Route ideas

[BarryP]

Hi,

I'm in the very early stages of planning a ride for myself and a few colleagues from work and am looking for some help / advice / inspiration..

We are all in the process of returning to cycling after many years away from it. We want to set ourselves a challenging, but not impossible (think a relatively low level of fitness) route which we can cover on a Saturday / Sunday. Max 60ish miles per day. This will give us all something to train for in the early summer for our currently solo riding. We all ride road bikes.

We all work in London, but live all over the shop so I was thinking somewhere around the M3 / M4 corridor would be a good area, with an overnight stay somewhere.

Anyone got any route ideas / done something similar?

All input gratefully received
Cheers
Barry

 

[lukesdad]

A3 route would be more scenic out through surrey and W Sussex down to petersfield stay on the south downs back up the meon valley to alton back route to guildford old road back through cobham and esher.

 

[Norm]

If you are on suitable bikes, I'd thoroughly recommend the Thames Path to Reading followed by the Kennet and Avon to... well, as far as you like. Newbury is probably about on 60 miles from you but Hungerford or Bedwyn are only a touch further. Very easy to ride on anything with tyres over about 30mm, fantastic on flat-barred bikes with or without suspension.

The best bit, IMO, is that the Kennet and Avon runs alongside the railway, so it is very easy to "dip out" of sections and, being a canal path, it is pretty much as flat as a **** **** (insert appropriate flat thing) so you won't want to dip out of any of it.

It's also, again IMO, fascinating riding off-road paths through areas you think you know well. You will see a completely different aspect of the transport network.

 

[BarryP]

thanks guys

 

[srw]

Find a 200km audax route from West London, and do it in two days rather than all in one go. Search on the big route-plotting sites or on forums.

Alternatively, Oxford might make a good target from London - go one way through the Chilterns and the other via the Thames. I'd probably suggest planning to do different roads on each day.

 

[Broadside]

For a decent distance ride why not try going down to Weymouth using back roads - would be around the 120/130 mile mark so easily do-able as a two day ride for you. I live in Fleet on the M3 and have a ride to Bournemouth or Weymouth in mind for early next year as a single day ride or possibly a night ride. I have ridden a lot of the roads between Fleet and Weymouth in the last year and providing you choose a route off the beaten track then there are some great roads and scenery to take in.

The return is easy on South West Trains straight back in to London which is just under 2hrs. Let us know what you decide to go with and how you get on.

 

[BarryP]

thanks again

 

[Paul.G.]

Agree with Norm, kennet and Avon is a splendid ride - i use this when commuting from home (Reading) to work (Thatcham Nr Newbury)

Some really fast sections without too many walkers which is nice