I suppose there are no cyclists here but us!
I will be honest, i've never been a fan of the critical mass, midnight ridazz types of rides/groups. Here in LA cyclists are looked down upon because of the actions some of these groups once took before the LAPD finally decided not to crack down on them and instead started escorting them. I much prefer the groups that are after long rides and fitness rather than the social aspect. But I am getting old.
One of the things that saddens me about my potential move to England is how unsafe it seems to be riding a bike in England (well at least my boyfriend's town). I would love to be able to bike while I am there but I'll be an hour train ride from London. 
I actually feel quite safe cycling in London. Maybe it's because of the volume of cyclists on the road, but I always felt super confident there. In LA I feel far less safe, even though my commute is on a wide tree lined street with lots of room for the bike lane, I feel like people here don't "get" sharing the road. Cyclists too; the ones that don't follow the rules make it harder for the rest of us. There are more road rage type accidents here than i care to count.
Anyway, point is I hope you give cycling a try. I can't imagine why your BFs town would be any more unsafe than London - although the winding country roads scare the crap out of me. I've seen how fast my FIL drives on them!
If you don't want to ride there, think of how easy it would be to put the bike on a train and go somewhere else!
