# King Alfred's Way



## Cathryn (25 Aug 2020)

I've just found out about this new 350km off-road touring route around the South of England - it looks fantastic. Does anyone know any more about it? I'm dying to do it and it passes within a mile or two of my house!!

https://www.cyclinguk.org/kingalfredsway


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## Richard Fairhurst (26 Aug 2020)

Being launched later this week, I think. There's a book and GPX file to preorder. It's a Cycling UK thing - it won't be waymarked, you're expected just to follow the GPX/guidebook.


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## sheddy (26 Aug 2020)

Optional burnt cake ?


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## Ian H (26 Aug 2020)

sheddy said:


> Optional burnt cake ?


It goes nowhere near Athelney or the Somerset Levels.


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## Cathryn (26 Aug 2020)

Richard Fairhurst said:


> Being launched later this week, I think. There's a book and GPX file to preorder. It's a Cycling UK thing - it won't be waymarked, you're expected just to follow the GPX/guidebook.



Oh that's interesting, I assumed it would be way-marked. I wonder what the terrain is like, if I'd need an MTB to do it or if a tourer would be okay.


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## Bobario (26 Aug 2020)

You've probably already read it but the blurb underneath says:

"the trail is ideal for gravel bikes and could be ridden over a few days as a bikepacking trip. "

So it looks like a tourer with suitable tyres would be okay. Interestingly, the page you linked to is now behind a password protected log on screen. You have to register or pay £12 to get the route guide when it comes out.

I might put this on the wishlist for next summer. Thanks for the heads up.


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## avecReynolds531 (28 Aug 2020)

Thanks for this - I learned about it today: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...gh-history-220-mile-king-alfreds-way-launched

Looks to be an excellent route!


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## Tail End Charlie (28 Aug 2020)

In my experience route guide books are very good, giving snippets of history of the places you pass through. And let's face it, this route will have plenty of history! Looks like a great route.


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## Yellow Fang (28 Aug 2020)

First I'd heard about it. Doesn't go through Wantage, which was his birth place, or so they claim. Living in Reading I'd be interested to cycle around it, but I think all the hostels are still closed, and I am not sure I want to drag a tent along.

Correction: I see it goes past Wantage. There was a private hostel at the top of the hill just south of Wantage. I don't know what its status is now. It looks like it goes by Streatley, where there's a youth hostel. I see there's a hostel near Devizes and on near Salisbury.


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## tom73 (28 Aug 2020)

Full route now looks to be live and free to download 
https://www.cyclinguk.org/route/king-alfreds-way-gpx-route


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## Cathryn (28 Aug 2020)

avecReynolds531 said:


> Thanks for this - I learned about it today: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...gh-history-220-mile-king-alfreds-way-launched
> 
> Looks to be an excellent route!



I just came here to post that link - it sounds fantastic. I'm excited already.


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## Cathryn (28 Aug 2020)

The Winchester-Salisbury section is the Clarendon Way, which I hiked this summer. Parts of it are definitely do-able, other sections would be harder on a tourer. I think I may need a new bike.


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## Bollo (28 Aug 2020)

It does look a lovely route (that goes very close to Casa Bollo) although it’s just making use of existing facilities.

I don’t ride off road but certainly know the terrain between Winchester to Salisbury westwards and the A3 to the east. You could certainly roadify the Winchester-Salisbury section along the old Sarum Road if you wanted to make progress and not miss much in the way of scenary.


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## Blue Hills (28 Aug 2020)

Cathryn said:


> I'm dying to do it and it passes within a mile or two of my house!!
> 
> https://www.cyclinguk.org/kingalfredsway
> 
> View attachment 543711


please add details of your tea stop.

yep, does look interesting.

heard about a while ago.


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## Blue Hills (28 Aug 2020)

This from the guide sounds alarming, don't quite understand, for surely they wouldn't be promoting the route if the Salisbury plain bit was as alarming as this makes it sound? One thing to have a todo with a distracted driver, quite another with a speeding tank.

@@
The route passes through some areas of land owned by the Ministry of Defence where there may be military training exercises going on, so make sure you pay attention to any warning signs, stick to the main route rather than wandering off and don’t touch any ‘interesting’ objects lying around. Salisbury Plain is a live firing range with very real dangers, so you should never cut across it if the red flags are flying. Even when the flags are down, you need to be vigilant for 75-tonne Challenger tanks travelling at up to 60km/h with very limited crew vision as well as other, even faster vehicles.


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## Pikey (28 Aug 2020)

Blue Hills said:


> This from the guide sounds alarming, don't quite understand, for surely they wouldn't be promoting the route if the Salisbury plain bit was as alarming as this makes it sound? One thing to have a todo with a distracted driver, quite another with a speeding tank.
> 
> @@
> The route passes through some areas of land owned by the Ministry of Defence where there may be military training exercises going on, so make sure you pay attention to any warning signs, stick to the main route rather than wandering off and don’t touch any ‘interesting’ objects lying around. Salisbury Plain is a live firing range with very real dangers, so you should never cut across it if the red flags are flying. Even when the flags are down, you need to be vigilant for 75-tonne Challenger tanks travelling at up to 60km/h with very limited crew vision as well as other, even faster vehicles.



Wise words there, no end of numpties picking objects up, wrecking their 4x4s and getting their dirt bikes seized up there since lockdown began.
One of my fave routes goes along the public access track, I’ve pulled off to the side a couple of times to make way for a convoy of warrior AFVs.
The last time I saw them, the lead vehicle did the equivalent of a stoppy when they saw me well off to the side on a grassy bank, must have hit the emergency brake, looked like the thing was going to upend itself.


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## Pikey (28 Aug 2020)

I showed the mrs the route for this King Alfred way the other day. She came back with “yep, I’ll tour that with you when you’ve built me that mtb next year...”


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## Blue Hills (28 Aug 2020)

Pikey said:


> I showed the mrs the route for this King Alfred way the other day. She came back with “yep, I’ll tour that with you when you’ve built me that mtb next year...”


go alone.
i fancy doing it on my 26inch exped bike.


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## Bollo (29 Aug 2020)

Pikey said:


> Wise words there, no end of numpties picking objects up, wrecking their 4x4s and getting their dirt bikes seized up there since lockdown began.
> One of my fave routes goes along the public access track, I’ve pulled off to the side a couple of times to make way for a convoy of warrior AFVs.
> The last time I saw them, the lead vehicle did the equivalent of a stoppy when they saw me well off to the side on a grassy bank, must have hit the emergency brake, looked like the thing was going to upend itself.


One of my routes to Smallsbury 😉 goes along the public road through the Porton Down site. Its not especially pretty but it is interesting. Stopping is not encouraged.


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## figbat (29 Aug 2020)

Yellow Fang said:


> First I'd heard about it. Doesn't go through Wantage, which was his birth place, or so they claim. Living in Reading I'd be interested to cycle around it, but I think all the hostels are still closed, and I am not sure I want to drag a tent along.
> 
> Correction: I see it goes past Wantage. There was a private hostel at the top of the hill just south of Wantage. I don't know what its status is now. It looks like it goes by Streatley, where there's a youth hostel. I see there's a hostel near Devizes and on near Salisbury.


It goes nearest Wantage as the Ridgeway crosses the A338 but it seems a shame that King Alfred’s Way goes so near his supposed birthplace, where there is a prominent statue to him, and doesn’t actually go there.

There is this place to stay just off the Ridgeway at Court Hill, plus the YHA in Streatley.

The Ridgeway from Uffington to the east gets near-on impassable after lots of rain, so plan accordingly. There is one particular climb I have had to get off and push due to the clay muddy ruts making traction impossible and clagging up everything, and even pushing was tricky. A section of polished chalk a bit further east becomes like ice with any rain. I don’t ride this section of Ridgeway through the late autumn to early spring.


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## deptfordmarmoset (29 Aug 2020)

Lots of stuff on the route in today's Cycling UK email. https://www.cyclinguk.org/king-alfreds-way

And appropriate bike advice here: https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/what-bike-best-king-alfreds-way-and-other-questions


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## Trickedem (29 Aug 2020)

Bollo said:


> It does look a lovely route (that goes very close to Casa Bollo) although it’s just making use of existing facilities.
> 
> I don’t ride off road but certainly know the terrain between Winchester to Salisbury westwards and the A3 to the east. You could certainly roadify the Winchester-Salisbury section along the old Sarum Road if you wanted to make progress and not miss much in the way of scenary.


I did this on my recent tour. Very quiet roads and beautiful scenery.


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## Cathryn (31 Aug 2020)

Blue Hills said:


> please add details of your tea stop.



Give me a shout when you get to Avebury


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## Cathryn (31 Aug 2020)

Blue Hills said:


> This from the guide sounds alarming, don't quite understand, for surely they wouldn't be promoting the route if the Salisbury plain bit was as alarming as this makes it sound? One thing to have a todo with a distracted driver, quite another with a speeding tank.
> 
> @@
> The route passes through some areas of land owned by the Ministry of Defence where there may be military training exercises going on, so make sure you pay attention to any warning signs, stick to the main route rather than wandering off and don’t touch any ‘interesting’ objects lying around. Salisbury Plain is a live firing range with very real dangers, so you should never cut across it if the red flags are flying. Even when the flags are down, you need to be vigilant for 75-tonne Challenger tanks travelling at up to 60km/h with very limited crew vision as well as other, even faster vehicles.



It's all true - locals are pretty adept at looking at flags and sticking to the gravel roads.


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## Blue Hills (31 Aug 2020)

Cathryn said:


> Give me a shout when you get to Avebury


may take you up on that - i have a vague plan to do it soon before it gets spoiled - maybe late september/early october, mainly freecamping.


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## Blue Hills (31 Aug 2020)

Cathryn said:


> It's all true - locals are pretty adept at looking at flags and sticking to the gravel roads.


yebbut what alarmed me is the bit where it seemed to say that even when you are allowed through, tanks may be crossing at speed driven by folks who don't have ideal vision.


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## itboffin (31 Aug 2020)

I’m also in Marlborough, Windshire I’ve ridden most if not all of this route many times and although the A338 is a bad road there are plenty of smaller parallel side roads or trails it’s easy to ride this loop on or off road or mix both


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## slowridr (4 Sep 2020)

Blue Hills said:


> yebbut what alarmed me is the bit where it seemed to say that even when you are allowed through, tanks may be crossing at speed driven by folks who don't have ideal vision.


