Quickest route from Bath to Aztec West

[donnysp]

Hi everyone,

I hope this is the correct forum for route advice. If not I'll happily ask elsewhere

I've been commuting to Box from Bath city centre for the last 7 years. A relatively easy six mile route.

My company have decided to move to the Aztec West business park (BS32 4TD), which is about 18 miles. I intend having a go at cycling there at least once a week.

Although I've lived in Bath for over ten years I don't know Bristol at all. I've been studying maps and I can't get a handle on the best route to use. I reckon Bath-Bristol cycle path to Mangotsfield railway station (as marked on Google maps), then ring-road around to J1 M32. From there though I'm a bit lost!

Any ideas would be gratefully appreciated.

Thank you,
DonnySP

 

[jonny jeez]

Hi Donny and welcome.

I dont know the area myself, but my my google skills are showing this as a 24 mile (48 return) run...which is quite a commute!

In addition you look to have to climb "charmy Down" which shows a pretty steep 700 feet incline along the way...other than that the ride is pretty flat.

Bike hike is suggesting a route along the lines you mention www.bikehike.co.uk

but it looks pretty straightforward.

How many times do you plan the trip. I manage 40 miles in a day only 3 days a week...that hill, plus the extra miles would limit me to 1 0r 2 days I would think.

That's just me though, many others on here may disagree.

 

[donnysp]

Hi Johnny,

Thanks for the info. I've never seen bikehike.co.uk so that's very useful.

I've just used it to create a route along the Bath-Bristol path, followed by ring-road then Bradley Stoke, and it came out at 18.75 miles. Total ascent 671ft. To be honest, I've been riding the same flat route for years so I've no idea what 671ft over 18.75 miles is actually like!

I reckon at 19 miles I'll only be doing it once a week. I'm looking at about £10 a day on public transport though, so it may be more

Any Bristolians out there who would recommend a route from Mangotsfield that goes through Staple Hill rather than the ring-road?

Cheers,
Donny

 

[jonny jeez]

To be honest, I've been riding the same flat route for years so I've no idea what 671ft over 18.75 miles is actually like!

Hi Donny.

sorry I cant help more…..someone local will drop in, in a bit and offer some better advice I'm sure.

BUT, when you plug the route into bike hike, click on the "Elevation" tab on the right, the Ordinance survey map (on the right) will switch to an elevation map.

Unfortunately this will show you that the route is not 671 ft climb over 18.75 miles, its more like a 650ft climb over 2 miles followed by a 1 mile plateau, then a sharp decent to sea level (or there abouts) then flat all the way home.

so basically a pretty steep, short spike set right in the centre of your route.

If it helps, the NatWest tower (Tower 42) is 615ft high...does that help to visualise.

Apologies if I sound like I'm on a downer, I'm not, just wanted you to plan with a realistic expectation because if you don't, then you will hate the first ride and likely as not never do it again. Plan realistically and you will have it under your belt in no time.

PS, I dragged your route south a little (taking in the A431 via Kelston) and the incline (althought a little less flat) dropped to a mere 300 feet or so. That said, it increased the route by 2 miles or so.

I might be tempted to go that way, although the views from the downs must be good, the climb up may make it tricky to sustain many times a week.

Good luck tho, looks like a good ride

 

[summerdays]

I think he is using the Bristol and Bath cycle path so fairly shallow gradients, it then runs around the ring road again fairly shallow gradients (with the occasional up and down). No it is one place you can cycle without hills almost hence I've done it with the kids several times.

As for when you would head off towards Aztec West ... I'm not sure which route I'd choose - me personally wouldn't leave the ring road at Mangotsfield just because you can go faster with the fewer junctions you get going around the ring road, and I don't know that little part of outer Bristol apart from the ring road.

As for the route through Bradley Stoke - I'm not sure which is the better route either they are probably similar, any time I'm in Bradley Stoke I'm usually dropping the kids off rather than route exploring.

 

[donnysp]

Yes I am looking at the Bath-Bristol cycle path, so that is quite flat. The elevation data on bikehike gave me the total ascent figure. The gradient option shows that there are a couple of spikes over 5%.

The problem is that the cycle path is only the first half. After that it looks like there's some big hills (on the urban route at least.)

 

[BenM]

IMHO the ring road past the M32 is not somewhere I would like to cycle - I have driven it many times and once past MoD Abbey Wood you have a fairly significant up hill with lights and a right turn at a roundabout at the top. I would try for a route north of the ring road winding up on Bradley Stoke way cos almost anything has to be better than the dual carriage way race track so something like right turn off ring road at the roundabout just before the M32 (bristol road/Old Gloucester road) then left when you hit Winterbourne road and right at the first roundabout onto Bradley Stoke way... which you follow all the way to Aztec West Roundabout.

I make no warranty at all about that route - just looked at the map on google maps

B.

 

[summerdays]

The furthest I would go along the ring road before turning off would be at the MOD/Sainsbury's roundabout, no point going as far as the A38 if that's the hill you meant?

 

[donnysp]

Yeah, I'm definitely thinking Old Gloucester Road then Bradley Stoke Way.

Now I just need to choose the best route off the Bath-Bristol cycle path up to Downend - Bromley Heath Road - Old Gloucester Road.

The choices seem to be either Rodway Hill Road or through Staple Hill.

 

[BenM]

@summerdays - yup that was the hill I meant and I agree; no point going that far

@donny - hope for a nice Easter weekend and try out the route; it's a great excuse

 

[donnysp]

@donny - hope for a nice Easter weekend and try out the route; it's a great excuse

To be honest I look for any excuse not to get on the damn thing

I've reckon I've done about 19000 miles in the last seven years, and not one of them wasn't on my commute. That's why I'm so eager to get my route sorted in advance

 

[evilkitten]

Best route would be to use the railway path from Bath to Mangotsfield station, round the ring-road (it's far quicker than going through Staple Hill, and avoids big hills), then turn onto Old Gloucester Road at Hambrook lights. Be careful on this section - when the lights change, you get a stream of traffic coming past you, but the road narrows, and the last car generally cuts in very close to you, primary or not. Depending on the time of day, you might find yourself in a peloton at this point.

Left where the road curves to the right, avoid left-hooks at the junction, then left at the lights, right at the roundabout, and there's a boring slog through Bradley Stoke. If you don't fancy doing the Aztec roundabout, note that you can avoid it by cutting off down the disused road to the left, then crossing at the toucan crossing onto the A38.

Getting home is the same in reverse, but be careful passing the queuing traffic at Hambrook (especially at the 'left-hook' junction mentioned above).

evilkitten.

 

[donnysp]

That's excellent info evilkitten. Thank you.

With the train strike, I shall probably be trying it on Tues.

Donny

 

[summerdays]

If you meet a madman looking evilly at you for cycling on the wrong side then I apologise in advance for Mr Summerdays ... he gets a bee in his bonnet that on the path cyclists should cycle on the left when meeting each other.

 

[donnysp]

I've never cycled on the Bath-Bristol path but I'd just assumed that everyone would be keeping to the left!

*prepares bee for own bonnet*