London to Bicester

[gbs]

Can anyone kindly recommend a simple (ie not requiring Garmin) route? Possibly starting from Chalfont; I enjoy the hills but not the traffic. Thankyou.

 

[Flying Dodo]

I've done it mainly using the A40 through High Wycombe, then the Chinnor Road to Chinnor, then Thame, Long Crendon, Oakley then the B4011. Before the A41, turn off at Blackthorn, cross over the A41 to Launton and enter Bicester. You can go along the A41 instead for that last stretch, but it's not nice.

 

[srw]

The best way from London to Bicester (if you really have to go there) starts every half an hour or so from Marylebone.

Failing that, from Chalfont & Latimer - Amersham, The Lee, Wendover, Aylesbury, turn right off the A41 as soon as you can after Aylesbury, then Quainton, Marsh Gibbon and Bicester. It's probably flatter than Dodo's route. And despite my cynicism it's a very nice ride but you'll need your wits about you to dodge the potholes.

If you're starting from a different Chalfont - climb up as soon as you can onto the ridge road that goes up from Denham past Denham Golf Club station and use that as a route into Amersham.

[edit]
I notice you're OK with hills. From Amersham dive down into Great Missenden, then take the road towards Butlers Cross past Chequers, then up to Stone. Along a bridleway (very good tarmac) to Eythrope Park, turn right down towards Waddesdon, straight over the A41 to Quainton.

 

[mcr]

I notice you're OK with hills. From Amersham dive down into Great Missenden, then take the road towards Butlers Cross past Chequers, then up to Stone. Along a bridleway (very good tarmac) to Eythrope Park, turn right down towards Waddesdon, straight over the A41 to Quainton.

I've never been sure about that Eythrope route - legally, that is. Note that the 'official' bridleway takes a cross-field route after the gates to Eythrope House then becomes a grassy green lane to meet a tarmacced road at the top of the hill. But when I've been there on foot I've always seen numerous cyclists taking the tarmac approach-road alternative to a gate at the top of the hill - it's not signed as being a public right of way (apart from being a footpath for a short stretch), so I don't know if it's everyone being bloody-minded or there's some unwritten permissive access that everyone else but me knows about!

Incidentally, +1 for the Quainton-Marsh Gibbon road - it's one of the pleasantest stretches thereabouts.

 

[bof]

Eythrope has been available to cyclists for a long time, organised rides, club runs etc. all use it.

Rather than turn right towards the A41 after going through the park, you can more or less cross the road and go through Waddesdon Manor grounds, coming out near the Nursery which is at the west end of the village of Waddesdon. You then have to backtrack east around 100-200m on the A41 and then take a minor road left in the direction of Quainton.

 

[srw]

Don't you run into a National Trust ticket booth if you try going that way through Waddesdon?

 

[mcr]

There's a public footpath through the Waddesdon estate from that point, so you could walk it, I suppose, not wishing to condone cycling where it's not allowed. Actually, you'd be missing a superb downhill to the A41 junction (and some of it has even been newly resurfaced).

 

[bof]

Don't you run into a National Trust ticket booth if you try going that way through Waddesdon?

No, not if you stay in the grounds.

There's a public footpath through the Waddesdon estate from that point, so you could walk it, I suppose, not wishing to condone cycling where it's not allowed. Actually, you'd be missing a superb downhill to the A41 junction (and some of it has even been newly resurfaced).

Are you speaking from experience or just a map? Its a tarmacked road in the estate- gets the same sort of use as Eythrope - at first and then you merge with the road in/out of the car park. It has been used on Audaxes and club runs (done both - and on my own) with no problems.

 

[mcr]

Are you speaking from experience or just a map? Its a tarmacked road in the estate- gets the same sort of use as Eythrope - at first and then you merge with the road in/out of the car park. It has been used on Audaxes and club runs (done both - and on my own) with no problems.

Both, sort of, in that I part-planned an organised walk that used it, but didn't actually walk that stretch when the plans changed (but I've seen it's there from the sign from the road). If cycling's it's allowed then fine, though I'd still be wary of encountering any rampant Rothschilds (it's just sod's law that whenever I've been tempted to leave a right of way for whatever reason there's been a farmer waiting to shout 'get orf my land!').

 

[gbs]

Thanks everybody for route advice and also to whoever opened the window for some half-decent weather tomorrow.