If a tank is heading your way, you'll know about it. They don't exactly creep up on you 

The Plain is criss-crossed by lots of public rights of way - footpaths, bridleways, BOATs - but before planning a trip across it's always worth checking the firing times https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/salisbury-plain-training-area-spta-firing-times and keeping an eye on the SPTA newsletter to see what's going on: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/salisbury-plain-training-area-spta-newsletter


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## steveindenmark (20 Sep 2020)

There is a Facebook page for this route and the ride is getting excellent reviews. As is the paper guide. If you can get one. They sold like hot cakes 😊


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## Blue Hills (20 Sep 2020)

Just a pity it was launched so late in the year, daylight starting to fade, one for next year I think before the hordes descend.


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## Cathryn (21 Sep 2020)

Blue Hills said:


> may take you up on that - i have a vague plan to do it soon before it gets spoiled - maybe late september/early october, mainly freecamping.



You can freecamp in our garden as long as it’s covid safe!


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## Blue Hills (21 Sep 2020)

Blue Hills said:


> may take you up on that - i have a vague plan to do it soon before it gets spoiled - maybe late september/early october, mainly freecamping.


Thanks for the like on the proposal @Cathryn but have reluctantly decided that this will have to wait until next year - nights closing in, have no probs with temperature but don"t fancy turning in very early in the cycling day with long nights to lie through.


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## Blue Hills (21 Sep 2020)

Cathryn said:


> You can freecamp in our garden as long as it’s covid safe!


Ah, working through the thread, just seen. May very well take you up on THIS one - roll on spring.


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## argdraw (2 Oct 2020)

I am planning on doing most of the route starting 12th October from Petersfield I got the guide book today the first 90 pages are historical text, and 12 full page pictures, pages 96-120 are what appear to be 1.25k OS maps (no scale or north indication) each page is a different orientation and even knowing bits of the route I cannot work out how they the maps join together. Lots of effort gone into it, but I wont bother carrying it as useless without another map to know where you are.


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## figbat (2 Oct 2020)

Good luck! The forecast is for rain pretty much constantly from now until then - the Ridgeway will be tricky. You may get away with it if there hasn’t been much footfall on the wet ground, but it’ll still be slick over the chalky sections. Take it easy and enjoy if you can.


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## Cathryn (5 Oct 2020)

argdraw said:


> I am planning on doing most of the route starting 12th October from Petersfield I got the guide book today the first 90 pages are historical text, and 12 full page pictures, pages 96-120 are what appear to be 1.25k OS maps (no scale or north indication) each page is a different orientation and even knowing bits of the route I cannot work out how they the maps join together. Lots of effort gone into it, but I wont bother carrying it as useless without another map to know where you are.



I ran the Clarendon Half Marathon yesterday - it was an absolute mudbath. The Clarendon Way makes up the stretch from Winchester to Salisbury. It will be slippery.


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## albal (21 Oct 2020)

Forced to abort after a day. Wrong bike choice, + long cold nights in tent. I'll return with bike I did the Wessex Ridgeway on in spring.


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## Blue Hills (21 Oct 2020)

albal said:


> Forced to abort after a day. Wrong bike choice, + long cold nights in tent. I'll return with bike I did the Wessex Ridgeway on in spring.


soorry - being lazy - did you post upthread which bike?
Can you say more about why it was the wrong choice?
I too decided to leave it for this year because of the short days which would severely limit riding time, especially with the time it takes faffy me to make and break camp. I may still do some mini adventures though where riding time is not so important and I can just hole up for the long night or two with some good ebooks.


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## albal (22 Oct 2020)

Took a modern gravel bike with spd's. 700c x40 tyres . Not good enough .My 1989 atb 26".with double sided pedals and wide wobbly tyres would suit it fine.


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## Blue Hills (22 Oct 2020)

albal said:


> Took a modern gravel bike with spd's. 700c x40 tyres . Not good enough .My 1989 atb 26".with double sided pedals and wide wobbly tyres would suit it fine.


by double sided you mean flats/non clipless?


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## matticus (22 Oct 2020)

albal said:


> Forced to abort after a day. Wrong bike choice, + long cold nights in tent. I'll return with bike I did the Wessex Ridgeway on in spring.


I don't have the source to hand - i suspect it was somewhere on Facebook - but people in the know* are saying this route would be no fun at all in the wet without proper big/knobbly tyres. I think that's put me right off!
(didn't surprise me, as I've ridden most of the western ridgeway. _Some _bits are nice, when dry.)


*Including someone who helped CUK with setup/road-testing.


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## albal (22 Oct 2020)

Yes, full knobbly yes, even they would get covered in mud making it tough to gain traction in a tiny part I was riding anyway. Forget mudguards as well. I'll use knobbly tyres. When I did the South downs way I carried slicks, swapping them out in Eastbourne for the ride home on road. Think I ditched x1 tyre as it was well worn. 
Pedals were dual sided, sorry should of said that before. Spd's used occasionally.


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## itboffin (25 Oct 2020)

albal said:


> Took a modern gravel bike with spd's. 700c x40 tyres . Not good enough .My 1989 atb 26".with double sided pedals and wide wobbly tyres would suit it fine.



I cant vouch for the entire route but you're absolutely correct on the MTB with wide tyres for at least the Ridgeway section, there's far too many potholes, ruts and slippery clay/chalk for anything else, I've ridden it on a CX bike it was a very unpleasant day out, mind you i've ridden it one year when we had 12 foot snow drifts now that was a blast. Slow as well


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## itboffin (25 Oct 2020)




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## johnblack (2 Nov 2020)

I did the South Downs Way in the summer and I know that this shares some of the same route. There is no way I'd want to do it on anything other than a 29er.


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## DRM (2 Nov 2020)

View: https://youtu.be/hKWuRIcP3J0

For any one who wants a peek at the route.


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## itboffin (3 Nov 2020)

they missed out the Wessex section up from Salisbury to Marlborough


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## matticus (4 Nov 2020)

I'be been following this venture since the pre-publicity (it IS on my doorstep!), and had a while to think about the concept, I think the general message here is that calling it a "Gravel" route is optimistic, except in good weather/conditions. The word "bandwagon" is lurking in the wings.
It's certainly not an easy route for the less physically able, or if you don't have the right bike. 
Still, it will be interesting for many, as this thread demonstrates.

HOWEVER, speaking selfishly, I'd rather have a route that is much more rideable, even if that means a fair few miles of quiet lanes and back-roads. That would be more accesible/inclusive. But maybe I'm in the minority, maybe most are desperate to avoid cars at all costs?


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## cougie uk (4 Nov 2020)

I like the idea of quiet lanes rather than mud plugging. Especially if you're doing the whole thing. I can cope with mud if I know I can clean the bike and myself that night. 

After seeing half of the GCN video I don't think it's one for the wetter months. 😁


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## Brendan Parker (9 Apr 2021)

Stumbled across this thread as doing this in June on a gravel bike.
curious to know if anyone done this in the winter and how you got on?


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## figbat (9 Apr 2021)

I have ridden the Ridgeway part of it in all seasons - in the winter it is near-on impassable when wet and muddy; I stay away until it’s been dry for a while. I’ll probably be going along there tomorrow as it’s riding really well at the moment.


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## johnblack (9 Apr 2021)

I've ridden the South Downs way, which is the KAW part from Winchester to South Harting, it was in the summer and dry. Got to say wouldn't fancy it in the winter unless it had been dry for a bit, there will be parts that would be almost impossible on a MTB, but as for a gravel bike....


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## Cathryn (10 Apr 2021)

Brendan Parker said:


> Stumbled across this thread as doing this in June on a gravel bike.
> curious to know if anyone done this in the winter and how you got on?


We cycle the ridgeway in winter quite regularly and it’s pretty horrible!


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## figbat (10 Apr 2021)

I actually bailed out of it this morning and took a different route - with the overnight rain the rutted and chalky sections would have been lethal.


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## Brendan Parker (10 Apr 2021)

Hopefully me putting off until June is a good move then. Although I feel it will be especially busy this year


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## matticus (10 Apr 2021)

Brendan Parker said:


> Hopefully me putting off until June is a good move then. Although I feel it will be especially busy this year


The Qs will be like Hillarys Step!


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## uphillstruggler (12 Apr 2021)

I believe this route uses lots of the Ridgeway. With all the online coverage, I'm glad I rode the ridgeway last year as i fear @matticus is likely to be correct. 

i just hope it stays in good nick with no refuse issues


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## johnblack (12 Apr 2021)

Brendan Parker said:


> Hopefully me putting off until June is a good move then. Although I feel it will be especially busy this year


When I did the SDW after the lockdown ended last summer, it was mostly deserted and it was a lovely sunny Friday. Only certain touristy way points along the way were busy, I can't see why this would be any different


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## Yellow Fang (2 May 2021)

I've been thinking of doing this with a friend. It's annoying that the cycling guide has run out, because I don't think the route is sign posted and the guide had a list of accommodation.


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## Blue Hills (2 May 2021)

Yellow Fang said:


> I've been thinking of doing this with a friend. It's annoying that the cycling guide has run out, because I don't think the route is sign posted and the guide had a list of accommodation.


For the route, the gpx is freely available.


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## Lostagain (11 May 2021)

Yellow Fang said:


> I've been thinking of doing this with a friend. It's annoying that the cycling guide has run out, because I don't think the route is sign posted and the guide had a list of accommodation.


The Guide doesn't list accommodation. It does however give a table of the facilities e.g. if there is B&B at various places along the route


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## ade towell (13 May 2021)

Yellow Fang said:


> I've been thinking of doing this with a friend. It's annoying that the cycling guide has run out, because I don't think the route is sign posted and the guide had a list of accommodation.


You can download it from the KAW website 
https://issuu.com/ctc_cyclists/docs/cycling_uk_kaw_online_artwork


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## jay clock (4 Jun 2021)

I live right on the route in Central Winchester And I am amazed how many people I’m seeing loaded up with bike packing gear in the last few days. I’ve stopped a couple to offer advice on where to camp and get water et cetera. If anyone is doing it and want some local advice on really good camping spots in the woods just outside Winchester I know exactly where to recommend, and if you have any other help you need in Winchester just try me


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## Cathryn (6 Jun 2021)

I'm waiting to get final approval from the husband after tonight's football match and I'm booking it! August, here we come! (Roll out the oily carpet, @jay clock )


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## jay clock (6 Jun 2021)

Cathryn said:


> I'm waiting to get final approval from the husband after tonight's football match and I'm booking it! August, here we come! (Roll out the oily carpet, @jay clock )


Let me know when as I live 100m from the Westgate in Winchester. Tea etc as a minimUm.. Will be nice to meet at last


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## Cathryn (6 Jun 2021)

jay clock said:


> Let me know when as I live 100m from the Westgate in Winchester. Tea etc as a minimUm.. Will be nice to meet at last



Definitely! Would love that!

