I currently ride around 5 miles a day commuting on a ridgeback adventure K4 (which I picked up cheap second hand). This is the lightest bike I`ve had and its made me love cycling. I`m thinking of doing some longer distance routes (coast to coast/hadrians route etc)does anyone have any advice on a good 'starter' touring bike. I don`t want to break the bank if I find I don`t like touring but I don`t want to not like touring because of a 'tiring' bike.
Any advice on what to look for, good makes, sources of extra info would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Alison

Off the top of my head - Dawes make very good touring bikes;Orbit too and Claude Butler. Try them out first and find one that fits best - any niggles will be seriously exagerated after a few hours in the saddle. Trek and Specialized do women specific tourers, but they're not cheap. There's a lot more to women's bikes than pastel paint. It's all about reach (women have proportionally shorter arms for their height than men) and balance (wider hips, lower centre of gravity).

The Dawes Galaxy range is a bit of a classio, and you can often find Galaxies and Super Galaxies going second hand in Cycling Plus and Cycling Weekly. If you're looking to rides lots of hills, get a triple chainset!