Suggestions for a new bike for a newbie Good Evening All,

Whilst I used to ride a bike on a regular basis around 15 years ago, I have no real knowledge of bikes.

I recently completed a Wiggle Ride, that my friends signed me up for, in Calais (50 miles) - half on a Giant hybrid heavy bike and half on a loaned carbon road bike (I still have pain thinking about that ride!)

That ride in Calais has prompted me to:
1. Buy a new lightweight bike. 
2. Commute to work on a bike. 
3. Get back out in the weekends and go on some on and some off road adventures.

Based on the three points above, I have been told a cyclocross or a road bike adventure would be the best fit.

I hope to purchase the bike via my cycle to work scheme and therefore have up to 1k to use from this scheme but I am happy to pay upfront an additional £500, taking the full cost to £1500.

A few friends, that are far more knowledgeable than I am, said the following brands are the main ones I should be looking for:


Giant
Specialized
Canondale


What would you all recommend in terms of make, model, group and type of bike?

Thanks in advance for your time and help :)
Congratulations on the 50 miles and deciding to get back into the sport.

An 'adventure' bike is probably a good choice for getting back on a bike if you want a road style bike (i.e. one with drop handlebars) that can take on some rough road surfaces and is comfortable to ride.

The characteristics you want to look for are:


More relaxed riding position (compared to road racing bikes)
Tire width 28 - 32mm
Disc brakes
'Compact' (50/34 tooth chainrings) or subcompact (48/32) drivetrain.


Adventure bikes have a lot in common with cyclocross bikes but are not quite the same. Cyclocross bikes tend to have more aggressive riding position and often a single chainring. 

All the large manufactures have adventure bikes in their ranges. The budget you mention will get you solid alloy framed bike. You should definitely spend some time looking around at different bikes and do lots of test rides.