Just booked it for the last week of august! I’m so so excited!


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## Lostagain (14 Jun 2021)

Just completed it. Three blokes with a combined age of 193 took six days, two of us on mountain bikes and another on a gravel. We could have knocked a day off if everyone could have organised themselves in the mornings, and this is only to get out of the Travelodge/Premier Inn! The highlight for me was day two; seeing Stonehenge from a track north of Amesbury, Salisbury Plain (made more interesting by firing and military vehicles), Avebury, and then the start of the ridgeway ridden on a beautiful June evening before dropping into Marlborough. The next day though was a sod. The ridgeway seemed endless, particularly in the heat and then we had to cope with the traffic through Goring and Reading. Cathryn is no doubt familiar with the ridgeway and will probably just glide along it. Unlikely to repeat the ordeal/experience. Happy to answer any questions.


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## Lostagain (14 Jun 2021)

My copy of the KAW guidebook is now available to anyone who wants it. In return I would ask for a donation to the Wye and Brook India Trust.
http://www.wandbit.org/


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Jun 2021)

I can recommend the Ridgeway for anyone who wants a three day off road adventure. It isn’t trend of the moment so should be quieter than King Alfred


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## figbat (14 Jun 2021)

You can do the Ridgeway in a day and part of the KAW is along it anyway.

It’s very busy around Uffington when the weather’s good. It’s also very hard just east of there...


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## Cathryn (17 Jun 2021)

I wonder if I saw you! I saw a group of KAWers earlier in the week but can’t remember when! Any photos of your group? 

I am familiar with the ridgeway but there will be no gliding, just informed anticipation of a tough day!


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## itboffin (20 Jun 2021)

Having just yesterday completed Chase the Sun south i'm now planned the clubs King Alfred's way 2 day event, along with our summer Tour of Pewsey 5th-9th July week of different events, BBQs and watching the TdF stages (on TV)


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## jay clock (20 Jun 2021)

living in Winchester I am seeing dozens of riders. Hoping to do some of it myself soon


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## Ming the Merciless (20 Jun 2021)

figbat said:


> You can do the Ridgeway in a day and part of the KAW is along it anyway.
> 
> It’s very busy around Uffington when the weather’s good. It’s also very hard just east of there...
> View attachment 593899



We did it in a day in 2008. Also done it over 3 days staying in YHA.


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## jay clock (20 Jun 2021)

if anyone wants them i have split the main gpx into five. 4 x 75k and one last short one. please note my section 4 has a bit cut out around the 29-31k mark to avoid the loop round Frensham. https://ridewithgps.com/collections/27884?privacy_code=qKPPb1aKl6SWHYYp

edited to say please ignore as I am now amending these for my own purposes. If you go down a couple of posts someone has posted the cycling UK versions


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## itboffin (21 Jun 2021)

They have also published them as a whole or nine sections on the KAW site King Alfred's Way - the GPX route | Cycling UK

I'm going to ride the Ridgeway section this Sunday subject to the forecast remaining dry for the rest of this week, having been along the Ridgeway in the wet & snow a few times its bloody hard going and slow!


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## jay clock (4 Jul 2021)

I am home after a great few days attempting to do the King Alfred’s way. And not fully succeeding

Did it on a front suspension mountain bike, with a 20 L air lock bag from Alpkit strapped to the front bars, with their 17litre rear pack (got all tent and bedding in there). Plus a small rucksack.

Navigation on Garmin 1030. I cannot see how you would do this on paper maps without a million navigation stops.

Day 1 Started from Winchester on Tuesday afternoon, did 45K to old Sarum. I live in Winchester so I know that route fairly well. I was pleasantly surprised with the conditions bearing in mind we had had two days of heavy rain. Stealth camped the night.

Day 2 Great greasy spoon fryup in Amesbury! Camped in village between Marlborough and Avebury at friends' house. They recommended a shortcut avoiding the climb out of Avebury, which gave me a flattish 20k warm up to a café stop. Then a further 5k on tarmac to the Ridgeway proper. See here https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36634270 (great cafe at the point where you turn right at about 19k)

A hard day fairly rutted but (apart from hills!) only a couple of hundred metres needing walking due to mud. I had committed to staying with a friend in Reading, which looked too far and I decided to get the train from Goring, but once I had some food and perked up I pushed on. Top tip, just because a path runs alongside the Thames doesn’t mean it’s flat. There was one climb which must be well over 25% and I struggled even to push the bike up it. But only about 50 m long. One corresponding downhill was so steep I didn’t even dare cycle down. So 87k day 2

Day 3. I had plans to do two 80k days to finish. The route alongside the A33 south of Reading was annoyingly muddy although flattish. I was struggling for energy even on flat tarmac parts and decided to cut short and get a train from Hook when I hit the A30.

My issues are not cycling fitness as I do tons of riding inc long distance touring, but I had underestimated the upper body strength needed off road and I do have Parkinsons that affects me. Mentally the concentration on some sections of singletrack can be hard. Also my health issue means I need to use cleated pedals, but that then makes me nervous about being clipped in, particularly when going slow and on the many raised ridges.

I may well find a dry few days and finish Hook to Winchester in the summer over 2-3 days without overstretching myself.

Bike was pretty good. Minor spd pedal issue with loose screws. Broke the chain east of Goring but luckily had a spare Quicklink. I run tubeless with no issues at all.

Quite apart from the physical effort do not underestimate the logistics of diversions to pubs/cafes (usually involving hills) and accommodation is likely to add distance. I ran very low on water on the Ridgeway due to forgetting to fill one of my bottles.

A superbly remote route that really makes you feel you are in the wilds. Lots of other friendly cyclists (did not see a single one going anticlockwise). Cafes and pubs welcoming to cyclists

If anyone wants any advice or comments on kit navigation or logistics et cetera get in touch


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## Lee smith (14 Jul 2021)

I recently completed the King Alfred Way route. It took me 3 and a half days going at a slowish pace and doing long days on the saddle. Did it on a Trek 920 with my rear rack on and 2 small Ortlieb 15 litre gravel panniers on the back with a handlebar bag on the front. Carried 5 litres of water aswell so the bike was quite heavy. I used a Garmin 530 with Komoot navigation. I was blessed with the weather, it was hot but bearable. I enjoyed the whole route with the ridgeway being the best bit by far, the scenery was absolutely stunning. I did struggle with a lot of the hills and ended up walking quite a few of them, the south downs being the worst part for me personally. I will definitely do the route again but on a much lighter set up so I can deal with hills. Thoroughly recommend.


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## Blue Hills (14 Jul 2021)

Lee smith said:


> I recently completed the King Alfred Way route. It took me 3 and a half days going at a slowish pace and doing long days on the saddle. Did it on a Trek 920 with my rear rack on and 2 small Ortlieb 15 litre gravel panniers on the back with a handlebar bag on the front. Carried 5 litres of water aswell so the bike was quite heavy. I used a Garmin 530 with Komoot navigation. I was blessed with the weather, it was hot but bearable. I enjoyed the whole route with the ridgeway being the best bit by far, the scenery was absolutely stunning. I did struggle with a lot of the hills and ended up walking quite a few of them, the south downs being the worst part for me personally. I will definitely do the route again but on a much lighter set up so I can deal with hills. Thoroughly recommend.


What did you do for overnights?


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## Lee smith (14 Jul 2021)

Blue Hills said:


> What did you do for overnights?


I wild camped for 3 nights.


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## Yellow Fang (1 Aug 2021)

Finished doing this yesterday. The short version is that it is quite tough. It is difficult to navigate, especially between Reading and East Meon. You could easily spend a week on it, and if you wanted to visit all the sites, you would have to. Finding accommodation can be a problem. There are a lot of hills to lug camping equipment up if you want to camp. Finding cheap accommodation in the Oxfordshire area is particularly difficult.

I started doing this with a friend. We set off from Reading, aiming to reach the Eco Lodge in East Meon. This was a very difficult day. We were looking at the map half the time trying to work out where we were. It was particularly difficult past Farnham. We kept taking wrong turns. We got drenched by heavy rainfall. We could not find the Shipwright’s Way. I had an issue with my gear lever. The forest route was not signposted very well. We had some tough climbs. We had to push our bikes up Butser Hill. We had phoned up the Eco Lodge about 3pm when we reckoned we would not get there by 5pm. The bloke said no problem. We made some short cuts but did not get there until 8pm and it was all closed. We rang up an emergency number and got a door code, but it was a code to the hostel not the B+B, and the letter we were told to expect was not there. We rang the number again and a woman came out to let us in. The nearest place to eat was the Bat and Ball two miles away, so we had to cycle down there without showering before they closed the kitchen. The next day we set off towards Amesbury. Things were going alright until a bolt sheared off my saddle and the saddle came off. Another cyclist recommended I push the seatpost down, but when I tried to loosen the seatpost collar, the bolt snapped. However the seatpost had seized and would not move. Stood on the pedals for another ten or fifteen miles until we reached Winchester. I took my bike to a cycle cafe called Bespoke Biking. The bicycle mechanic said he did not have the bolts to put the saddle back. In addition, he said the brake pads were worn, the headset was loose, the hubs were loose, and that he did not recommend I continue the journey. My friend said it was game over, but I did not want to give up. I tried to buy a 2nd hand bike, but they did not have anything suitable. I went to Bike X, but their bikes were rather expensive. I set off to Halfords to see what they had. They had something that looked suitable, which might have taken a rack, but time was pressing. I went back to Bike X, who had offered me £75 for my bike (I think) in part exchange. However, plans had changed. They put the saddle back on and did not charge me anything. Meanwhile, my friend had phoned another friend to take us back, but I told him I wanted to continue. I had suggested he continue on his own, and I would have tried to catch up, but he did not want to. Later he texted me he was not enjoying the journey, expecially all the map reading. So he went home and I cycled onto Salisbury Youth Hostel in Cholderton near Amesbury, via a busy A road to Stockbridge and then country lanes. I got there at 7:30 very tired. I tailgated some other guests into the hostel, but there was nobody in reception. I waited there for about half an hour before anyone showed up. It turned out there was a buzzer by the entrance I had missed. I had booked a group room, for myself and my friend, but now it was only me in a room with eight beds. The other odd thing was that they used another downstairs dorm room to store bicycles because the receptionist said a lot of cyclists were doing the King Alfred Way on expensive bikes and their cycle shed was not secure enough. The only place to get food was the pub down the road, because the nearest shop was on a dual carriageway. I set off the next day without breakfast, decided against crossing the A303, worked my way towards Amesbury and back onto the route. Had to cycle along a very busy road out of Larkhill, then started going through all these roads and paths adorned with MOD signs. I was not sure which paths we were actually allowed to cycle on and on which we might be shelled by mistake. Eventually I got onto this MOD gravel road which went on for miles and miles without barely seeing anyone, getting soaked by the rain. I missed my turn off, but worked my way back to Avebury where the standing stones are. There I rejoined the route where it became the Ridgeway. I followed that until Barbury Castle, then joined the Old Ridgeway to Chiseldon, where the hotel was. The next day I followed the Ridgeway and the Thames Path back Reading. I am familiar with much of this route and it was fairly straightforward. The biggest incident was that a motorcylist had witnessed a smash and grab from a car parked on the Ridgeway and asked me whether he should call the police. I advised him to phone 111, but I was not very helpful at working out exactly where we were. I stopped a bunch of other cyclists and through a combination of GPS and other phone apps, we were able to give a location.


