The Ridgeway......

jez_clarke
jez_clarke Posts: 239
edited October 2009 in Routes
dudes....
has anyone ridden it in a day..? roughly how long do you think...?

the end part (or beginning depending on your starting point) is closed to cyclists isn't it..?
is it worth getting a map or can i just ride it without..?

cheers
jez
bikes:
Trek 9.8
Specialized Langster
Specialised Tri_Cross Comp
Viner Magnifica
and a unicylcle

Comments

  • sniper68
    sniper68 Posts: 2,910
    http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ridgeway ... ?PageId=82

    Some of the eastern bit is FP.
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  • matt748
    matt748 Posts: 194
    route in this months mbr
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  • Foxglove
    Foxglove Posts: 32
    I have done some of it which was easy enough going up and down on chalky path with nice scenery. Was esay enough to follow once on the track. But part of it is only footpath as mentioned in earlier reply.
  • Trideg
    Trideg Posts: 7
    You can ride the whole way - Ivanhoe to Wallingford is combination Ridgeway / Icknield Way / Bridleways and quiet roads
    See link
    //www.buckscc.gov.uk/assets/content/bcc/docs/row/promoted_routes/icknieldwayA4.pdf

    Wallingford to Avebury straightforward follow signs but still need a map.

    Done it in two goes Ivinghoe to Wallingford 75k about six and half hours and Avebury to Wallingford 80k about same time.
  • KonaKurt
    KonaKurt Posts: 720
    Yes Trideg, you can ride the whole way, though East of Goring it does get a little tricky.
    How long end to end (Avebury to Ivanhoe)? I rode it once in 2 days (10 hours per day). I spoke to an experianced and very fit rider who claimed to have done end to end in just 15 hours.

    It's such a beautiful route, why the rush?

    KK.
  • scotto
    scotto Posts: 381
    it goes mainly to footpath from princes risborough onwards, also as mentioned section between goring and watlington bit FP as well.
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    how tech is it?
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  • 1002andyb
    1002andyb Posts: 1
    A quick note to Jez

    I cycled the ridgeway in a day with some friends about ten years ago.

    We eventually completed it in just over 17 and a half hours.

    To acheive this we met a car at regular intervals for food and drink so to carry much.

    I was absolutely knackered by the end.

    We started at Ivinghoe Beacon which meant that the demanding technical part was complete first, which I would recommend. It's probably more fun to do over two days, but where's the challenge in that?

    Best strentch is Grimms Dyche, techy woodland section.

    Have fun

    Andy
  • Lindihopper
    Lindihopper Posts: 1
    I walked the route about 20 years ago. Don't know what it is like now but there were problems on the stretch near the Ridgeway YHA as the path was very rutted and the ruts deep enough that you couldn't turn your pedals. Several MTBers in the YHA that night were a bit unhappy about progress along that stretch!

    I'm thinking about doing it over a weekend, would be interested in sharing support.

    Lindi
  • Jimfrandisco
    Jimfrandisco Posts: 210
    I live in Reading so regularly ride the Reading - Avebury stretch and have ridden the whole thing in two days a few times. Nothing technical, all pretty straight forward although would say the Avebury - Goring section is easier from West to East.
    However...i wouldn't even attempt it if it's been wet (ie autumn and winter) - a lot of the Western half is chalk and so when wet is very slow and claggy and no fun at all.
  • Fireblade96
    Fireblade96 Posts: 1,123
    I've ridden the (Reading-) Goring - Avebury stretch a couple of times, both times over 2 days - taking it easy ;-)

    It's not technically difficult, but the huge ruts the 4x4s left did make it challenging - ride along the middle, between the ruts and hope there'll be no crossovers (!) or down in the rut and hope you can still turn your pedals ?

    I've never tried the Eastern part because I always thought that was footpath.

    If you end up in Avebury, a nice extension through Savernake Forest brings you to Great Bedwyn from where you can get a train. Unless it's a Sunday in which case they may well have put on a bus replacement which won't take bikes :evil: I know from bitter experience....
    Misguided Idealist
  • weeksy59
    weeksy59 Posts: 2,606
    Jimfrandisco wrote:
    However...i wouldn't even attempt it if it's been wet (ie autumn and winter) - a lot of the Western half is chalk and so when wet is very slow and claggy and no fun at all.

    Agree. I live about 200m from the Ridgeway on that section and it's a nightmare from hell in the wet. Gets to the stage where it's actually impossible to pedal within 30m, clean the front/back, 30m more and you can't turn pedals....

    Luckily there's tonnes of other stuff here too.
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  • scotto
    scotto Posts: 381
    weeksy59 wrote:
    Jimfrandisco wrote:
    However...i wouldn't even attempt it if it's been wet (ie autumn and winter) - a lot of the Western half is chalk and so when wet is very slow and claggy and no fun at all.

    Agree. I live about 200m from the Ridgeway on that section and it's a nightmare from hell in the wet. Gets to the stage where it's actually impossible to pedal within 30m, clean the front/back, 30m more and you can't turn pedals....

    Luckily there's tonnes of other stuff here too.

    wheres the other stuff you speak of?

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