First of all I can see this has been covered in several different ways before so sorry for going over it again.

I'm looking to buy myself a new bike that I can use to commute to and from work with (about 4 miles each way) but id also like to be able to use it to ride around at the weekends etc.

I do not plan to use it off road as such but would like to use it around my local park that has pre set gravel tracks that are quite even (not deep stones and not particularly muddy but a little rougher than a road / path). also if i'm on a path id like the ability to pop onto grass or a few feet if i'm in somebody's way.

I'm after a bike under £500 that is easy to ride (the bike I have now was a £100 argos special mountain bike, it is incredibly heavy and hard to ride even the short 4 mile level run)

I would also like to be able to ride in most weather conditions ie if its raining on my way to work, im not looking to ride through mud.

A little more info that may be of use? Im a 5ft4" male, slim build, weigh approx. 8stone 8lbs. im not particularly fit nor strong.

I have been swaying towards a Hybrid something like a Charge Grater or Giant Roam 4 but id like a little help from people who may know or who have had similar issues in the past

thanks in advanced