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## HelenD123 (1 Aug 2021)

Yellow Fang said:


> Finished doing this yesterday. The short version is that it is quite tough.


Wow, well done for persevering. That's quite the catalogue of issues.


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## jay clock (1 Aug 2021)

re the navigation i did it with a garmin and could not conceive of doing it with paper maps. well done


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## cougie uk (1 Aug 2021)

Yellow Fang said:


> Finished doing this yesterday. The short version is that it is quite tough. It is difficult to navigate, especially between Reading and East Meon. You could easily spend a week on it, and if you wanted to visit all the sites, you would have to. Finding accommodation can be a problem. There are a lot of hills to lug camping equipment up if you want to camp. Finding cheap accommodation in the Oxfordshire area is particularly difficult.
> 
> I started doing this with a friend. We set off from Reading, aiming to reach the Eco Lodge in East Meon. This was a very difficult day. We were looking at the map half the time trying to work out where we were. It was particularly difficult past Farnham. We kept taking wrong turns. We got drenched by heavy rainfall. We could not find the Shipwright’s Way. I had an issue with my gear lever. The forest route was not signposted very well. We had some tough climbs. We had to push our bikes up Butser Hill. We had phoned up the Eco Lodge about 3pm when we reckoned we would not get there by 5pm. The bloke said no problem. We made some short cuts but did not get there until 8pm and it was all closed. We rang up an emergency number and got a door code, but it was a code to the hostel not the B+B, and the letter we were told to expect was not there. We rang the number again and a woman came out to let us in. The nearest place to eat was the Bat and Ball two miles away, so we had to cycle down there without showering before they closed the kitchen. The next day we set off towards Amesbury. Things were going alright until a bolt sheared off my saddle and the saddle came off. Another cyclist recommended I push the seatpost down, but when I tried to loosen the seatpost collar, the bolt snapped. However the seatpost had seized and would not move. Stood on the pedals for another ten or fifteen miles until we reached Winchester. I took my bike to a cycle cafe called Bespoke Biking. The bicycle mechanic said he did not have the bolts to put the saddle back. In addition, he said the brake pads were worn, the headset was loose, the hubs were loose, and that he did not recommend I continue the journey. My friend said it was game over, but I did not want to give up. I tried to buy a 2nd hand bike, but they did not have anything suitable. I went to Bike X, but their bikes were rather expensive. I set off to Halfords to see what they had. They had something that looked suitable, which might have taken a rack, but time was pressing. I went back to Bike X, who had offered me £75 for my bike (I think) in part exchange. However, plans had changed. They put the saddle back on and did not charge me anything. Meanwhile, my friend had phoned another friend to take us back, but I told him I wanted to continue. I had suggested he continue on his own, and I would have tried to catch up, but he did not want to. Later he texted me he was not enjoying the journey, expecially all the map reading. So he went home and I cycled onto Salisbury Youth Hostel in Cholderton near Amesbury, via a busy A road to Stockbridge and then country lanes. I got there at 7:30 very tired. I tailgated some other guests into the hostel, but there was nobody in reception. I waited there for about half an hour before anyone showed up. It turned out there was a buzzer by the entrance I had missed. I had booked a group room, for myself and my friend, but now it was only me in a room with eight beds. The other odd thing was that they used another downstairs dorm room to store bicycles because the receptionist said a lot of cyclists were doing the King Alfred Way on expensive bikes and their cycle shed was not secure enough. The only place to get food was the pub down the road, because the nearest shop was on a dual carriageway. I set off the next day without breakfast, decided against crossing the A303, worked my way towards Amesbury and back onto the route. Had to cycle along a very busy road out of Larkhill, then started going through all these roads and paths adorned with MOD signs. I was not sure which paths we were actually allowed to cycle on and on which we might be shelled by mistake. Eventually I got onto this MOD gravel road which went on for miles and miles without barely seeing anyone, getting soaked by the rain. I missed my turn off, but worked my way back to Avebury where the standing stones are. There I rejoined the route where it became the Ridgeway. I followed that until Barbury Castle, then joined the Old Ridgeway to Chiseldon, where the hotel was. The next day I followed the Ridgeway and the Thames Path back Reading. I am familiar with much of this route and it was fairly straightforward. The biggest incident was that a motorcylist had witnessed a smash and grab from a car parked on the Ridgeway and asked me whether he should call the police. I advised him to phone 111, but I was not very helpful at working out exactly where we were. I stopped a bunch of other cyclists and through a combination of GPS and other phone apps, we were able to give a location.


Lordy. 

How many days did it take you ?

What would you do differently next time ?


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## Yellow Fang (2 Aug 2021)

cougie uk said:


> Lordy.
> 
> How many days did it take you ?
> 
> What would you do differently next time ?


Four days. If I did it again, I'd use some electronic navigation device, but I don't know what's out there. I'd add another day, maybe two. I didn't have time to see any of the sites described in the guide, except the standing stones as I passed Avebury. I did not have time to visit the Rare Breeds Centre next to the youth hostel in Cholderton. The leg from Reading to East Meon was too long, but I wanted to stay at the Sustainability Centre. However, that is not an ideal place to stay because everyone goes home at 5pm. I am not sure about the Salisbury Youth Hostel in Cholderton. It takes you a fair way off the path. Accommodation is tricky, especially this year. Originally another friend planned to meet up with us in the evenings in her camper van. If that had worked out we would have camped, but the route is difficult enough without lugging camping gear. I'd get my bike checked out and overhauled by the bike shop. It had some good components, but it is quite old now. I don't know what cycle tourists usually do about clothes. I had one set of evening clothes and trainers, and two cycling shirts, two pairs of cycling socks, two pairs of cycling shorts, and cycling jacket. I don't like putting on wet or smelly shirts and socks in the morning, so I rinse them in the sink at the end of the day, but I had difficulty getting them dry.


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## HelenD123 (2 Aug 2021)

@Yellow Fang on the clothes front, I find I can wear tops for several days without them smelling. If that's an issue for you look into merino clothing. It's not as robust but doesn't smell and regulates temperature better too. For shorts, I find I don't need padding and have been trying these shorts by Runderwear. My trip was short enough I didn't need to wash them but my hope is they are quick drying. They will certainly dry quicker than padded shorts. I rarely wash clothes and need them to dry overnight. I take enough that will last me either until I'm home or at a campsite or hostel with washing facilities. I love the feeling of the laundry day re-set when you set off with a clean and dry clothes again.

Edited to add that my approach is why I struggle to pack light .


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## Lostagain (3 Aug 2021)

We completed it in the planned 6 days and relied heavily on Komoot on our phones for navigation. Accommodation was at Travelodges and Premier Inns, which allow bikes into the room and the aircon/ventilation was enough to dry my merino top overnight.


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## Cathryn (8 Aug 2021)

Lostagain said:


> We completed it in the planned 6 days and relied heavily on Komoot on our phones for navigation. Accommodation was at Travelodges and Premier Inns, which allow bikes into the room and the aircon/ventilation was enough to dry my merino top overnight.


We are doing it in six days this month! Feels about right!!


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## Yellow Fang (13 Aug 2021)

Yellow Fang said:


> Finished doing this yesterday. The short version is that it is quite tough. It is difficult to navigate, especially between Reading and East Meon. You could easily spend a week on it, and if you wanted to visit all the sites, you would have to. Finding accommodation can be a problem. There are a lot of hills to lug camping equipment up if you want to camp. Finding cheap accommodation in the Oxfordshire area is particularly difficult.
> 
> I started doing this with a friend. We set off from Reading, aiming to reach the Eco Lodge in East Meon. This was a very difficult day. We were looking at the map half the time trying to work out where we were. It was particularly difficult past Farnham. We kept taking wrong turns. We got drenched by heavy rainfall. We could not find the Shipwright’s Way. I had an issue with my gear lever. The forest route was not signposted very well. We had some tough climbs. We had to push our bikes up Butser Hill. We had phoned up the Eco Lodge about 3pm when we reckoned we would not get there by 5pm. The bloke said no problem. We made some short cuts but did not get there until 8pm and it was all closed. We rang up an emergency number and got a door code, but it was a code to the hostel not the B+B, and the letter we were told to expect was not there. We rang the number again and a woman came out to let us in. The nearest place to eat was the Bat and Ball two miles away, so we had to cycle down there without showering before they closed the kitchen. The next day we set off towards Amesbury. Things were going alright until a bolt sheared off my saddle and the saddle came off. Another cyclist recommended I push the seatpost down, but when I tried to loosen the seatpost collar, the bolt snapped. However the seatpost had seized and would not move. Stood on the pedals for another ten or fifteen miles until we reached Winchester. I took my bike to a cycle cafe called Bespoke Biking. The bicycle mechanic said he did not have the bolts to put the saddle back. In addition, he said the brake pads were worn, the headset was loose, the hubs were loose, and that he did not recommend I continue the journey. My friend said it was game over, but I did not want to give up. I tried to buy a 2nd hand bike, but they did not have anything suitable. I went to Bike X, but their bikes were rather expensive. I set off to Halfords to see what they had. They had something that looked suitable, which might have taken a rack, but time was pressing. I went back to Bike X, who had offered me £75 for my bike (I think) in part exchange. However, plans had changed. They put the saddle back on and did not charge me anything. Meanwhile, my friend had phoned another friend to take us back, but I told him I wanted to continue. I had suggested he continue on his own, and I would have tried to catch up, but he did not want to. Later he texted me he was not enjoying the journey, expecially all the map reading. So he went home and I cycled onto Salisbury Youth Hostel in Cholderton near Amesbury, via a busy A road to Stockbridge and then country lanes. I got there at 7:30 very tired. I tailgated some other guests into the hostel, but there was nobody in reception. I waited there for about half an hour before anyone showed up. It turned out there was a buzzer by the entrance I had missed. I had booked a group room, for myself and my friend, but now it was only me in a room with eight beds. The other odd thing was that they used another downstairs dorm room to store bicycles because the receptionist said a lot of cyclists were doing the King Alfred Way on expensive bikes and their cycle shed was not secure enough. The only place to get food was the pub down the road, because the nearest shop was on a dual carriageway. I set off the next day without breakfast, decided against crossing the A303, worked my way towards Amesbury and back onto the route. Had to cycle along a very busy road out of Larkhill, then started going through all these roads and paths adorned with MOD signs. I was not sure which paths we were actually allowed to cycle on and on which we might be shelled by mistake. Eventually I got onto this MOD gravel road which went on for miles and miles without barely seeing anyone, getting soaked by the rain. I missed my turn off, but worked my way back to Avebury where the standing stones are. There I rejoined the route where it became the Ridgeway. I followed that until Barbury Castle, then joined the Old Ridgeway to Chiseldon, where the hotel was. The next day I followed the Ridgeway and the Thames Path back Reading. I am familiar with much of this route and it was fairly straightforward. The biggest incident was that a motorcylist had witnessed a smash and grab from a car parked on the Ridgeway and asked me whether he should call the police. I advised him to phone 111, but I was not very helpful at working out exactly where we were. I stopped a bunch of other cyclists and through a combination of GPS and other phone apps, we were able to give a location.


