Stoke. We've done the relatively short Peak trails a few times.

The Peddlars route in Norfolk looked possible (Nottingham->Thetford train), slightly more complicated return from Kings Lynn. This is a solid 3 days so also considering something that could be done in a weekend. Not too much elevation gain, but 40-50 km / day, needs to suit a 10 year old on only 24" wheels (and a tired dad with all the gear).

Not sure of off road routes but I did a great short tour last year from Shrewsbury starting from the train in Stoke.... really good quiet lanes, great pubs, interesting places to stop. We basically did a loop down towards Ludlow and back....

Do you have any route maps? I can email you through the site if you've got gpx you can share, or some clues on route. Family not far south of Ludlow so a one way route would be possible, Stoke easy to get to.

Another vote for the Welsh border area, you've got a huge number of quiet road/off-road options and it's beautiful countryside.  It's relatively hilly between Shrewsbury and Ludlow, you could plot a route that avoided the worst of them but the very flattest roads tend to be the main roads.  With the exception of the A49, these aren't bad to cycle on and I'd happily use them for short sections with our kids (youngest is now 10).

If you stayed on the train to Leominster (1 stop south of Ludlow) the land flattens out a bit and you would be able to get to Hay-on-Wye on pretty flat roads which would be about 40k.  If your kid was up for one big day you could then go over Gospel Pass (note, this is a lot of climbing, but an amazing road) and finish at Abergavenny (30km ish).  Third day you could find a pretty flat route to Hereford and catch the train back (same line as Leominster).  If they're really not up for Gospel Pass, you could plot a flatter route round the east side of the Black Mountains for the second day.

I'm happy to help narrow down route details, I'm good on the Ludlow area, but will be more patchy as you head further south.  As a starting point, here's a ride from Hay to our house https://www.strava.com/routes/21430400.  I think of this as a pretty flat ride for the area, it would be easy to tweak the route for a Ludlow/Leominster start.

This route has a section that includes Hay-Abergavenny via Gospel Pass

 https://www.strava.com/routes/21411598

My in-laws are a few miles SW of Leominster, so I know that area. If I can't find a good off road route, then that is an option. Train or drop off Stoke-ish area and head south.

Now closed near Capel-Y-Finn till Nov, for land slip repairs. Though you could cross via Craswall on eastern side of Hay Bluff.

https://bikepacking.com/routes/lincoln-gravel-imp/

I did this route over 3 days with my 11 year old over the second May bank holiday- it was excellent -