Past Ride
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Sun Jun 27th 2021
| Midsummer Ride to Avebury | 3* |
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Leader:Steve Swanton |
Start Time:4:15 am |
Start Location:WMP |
Description:23/6 This the second of our midsummer rides rescheduled from last weekend. Forecast is looking a lot better although cloudy in the early hours. Categorised as 3* due to the distance, hilliness and off-road sections, the ride will be ridden at a steady 2* pace. The group will be a maximum of 8 people. Please get in touch if you would like to join those of us carried over from last weekend.16/6 A slight change of route to avoid a rutted section of the Ridgeway above Avebury. The ride will be a few miles longer but with less off-road than originally planned. Route details below have been amended accordingly. The return of a classic touring ride after a gap of 10 years. A hilly ride of about 65 miles through the early morning over the Wessex Downs to the World Heritage Site at Avebury at midsummer, taking in some beautiful (but non-technical) off-road on the gallops above Manton to the Fyfield Down National Nature Reserve before dropping down into the Kennet valley. We’ll make use of the excellent Marlborough-Swindon railway path (Sustrans route 482) to Chiseldon on our return. Expect about 11 miles of off-road in total. Starting in the dark at 4:10am (lights required), we'll climb Hackpen Hill to see the sunrise over the Vale at 4:47am. We'll drop down into Lambourn and continue via Baydon to Aldbourne for an early morning refreshment stop on the green. We’ll climb steadily over Snap before an exhilarating, sharp descent into the Ogbourne Valley. After a few miles on the A346 to Ogbourne Maizey, we zig-zag across to Barton Down to pick up the off-road track along the gallops. This continues to historic Fyfield Down where the ground is littered with sarsen stones. We will turn south and descend first on a wide track then minor road to Manton (3.6 miles of-road) and gradually climb to the top of the hill above East Kennet with views towards Avebury and prehistoric Silbury Hill. After a short stretch of the A4, we’ll approach Avebury along Stone Avenue, running alongside the mile long avenue of standing stones. Once in Avebury, we will have the opportunity to explore the stone circle, before continuing along the Kennet valley to Marlborough for breakfast at Eliane’s, which opens at 9:00am. On the way into Marlborough, we’ll take a ½ mile off-road section (on Sustrans Route 403) to pass the Marlborough White Horse. We return via the railway path as far as Chiselden (6.7 miles) and then follow the foot of the Downs via Foxhill and Bishopstone back to Wantage, returning about 1pm. Please bring refreshments to keep yourself going through the early hours until breakfast and ensure that you have enough layers to keep warm on early morning descents. Off-road bikes NOT essential - a steel-framed touring bike is more suited to enjoying the mix of terrain. |
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Report:Just two of us for the rescheduled Avebury ride. We decided to ride out through the Letcombes with John and Richard, picking up Sharon en route to the top of Hackpen Hill. Sadly, there was no sunrise through the overcast sky, but the birds were singing."Have a good ride", we wished each other before heading our different ways. We dropped into Lambourn and were soon climbing out towards Baydon Road which follows the line of Roman Ermin Street. At Baydon, we agreed to continue along the Roman Road to enjoy the views before turning off to Aldbourne. The land was green and the misty sky grey - all very atmospheric and eerily beautiful. Arriving in Aldbourne we rode up to the church and enjoyed an early morning refreshment stop with a fine view over the village green. A few drops of rain as we started to depart, grew heavier as we started the climb up to Snap before easing to a gentle mizzle for the next hour or so. We crossed the Ridgeway and flew down the descent into Ogbourne St George and appreciated the relative quietness of the A346 before turning off to Ogbourne Maizey. Another climb through a holloway brought us to a viewpoint over the Downs, which were hemmed in by misty cloud. We dropped down to Manton Park and picked up the track following the gallops up to Clatford Down. A different feel in mizzly conditions to the open blue skies I had enjoyed on my recent recce this way. We turned down the off-road NCN 403 into Manton (we must have just missed the other group passing this way towards Marlborough) to pick up the Kennett valley road that runs through the villages south of the A4. At Lockeridge, we continued up the valley before turning up Lurkeley Hill. Sadly just misty views from the top. We descended through East Kennet to the A4 and approached Avebury along Stone Avenue - always atmospheric, whatever the conditions. Once in the village, we took the opportunity for a photo stop and a brief walk among the standing stones before retracing our steps to East Kennett and back to Marlborough. Eliane's was just opening up and we enjoyed a slightly different breakfast - sauteed aubergine and potato for me, scrambled egg followed by a large serving of cake for Robin. The ride back to Wantage via the (excellent) railway path to Chiseldon the along the foot of the Downs via Fox Hill and Bishopstone was uneventful if taxing on weary muscles. We were back in Wantage before lunch. Not quite midsummer conditions, but an enjoyable ride and great to retread an old favourite route. Thanks Robin for your company. | ||
Distance:112.82 km (70.10 mi) | ||
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| Proposed Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36308813" | ||
Comment on this ride | ||
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- 1* - Suitable for irregular, social, beginner or family riders, pace will match the slower riders. Not hilly or long. Expect rides up to 3 hours. Gentle exercise.
- 2* - Suitable for regular riders who prefer to cover some distance but at a more relaxed pace. Likely to be half-day rides. Solid exercise.
- 3* - Suitable for experienced riders, may be hilly, long, quick, or any combination! Likely to be half or full-day rides. Challenging exercise.
- 4* - Suitable for athletic riders who can ride safely above the 3* standard. Quick rides for the fit.
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