I know the very steep bit on the Thames Valley path you referred to. I have got up it, but not in the wet, not when tired, and not while lugging any baggage. 

Know what you mean about the upper body strength required for off road cycling. I felt it in my forearms going downhill.


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## jay clock (20 Aug 2021)

reading about navigation problems i am assuming people didn't have gps of some sort. I used a Garmin 1030 Edge. probably had 10 spots a day where I missed a tiny turn and had to backtrack 20m, but zero issues and i cannot conceive how hard it must be with a paper map


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## Cathryn (20 Aug 2021)

jay clock said:


> reading about navigation problems i am assuming people didn't have gps of some sort. I used a Garmin 1030 Edge. probably had 10 spots a day where I missed a tiny turn and had to backtrack 20m, but zero issues and i cannot conceive how hard it must be with a paper map


I’ve downloaded it onto Komoot with voice direction! Hoping that’ll do the trick!


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## lazybloke (21 Aug 2021)

Yellow Fang said:


> Finished doing this yesterday. The short version is that it is quite tough. It is difficult to navigate, especially between Reading and East Meon. You could easily spend a week on it, and if you wanted to visit all the sites, you would have to. Finding accommodation can be a problem. There are a lot of hills to lug camping equipment up if you want to camp. Finding cheap accommodation in the Oxfordshire area is particularly difficult.
> 
> I started doing this with a friend. We set off from Reading, aiming to reach the Eco Lodge in East Meon. This was a very difficult day. We were looking at the map half the time trying to work out where we were. It was particularly difficult past Farnham. We kept taking wrong turns. We got drenched by heavy rainfall. We could not find the Shipwright’s Way. I had an issue with my gear lever. The forest route was not signposted very well. We had some tough climbs. We had to push our bikes up Butser Hill. We had phoned up the Eco Lodge about 3pm when we reckoned we would not get there by 5pm. The bloke said no problem. We made some short cuts but did not get there until 8pm and it was all closed. We rang up an emergency number and got a door code, but it was a code to the hostel not the B+B, and the letter we were told to expect was not there. We rang the number again and a woman came out to let us in. The nearest place to eat was the Bat and Ball two miles away, so we had to cycle down there without showering before they closed the kitchen. The next day we set off towards Amesbury. Things were going alright until a bolt sheared off my saddle and the saddle came off. Another cyclist recommended I push the seatpost down, but when I tried to loosen the seatpost collar, the bolt snapped. However the seatpost had seized and would not move. Stood on the pedals for another ten or fifteen miles until we reached Winchester. I took my bike to a cycle cafe called Bespoke Biking. The bicycle mechanic said he did not have the bolts to put the saddle back. In addition, he said the brake pads were worn, the headset was loose, the hubs were loose, and that he did not recommend I continue the journey. My friend said it was game over, but I did not want to give up. I tried to buy a 2nd hand bike, but they did not have anything suitable. I went to Bike X, but their bikes were rather expensive. I set off to Halfords to see what they had. They had something that looked suitable, which might have taken a rack, but time was pressing. I went back to Bike X, who had offered me £75 for my bike (I think) in part exchange. However, plans had changed. They put the saddle back on and did not charge me anything. Meanwhile, my friend had phoned another friend to take us back, but I told him I wanted to continue. I had suggested he continue on his own, and I would have tried to catch up, but he did not want to. Later he texted me he was not enjoying the journey, expecially all the map reading. So he went home and I cycled onto Salisbury Youth Hostel in Cholderton near Amesbury, via a busy A road to Stockbridge and then country lanes. I got there at 7:30 very tired. I tailgated some other guests into the hostel, but there was nobody in reception. I waited there for about half an hour before anyone showed up. It turned out there was a buzzer by the entrance I had missed. I had booked a group room, for myself and my friend, but now it was only me in a room with eight beds. The other odd thing was that they used another downstairs dorm room to store bicycles because the receptionist said a lot of cyclists were doing the King Alfred Way on expensive bikes and their cycle shed was not secure enough. The only place to get food was the pub down the road, because the nearest shop was on a dual carriageway. I set off the next day without breakfast, decided against crossing the A303, worked my way towards Amesbury and back onto the route. Had to cycle along a very busy road out of Larkhill, then started going through all these roads and paths adorned with MOD signs. I was not sure which paths we were actually allowed to cycle on and on which we might be shelled by mistake. Eventually I got onto this MOD gravel road which went on for miles and miles without barely seeing anyone, getting soaked by the rain. I missed my turn off, but worked my way back to Avebury where the standing stones are. There I rejoined the route where it became the Ridgeway. I followed that until Barbury Castle, then joined the Old Ridgeway to Chiseldon, where the hotel was. The next day I followed the Ridgeway and the Thames Path back Reading. I am familiar with much of this route and it was fairly straightforward. The biggest incident was that a motorcylist had witnessed a smash and grab from a car parked on the Ridgeway and asked me whether he should call the police. I advised him to phone 111, but I was not very helpful at working out exactly where we were. I stopped a bunch of other cyclists and through a combination of GPS and other phone apps, we were able to give a location.


Would you be able to pinpoint the gravel MOD road pls? It sounds like one of the best parts of your experiences!


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## Yellow Fang (21 Aug 2021)

lazybloke said:


> Would you be able to pinpoint the gravel MOD road pls? It sounds like one of the best parts of your experiences!



It was one of the best bits, despite the rain.


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## lazybloke (21 Aug 2021)

Yellow Fang said:


> It was one of the best bits, despite the rain.
> View attachment 605320


Thank you, I'll be on the maps later to have a closer look


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## Cathryn (21 Aug 2021)

We leave tomorrow! Doing it over 5 nights/6 days with our 11 year old son! Cannot wait! We are a little nervous - it’s a lot of off road for us and we acknowledge that we may not finish it but we are happy to switch to lanes if it all gets too much although we are determined to give it our best attempt! 

Today I learned that if you’re very short with very stumpy legs and a tiny little bike, there is no way you can fit a saddle bag on your bike!!! We have had to resort to a rack and rack bag!


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## jay clock (22 Aug 2021)

Cathryn said:


> We leave tomorrow! Doing it over 5 nights/6 days with our 11 year old son! Cannot wait! We are a little nervous - it’s a lot of off road for us and we acknowledge that we may not finish it but we are happy to switch to lanes if it all gets too much although we are determined to give it our best attempt!
> 
> Today I learned that if you’re very short with very stumpy legs and a tiny little bike, there is no way you can fit a saddle bag on your bike!!! We have had to resort to a rack and rack bag!
> 
> View attachment 605378


You will smash it....


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## Cathryn (22 Aug 2021)

Day 1 done! Avebury to Goring. 43 miles. The worst bit was the start of the ridgeway from Avebury to Barbury Castle! Awful! Much better after that! One puncture (husband). Two falls (son). Lots of food. Had a fantastic day!


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## figbat (22 Aug 2021)

That’s the stretch I ride a lot, both ways. Yes, up from Avebury is not a lot of fun. A couple of good climbs after White Horse Hill and a nice long descent into Streatley (mind the jumps!).


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## jay clock (23 Aug 2021)

Goring to Reading is pretty with some short sharp ups and downs. the little climb with the steps next to it is unrideable in my view!

Have a great day


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## figbat (23 Aug 2021)

jay clock said:


> Goring to Reading is pretty with some short sharp ups and downs. the little climb with the steps next to it is unrideable in my view!
> 
> Have a great day


Going that way it is - going t’other way is doable. That little stretch through the woods is lovely, although watch the roots.


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## Cathryn (23 Aug 2021)

Day 2: goring to Farnham! 45 miles ish! Really lovely stretch through the trees as mentioned above coming out of Goring! The steps were unrideable! We really loved going through Reading - such a brilliant, pretty route through town! More tarmac today and much flatter, just a few short steep climbs at the end! Spending the night with friends. All going really well. We were nervous our son wouldn’t handle it - he’s crushing it, we are holding him back!


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## figbat (24 Aug 2021)

I happened to ride a section of the KAW yesterday - it’s local to me and I ride it a lot. On getting home and looking through my Strava results I noticed that of the 10-12 people completing the same segments as me, around 8 were on rides with “KAW” in their title. It seems to have really caught on.


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## Yellow Fang (24 Aug 2021)

Cathryn said:


> We really loved going through Reading - such a brilliant, pretty route through town!


It's not often you hear that. I have to admit I did not follow the route through Reading.


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## matticus (24 Aug 2021)

Cathryn said:


> Day 1 done! Avebury to Goring. 43 miles. The worst bit was the start of the ridgeway from Avebury to Barbury Castle! Awful! Much better after that! *One puncture (husband).*


I assume Avebury to Hackpen (i.e. the start) was the problem? (I've ridden Hackpen to Barbury, and most of it from Barbury to Goring. Pretty much rideable in dry or dryish conditions, without big big tyres).

I hope you patched up your husband :-/


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## Cathryn (24 Aug 2021)

matticus said:


> I assume Avebury to Hackpen (i.e. the start) was the problem? (I've ridden Hackpen to Barbury, and most of it from Barbury to Goring. Pretty much rideable in dry or dryish conditions, without big big tyres).
> 
> I hope you patched up your husband :-/


Yeah it was Overton Hill (the A4 junction) to Hackpen. We ride down it all the time and it’s fine but uphill was really tough!


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## Cathryn (24 Aug 2021)

Yellow Fang said:


> It's not often you hear that. I have to admit I did not follow the route through Reading.


We were surprised ourselves!


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## Cathryn (24 Aug 2021)

Day 3. Farnham to Sheet. 32 miles of sunny bliss. Some amazing sandy trails across heathland covered in heather with some brutal hills. A murderous climb up to Devil’s Punchbowl followed by a cracking lunch at the NT cafe. Loads of lovely off-road all day. We are having so much fun. Son is an absolute machine!!


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## Cathryn (25 Aug 2021)

Day 4. Sheet to Winchester. Aka South Downs Way day! We nearly destroyed the son, he found the relentless ups and downs quite leg and soul destroying but we fed him copious amounts of food and he reverted to his parent-beating ways in the pm. Beautiful views and amazing weather but brutal climbs and descents today. Safe in our Winchester hotel and went out for a cheeky pizza with the lovely @jay clock!


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## Cathryn (26 Aug 2021)

Day 5: Winchester to Durrington. Met up with Jay for the first few miles - lovely to have a guide and an official photographer 😁 Lovely rolling hills all day through harvesting fields. Some surprisingly gnarly gravel climbs which were hard on tired legs but beautiful villages and views all day. Now resting at my parents’ before tomorrow’s final push!


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## jay clock (26 Aug 2021)

Cathryn said:


> Day 5: Winchester to Durrington. Met up with Jay for the first few miles - lovely to have a guide and an official photographer 😁 Lovely rolling hills all day through harvesting fields. Some surprisingly gnarly gravel climbs which were hard on tired legs but beautiful villages and views all day. Now resting at my parents’ before tomorrow’s final push!


Great to see you. I suspect that you have the youngest KAWer so far in your team. Impressive lad


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## Cathryn (27 Aug 2021)

Day 6: Durrington to home. We made it. Our least favourite section - the desolate, empty, endless Salisbury plain but we made it home and are now reunited with the cats, the kettle and (for my son) the Xbox  

Thanks everyone for following along. We had the most fantastic week. We were utterly blown away by the strength and endurance of our 11 year old son, who could have done it much faster without us. So very proud of him. I've also learned that whilst I absolutely love a bit of off-roading, I'm definitely a roadie at heart!!! 

Feet up for a bit! Cats to snuggle.


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## jay clock (28 Aug 2021)

Well done to the young lad. He is seriously impressive.. 

I am also a roadie but I did 15 miles of the KAW today and it always strikes me how peaceful and remote it feels for southern England.

I want to do it again and also got my eye on the West Kernow Way being launched next week


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## Yellow Fang (29 Aug 2021)

Cathryn said:


> The Winchester-Salisbury section is the Clarendon Way, which I hiked this summer. Parts of it are definitely do-able, other sections would be harder on a tourer. I think I may need a new bike.


I missed that bit as I lost a few hours with a broken bike and had to go a more direct route to the hostel. I did run the Clarendon Way marathon many years ago, in a pretty good time since so much of it was off road. I remember running across some ploughed fields. Presumably KAW follows a slightly different route.


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## Cathryn (29 Aug 2021)

Yellow Fang said:


> I missed that bit as I lost a few hours with a broken bike and had to go a more direct route to the hostel. I did run the Clarendon Way marathon many years ago, in a pretty good time since so much of it was off road. I remember running across some ploughed fields. Presumably KAW follows a slightly different route.



I did the HM last year in the mud  

Yes, I thought it would head from Winchester to Farley Mount and then over the hill to Kings Somborne but it took a much direct approach with more road and rideable gravel trails than the Clarendon Way. I was half relieved and half disappointed.


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## Cathryn (30 Aug 2021)

If you're not tired of me banging on about the KAW, I wrote a Crazy Guy journal about our trip. I feel slightly sheepish about doing so, as pretty much every other cyclist we saw was faster than we were and seemed to be finding it much easier than we did...but what's a tour without a journal, eh?

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1mr&doc_id=23829&v=5k


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## matticus (31 Aug 2021)

Cathryn said:


> I feel slightly sheepish about doing so, as pretty much every other cyclist we saw was faster than we were and seemed to be finding it much easier than we did


pffft. Don't worry about that - it's good to have write-ups from a range of peeps; I don't think I've seen a family write-up anywhere else, so it seems a worthy addition to the canon ;-)
----------------------------------
Meanwhile, locally, a very strong (mainly roadie) friend got about 2/3rds round and his seatpost cantilever luggage support thingy broke!
(it looked very loaded up, I think this failure is bound to happen from time-to-time)


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## HelenD123 (31 Aug 2021)

Cathryn said:


> If you're not tired of me banging on about the KAW, I wrote a Crazy Guy journal about our trip. I feel slightly sheepish about doing so, as pretty much every other cyclist we saw was faster than we were and seemed to be finding it much easier than we did...but what's a tour without a journal, eh?
> 
> https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1mr&doc_id=23829&v=5k


Smiles rather than miles. The more I tour, the more I think about the experience rather than the distance.


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## Blue Hills (1 Sep 2021)

Will read fully when I have a mo - read the first bit and looked like a really nice write up and trip - and you are fast becoming famous @Cathryn have already seen it referenced in another cycling place.


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## Cathryn (1 Sep 2021)

Blue Hills said:


> Will read fully when I have a mo - read the first bit and looked like a really nice write up and trip - and you are fast becoming famous @Cathryn have already seen it referenced in another cycling place.


Oh really? How lovely!! Thank you.


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## theclaud (2 Sep 2021)

I rode KAW recently, as part of a group of seven (eight for a day while we were joined by another, of whom more later…). Been watching @Cathryn's posts with interest as she and her family were just a day or so behind us on the route. I was something of a passive consumer of the ride, at least at the planning stage – it was essentially occasioned by two of my closest cycling pals at the Swansea end having their heads turned by the Gravel Bike vogue. One, in a better paid profession than mine, treated herself to a handsome Enigma which we all went round to ‘Ooooooh!’ at (although the envy proper didn’t kick in until much later when she seemingly floated like a bubble up some forbidding grind on Salisbury Plain with us plodding mtb-istes winching ourselves at a glacial pace across the growing gap from her back wheel). The other, a café owner, had squirrelled away enough for a deposit on a custom stainless steel Hallett, thanks to the lockdown boom in ice-cream and takeaway coffee sales, and felt obliged to pay homage to the bountiful gelato gods by rounding off the expenditure with a full wardrobe of Parentini clobber.

The Enigma purchase was already a done deal by the time I learned about my friend Sam’s broken dream. The grim knowledge gnawed away in my consciousness, and when the beautiful machine arrived and we went out for a few test spins round the gnarlier bits of Gower coast, I found myself sneaking anxious glances at my future KAW ride-leader’s bottom bracket. I decided not to tell her about Sam, and to put all thoughts of cracking aside during waking hours.


View: https://youtu.be/U-9IlaLqAU4?t=131


One more pre-ride setback was to assail us, as the build date for the Hallett slipped further towards the horizon, and it became increasingly apparent that my pal @cwrwcwrw was going to be All Dressed Up and Nothing to Go On. To the rescue - another friend with the timely loan of a mid-noughties Kona Caldera with a flamboyant gold paint job. Not quite the ride of @cwrwcwrw’s dreams, but Kona bikes have a certain irrepressible charm, and its combination of bling and backwoods felt right over the course of a ride that greets you with the sun glinting across amber waves of grain before dumping you arse-over-tit with your front wheel in a two-foot-deep rut.

It wasn’t the only Kona on the ride. A Fridays friend who does a good line in one-way bicycle logistics had acquired an old Hahanna for peanuts. It would’ve been a bargain had its seatpost not been seized beyond all hope of freeing. An incongruous and mahoosively boingy Brooks brought the seat position to a workable height for general riding purposes (we won’t dwell, for now, on the rocky descents), and a bespoke KAW ride was born.







Its creator-rider was one of a small handful of FNRttC peeps I’d invited along – just enough to Fridays up the ride a bit without threatening a takeover. The other two turned me down for one reason or another. I reluctantly concede it was the right call – I don’t like to dwell on the expression I imagine @wanda2010 wearing had her post-lockdown return to touring involved wheels spinning around in soft sand for four gruelling hours before reaching coffee, only to find the worst of the day was still ahead. Twice.

Which brings me to a spot of actual ride guidance. It’s quite tough, as some folk upthread have already said. Not abandon-all-hope-of-completing-it tough, or only-for-proper-nutcases tough, but if you are on holiday and you value enjoyment over challenge, you should take the leisurely, rolling-through-the-countryside vibe of the CTC marketing with a pinch of salt and build much more slack into the schedule than the mileage alone might suggest. Apart from the ludicrous ramp with steps (mentioned by Cathryn) on the path along the Thames from Goring (which we declared Unrideable Unless you are @Skolly) there isn’t much that in itself requires advanced riding skills – however the constant need for concentration on ruts, roots, rocks and other stuff that will have you off the bike if you’re not paying attention and the absence of anything much in the way of reprieve (if it’s not the surface it’s the gradient, and often it’s both) takes a toll as the hours roll by but the mileage remains substantially unmunched.

The rest of our band: Dai, new to the off-road scene, perpetually infuriated by craft beer wankery, and an enthusiastic convert to the joys of falling off, had picked up a nice second-hand Merckx Strasbourg; Tommy, on a Planet X Ti, carried what appeared to be a year’s supply of everything in two mahoosive panniers and was still first, unruffled, to the top of every climb. Jon was our deputy navigator - his bike escapes my memory for the moment, but the frame was big enough for three bottle cages inside the triangle.






We did it over four and a half days. If I were to do it again, I think I’d make it six – but then I do like to fanny about looking at mushrooms and suchlike. There were Chanterelles on Hazeley Heath, and enough Death Caps in the poshest road in Farnham to wipe out most of the resident billionaires. A smaller group of riders well matched in pace and skills would make much more efficient progress than we did – a sort of amiable shambles of different bikes and abilities, one half holding up climbs and the other descents, every so often collapsing like a pack of dominoes because someone at the front forgot to shout ‘Easy!’ before they hit the sand. Descents don’t give back what climbs take away, and the Gravelistas were substantially quicker overall – an effect exacerbated by the fact that they were simply in much better shape than the mtb-ers. I did, however, have reason every day to be grateful for suspension forks that could be locked out, and for the lower end of my old-skool 3 x 8 gearing when things like this rose ahead…






That wasn’t the toughest climb on the route - an honour that has been rightfully claimed upthread by Butser Hill, on the South Downs not far outside Petersfield. Every major ride must have a hill – like Ditchling Beacon – that is more about the myth than the gradient, and this is Butser’s role in the story of KAW. It even has some kind of transmission tower at the top, like some Ventoux of the South Downs. On this occasion I have preserved its allure by the simple expedient of not cycling up it. I don’t mean I pushed the bike – I just mean that a few miles before it one of my companions and I sat shaky-legged at the Durleighmarsh Tea Barn after the aforementioned four hours of sandy heath, pondering the rival charms of Butser _Hill_ and the Meon _Valley, _the impossibility of making up time on the route over the rest of the day, and the delicious restorative properties of flat white and Bakewell cake, and it became clear to us that it was not the optimal route to the scheduled pub lunch stop in Meonstoke. The Bugger Butser variation was born, and despite a second coffee after the others departed, a spot of fettling and faffing, and a double puncture incident in East Meon with an offer of a help from a charming local who wished to reminisce about her long-past riding days, we were a pint, a pizza, and a fully-charged smartphone up on Team Butser by the time they rolled into the The Buck’s Head. It’s just a Greene King boozer, but they kept the kitchen open until we’d all made it, and we sat in the sun on huge wooden tables where there had once been car parking, washing home-made sourdough pizza down with ginger beer and Camden Pale shandy like some demented alcoholic variation on an Enid Blyton novel, and stuffing our pockets with sweets before we set off again with The Black Boy in Winchester in our mental sights, following a tip-off from a friend who mis-spent her youth in and around the town.






There’s more to say, but I’m in danger of Filling Up the Internet. Highlights for me, apart from catching up with an old friend, meeting new ones, and having new adventures with some of the people that have kept me going over the past 18 months, were the following:

The heather on the Berkshire/Surrey heathland. Vivid bell heather surrounded drifts of the paler ling. I grew up in that neck of the woods and associate that terrain with childhood, but I have never seen it so gloriously purple.

Day 2. Marlborough to Reading, over The Ridgeway. We’d spent the previous evening filled with foreboding, induced by the weather forecast. A miserable, freezing day sliding around on wet chalk and gouging bits out of our legs falling on flint seemed a certainty. But the rain never came to pass, the Ridgeway was glorious (ruts aside) and my friend from Pontypridd had recce’d the pub options for lunch. Hot salt beef rolls with horseradish for four quid, and beer called Chairman Dave. Panelled bar rooms, sliding glass partitions and ebony handpumps. We got wet for half an hour in Goring, dried out in Pangbourne, and wound up at the Jolly Anglers by the Kennet in Reading, where this happened with a bang and a whimper, to the amusement of six of our party and a tableful of locals whose conversation might end up providing the source material for @cwrwcwrw’s debut novel.






Andy. I mentioned him up-post, and we only spent a day in his company, but it was a window into a whole different KAW story. He set off a day and a half after us carrying full camping gear, got hit by the deluge we’d missed on the Ridgeway, had nine punctures, and caught us up near Winchfield where we’d stopped to help someone out with a mechanical and have a chat to Dotty the pony. At the Frensham Ponds Hotel, in the context of the worst and most expensive meal of the tour, he was served a steak like shoe leather but was too hungry to send it back. Before we reached the hotel, we had stopped at a brewery set in a ramshackle farmyard, and between the brewery and the hotel was the River Wey. Seven of us went over a small bridge. Lightweights.






Our ride leader did a fine job. It was not only her first tour as leader – it was her first tour full stop. The organisation was meticulous – we had tables booked at lunch and dinner, accommodation arranged, and we were all added to a Splitwise app to tell us who we owed money to and what for. She phoned pubs on the move to revise ETAs, herded cats and almost kept a lid on the inevitable faffing, and after all that was still smiling at the top of every bastard hill. Part of the attraction of the KAW for her was that it touched on her home turf – her parents live near Salisbury. This gave us a sociable start point to converge upon, and a secret weapon – the folks would rock up by car at pre-arranged lunch spots. They carried a track pump and a tool kit in the motor and a huge sack of sweets and energy bars. They relieved Andy of his camping gear for a day and delivered it back to him the next. I had arrived at the start having ridden from Newport on a solo make-it-up-as-you-go-along prologue, with way too much clobber for the KAW (or anything else, really – I’d forgotten how to tour) – I ditched more than half of it at their gaff before the ride and picked it up again at the end.






The route, if you wish to stick to it and want to keep moving, is only really navigable by GPX track, and a lot of it is counter-intuitive (wiggly, indirect, cavalier about contours) if you like to get about by OS maps and are not in the habit of making everything more difficult for fun. The flip side of this is that if you do decide to break from the route for whatever reason, you’ll find you are not as far away from anything as you thought. I have the OS maps app on my phone, which I was chiefly using to amuse myself and to annoy everyone else with unwelcome detail, but it did come in handy a few times, and is a thing of beauty in its own right.

For some bikes, one shot at the KAW was enough.


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## figbat (2 Sep 2021)

theclaud said:


> Hot salt beef rolls with horseradish for four quid, and beer called Chairman Dave. Panelled bar rooms, sliding glass partitions and ebony handpumps.


Great write-up!

It sounds like you were at The Bell in Aldworth. I was there just last night.


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## theclaud (2 Sep 2021)

figbat said:


> Great write-up!
> 
> It sounds like you were at The Bell in Aldworth. I was there just last night.


Well identified! Fantastic boozer.


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## Cathryn (2 Sep 2021)

@theclaud Fabulous write-up, I loved it. You're a brilliant writer! (I do think the standard of writing on the Touring thread is very high, I wonder there's a correlation between touring and writing?) I wish we'd see you but there was no way we could catch you. 

The heather was a highlight for me too - so beautiful.


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## nickyboy (3 Aug 2022)

Slight thread resurrection as I will be doing KAW later this month with a couple of friends.

Starting near Wantage and clockwise, taking three and a half days with stops in Hook, Clanfield and Amesbury. Not a part of the country I know at all so very much looking forward to it. I wouldn't call us seasoned tourers but we did LEJOG last year which gives us some experience of the rhythm of multi day touring. The other two are on gravel bikes, I'm on a hardtail MTB. Bikepacking and staying in accommodation

Here's hoping the weather stays favourable


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## figbat (3 Aug 2022)

I live near Wantage and ride the Ridgeway around there a lot. If it‘s wet after a long dry spell there are parts that make ice look grippy - polished chalk tracks. Some tricky ruts on descents that pull you in to going fast and then tip you off. If you‘re riding up from the vale then it’s a stiff climb whichever way you go. But it’s glorious countryside and if it’s sunny it’s a delight.

Further east, after you’ve crossed the river at Streatley, you’ll join a nice singletrack alongside the Thames but there is a dip there which you can probably ride slowly down into but you will not be able to ride up the other side, so just accept this and hike up.

Hope you get the weather and enjoy the ride - it’s on my list of things I’m considering doing!


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## matticus (4 Aug 2022)

nickyboy said:


> Slight thread resurrection as I will be doing KAW later this month with a couple of friends.



Have fun!

-----------------------------------------------
It's interesting how little discussion there has been - not just here but elsewhere - of the KAW, compared to same time last year. I've no doubt people are still riding it, but it does seem like there was an initial OOH, NEW THING!!!! wave that has now calmed down a bit!


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## figbat (4 Aug 2022)

I can tell you that it is still very popular - any time I ride E-W on the Ridgeway in day time there’s a regular stream of packed-up gravel and adventure bikes going the other way.


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## nickyboy (4 Aug 2022)

figbat said:


> I live near Wantage and ride the Ridgeway around there a lot. If it‘s wet after a long dry spell there are parts that make ice look grippy - polished chalk tracks. Some tricky ruts on descents that pull you in to going fast and then tip you off. If you‘re riding up from the vale then it’s a stiff climb whichever way you go. But it’s glorious countryside and if it’s sunny it’s a delight.
> 
> Further east, after you’ve crossed the river at Streatley, you’ll join a nice singletrack alongside the Thames but there is a dip there which you can probably ride slowly down into but you will not be able to ride up the other side, so just accept this and hike up.
> 
> Hope you get the weather and enjoy the ride - it’s on my list of things I’m considering doing!



Yep, we will be riding up from West Hendred so it's a bit of a climb onto the Ridgeway. But we live in the Peak District so climbing is in our DNA

Fingers crossed we don't get a wet spell prior to the ride as it sounds like the off road conditions could be tricky. Maybe ok for me on the hardtail, not so much for the others on their poncy gravel bikes


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## fossyant (4 Aug 2022)

nickyboy said:


> Yep, we will be riding up from West Hendred so it's a bit of a climb onto the Ridgeway. But we live in the Peak District so climbing is in our DNA
> 
> Fingers crossed we don't get a wet spell prior to the ride as it sounds like the off road conditions could be tricky. Maybe ok for me on the hardtail, not so much for the others on their poncy gravel bikes



You've done it now Nick, posting publicly about the MTB. You up for "Dragon's Back" again soon ?


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## nickyboy (4 Aug 2022)

fossyant said:


> You've done it now Nick, posting publicly about the MTB. You up for "Dragon's Back" again soon ?



Not a chance. It's one thing doing a fairly benign cross country loop, quite another to do a Black run that I fell off on and wanted to go home


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## fossyant (4 Aug 2022)

nickyboy said:


> Not a chance. It's one thing doing a fairly benign cross country loop, quite another to do a Black run that I fell off on and wanted to go home



Well you'll be doing Conwy Mountain and Moel Famau routes, or else !


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## figbat (4 Aug 2022)

nickyboy said:


> Yep, we will be riding up from West Hendred so it's a bit of a climb onto the Ridgeway. But we live in the Peak District so climbing is in our DNA


Three options from there:

Due south, through Ginge and then up the chalk and flint climb.

Take a slight detour via Betterton and up the chalk and flint climb there.

Take a left at Ginge, across the gravel track then right into the road to climb to Scutchamer Knob.

The road is probably ’easiest’ but also boringest. The direct Ginge route is shortest and the climb is only steep for a small section. The going is good up here but can be muddy at the top if wet. The Betterton climb is a bit longer but the going is good all the way to the top. It used to by my bête noir but now I prefer it to the other options.


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## cisamcgu (4 Aug 2022)

Cathryn said:


> If you're not tired of me banging on about the KAW, I wrote a Crazy Guy journal about our trip. I feel slightly sheepish about doing so, as pretty much every other cyclist we saw was faster than we were and seemed to be finding it much easier than we did...but what's a tour without a journal, eh?
> 
> https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1mr&doc_id=23829&v=5k



@Cathryn : your journal was the CGOAB featured journal #1090 : Had pride of place on the front page June 26th !!!

Congrats !!!


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## Cathryn (4 Aug 2022)

cisamcgu said:


> @Cathryn : your journal was the CGOAB featured journal #1090 : Had pride of place on the front page June 26th !!!
> 
> Congrats !!!



Thanks! I was very excited!


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## ade towell (5 Aug 2022)

Finished at 11.30 monday night, 3 days fully loaded with wild camping. 93 miles last day hence the late finish - the bit in the dark was probably the most exhilarating, although wish I had proper off road lights. Started from just below Chilton, Oxfordshire. Did it solo, if I was going around with friends I think 4-5 days would be nice to take in a few more of the sites - I was on a bit of a mission with limited time but was still great fun. Toughest bit mentally was probably the slightly monotonous Salisbury plains which got a bit repetitive in the heat of monday afternoons sun. Lots of fields, lots of red flags, maybe some of the expected tanks would have spiced it up... The rest was great, with a nice variety of landscape and rutted gnarly terrain.
Hankley Common was closed because of wildfires but may be open again now, found a simple detour to Devils Punchbowl


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## Moodyman (5 Aug 2022)

ade towell said:


> Finished at 11.30 monday night, 3 days fully loaded with wild camping. 93 miles last day hence the late finish - the bit in the dark was probably the most exhilarating, although wish I had proper off road lights. Started from just below Chilton, Oxfordshire. Did it solo, if I was going around with friends I think 4-5 days would be nice to take in a few more of the sites - I was on a bit of a mission with limited time but was still great fun. Toughest bit mentally was probably the slightly monotonous Salisbury plains which got a bit repetitive in the heat of monday afternoons sun. Lots of fields, lots of red flags, maybe some of the expected tanks would have spiced it up... The rest was great, with a nice variety of landscape and rutted gnarly terrain.
> Hankley Common was closed because of wildfires but may be open again now, found a simple detour to Devils Punchbowl
> 
> View attachment 655790



That pic is enough to wet the appetite.


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## Petrichorwheels (5 Aug 2022)

ade towell said:


> Finished at 11.30 monday night, 3 days fully loaded with wild camping. 93 miles last day hence the late finish - the bit in the dark was probably the most exhilarating, although wish I had proper off road lights. Started from just below Chilton, Oxfordshire. Did it solo, if I was going around with friends I think 4-5 days would be nice to take in a few more of the sites - I was on a bit of a mission with limited time but was still great fun. Toughest bit mentally was probably the slightly monotonous Salisbury plains which got a bit repetitive in the heat of monday afternoons sun. Lots of fields, lots of red flags, maybe some of the expected tanks would have spiced it up... The rest was great, with a nice variety of landscape and rutted gnarly terrain.
> Hankley Common was closed because of wildfires but may be open again now, found a simple detour to Devils Punchbowl
> 
> View attachment 655790



sounds great.
any pics of your wild camping?
Did you have any problems finding places?
Any encounters with fellow cyclists intent on wild camping?


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## ade towell (6 Aug 2022)

This is all I've got from Bramshott Common, no problem finding places at all. Only bumped into a few others who were doing the KAW but no othe r wild campers


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## nickyboy (10 Aug 2022)

The KAW Mean Machine has arrived


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## HelenD123 (14 Aug 2022)

Petrichorwheels said:


> sounds great.
> any pics of your wild camping?
> Did you have any problems finding places?
> Any encounters with fellow cyclists intent on wild camping?



These guys wildcamped the KAW


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## nickyboy (22 Aug 2022)

KAW completed. Took three and a half days

Very tough, much tougher than expected as weare not regular offroaders. We caught good weather so it was dry but not baking hot.

I would say that the marketing of this as a gravel bonanza is a misnomer, it is far better suited to a hard tail MTB. I would guess 90% of KAWers we saw rode gravel bikes. There are significant stretches unsuited to these and I suspect unrideable in wet conditions


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## T4tomo (22 Aug 2022)

nickyboy said:


> I would say that the marketing of this as a gravel bonanza is a misnomer, it is far better suited to a hard tail MTB.



It uses a chunk of the South Downs Way, which I felt the same about - luckily we'd researched and took hard tail MTBs.


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## johnblack (23 Aug 2022)

T4tomo said:


> It uses a chunk of the South Downs Way, which I felt the same about - luckily we'd researched and took hard tail MTBs.



Got to agree, no way I’d do the South Downs on a gravel bike. 

I’ve also noticed it on a few organised off road rides I’ve done, advertised as suitable for gravel bikes, when it is patently obvious within 5 miles that you need a hard tail.


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## T4tomo (23 Aug 2022)

johnblack said:


> Got to agree, no way I’d do the South Downs on a gravel bike.



A few were when we did it, although I'd say MTBs were more a bit more prevalent: a variety of old fashioned 26" (incl us), 29ers and quite a few souped up E MTBs making light work of the climbs. 

I believe the SDW section is one of the rougher bits of the KAW


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## figbat (23 Aug 2022)

nickyboy said:


> KAW completed. Took three and a half days
> 
> Very tough, much tougher than expected as weare not regular offroaders. We caught good weather so it was dry but not baking hot.
> 
> ...



Nice! You popped down to Wantage market square to meet the man himself too (I drove past that statue about an hour ago) - I always thought it odd that the published KAW route didn't formally include a visit to King Alfred! It's a bit of a climb to regain the Ridgeway from Wantage but there are plenty of options, on and off road.


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## nickyboy (23 Aug 2022)

figbat said:


> Nice! You popped down to Wantage market square to meet the man himself too (I drove past that statue about an hour ago) - I always thought it odd that the published KAW route didn't formally include a visit to King Alfred! It's a bit of a climb to regain the Ridgeway from Wantage but there are plenty of options, on and off road.



Yes, finishing in West Hendred made the decision to drop off the Ridgeway to Wantage an easy one


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## johnblack (23 Aug 2022)

T4tomo said:


> A few were when we did it, although I'd say MTBs were more a bit more prevalent: a variety of old fashioned 26" (incl us), 29ers and quite a few souped up E MTBs making light work of the climbs.
> 
> I believe the SDW section is one of the rougher bits of the KAW



I’m going to do KAW, take my time, plan for 3 days. Although I’m glad I did the SDW, I did it in one go, 10 hours, so didn’t get a chance to really appreciate it, was just a constant grind. If as you say it’s the roughest part then I’m happy with that.


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## figbat (23 Aug 2022)

johnblack said:


> I’m going to do KAW, take my time, plan for 3 days. Although I’m glad I did the SDW, I did it in one go, 10 hours, so didn’t get a chance to really appreciate it, was just a constant grind. If as you say it’s the roughest part then I’m happy with that.



I wouldn’t call 3 days taking my time! I’m considering it and plan for 4 days‘ riding, splitting it effectively into 4 quadrants.


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## nickyboy (23 Aug 2022)

johnblack said:


> I’m going to do KAW, take my time, plan for 3 days. Although I’m glad I did the SDW, I did it in one go, 10 hours, so didn’t get a chance to really appreciate it, was just a constant grind. If as you say it’s the roughest part then I’m happy with that.



I wouldn't say the SDW was the roughest part although it was the climbiest. There are plenty of rough sections near Devils Punchbowl and along much of the Ridgeway

We found the easiest section (by some way) to be from Amesbury (Stonehenge) to Avebury


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## andy63 (25 Aug 2022)

Petrichorwheels said:


> sounds great.
> any pics of your wild camping?
> Did you have any problems finding places?
> Any encounters with fellow cyclists intent on wild camping?



I did the kaw and cantii way in July during the start of the hot dry spell..
I did it on a hardtail fully loaded and camped on the way..
I found one of the best things about this route was the ease at finding places to camp..
It took me four and a half days to get round.. and I think I commented at the time , possibly on another forum that there are a good few parts that would imo be very difficult on a loaded bike in the wet .. terrain and navigation were much more of a challenge than the cantii way..
Anyways its pretty well been covered in all the posts on this thread so I'll just put some pictures up of my rig and nights stopovers..
I did it clockwise starting from just outside Winchester..




1st night




2nd




3rd




4th




Just remember if you choose to sleep in the woods it's not the bears you need to be worrying about.. its the pigeons 😂😂
But its all washed and clean again now ready for the next one..

Andy..


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## Petrichorwheels (25 Aug 2022)

andy63 said:


> I did the kaw and cantii way in July during the start of the hot dry spell..
> I did it on a hardtail fully loaded and camped on the way..
> I found one of the best things about this route was the ease at finding places to camp..
> It took me four and a half days to get round.. and I think I commented at the time , possibly on another forum that there are a good few parts that would imo be very difficult on a loaded bike in the wet .. terrain and navigation were much more of a challenge than the cantii way..
> ...



many thanks for pics - inspiring - not exactly hidden on that second night. Got really tired and just though "bugger it"?


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## Twizit (15 Nov 2022)

nickyboy said:


> KAW completed. Took three and a half days
> 
> Very tough, much tougher than expected as weare not regular offroaders. We caught good weather so it was dry but not baking hot.
> 
> I would say that the marketing of this as a gravel bonanza is a misnomer, it is far better suited to a hard tail MTB. I would guess 90% of KAWers we saw rode gravel bikes. There are significant stretches unsuited to these and I suspect unrideable in wet conditions



Interesting. Managed day one of KAW (Farnham to Winchester) last year with a mate. Both on reasonably loaded gravel bikes. Certainly some tough sections but nothing undoable on a gravel bike - but I take the point that fatter tyres on a hardtail MTB (and front susp) would make it easier and more comfortable in sections. 

I say managed day one as we have unfinished business with KAW, given the near end of day one ended with him and a broken collarbone. Nothing to do with bike choice - unseen gulley washed out through path around a corner that he didn't avoid in time. We will be back and I have a new set up to try.... gravel bike but with 650b wheels and 2.1inch tyres - should help to soften some of the roughness out! (last time was on 38mm 700c tyres).


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