Training rides in/near Water Orton, Warwickshire...

ScottieP

We'll be doing a family trip to my in-laws who live in Water Orton next week and I'm thinking of taking my bike with me and getting out on the roads. I've noticed a few roadies riding through the "village" on the last few trips but I don't really know the countryside around there. Can anyone recommend any training rides on quiet roads ideally through the countryside around this area? I try to keep away from traffic as much as I can - which is easy enough in Kent - not sure about Warwickshire. I haveI found one training route on bikely of 35kms - but I'd appreciate any local advice or suggestions of routes. I normally ride 50 to 80kms each ride.

Many thanks
ScottieP

ColinJ

ScottieP wrote:

We'll be doing a family trip to my in-laws who live in Water Orton next week and I'm thinking of taking my bike with me and getting out on the roads. I've noticed a few roadies riding through the "village" on the last few trips but I don't really know the countryside around there. Can anyone recommend any training rides on quiet roads ideally through the countryside around this area? I try to keep away from traffic as much as I can - which is easy enough in Kent - not sure about Warwickshire. I haveI found one training route on bikely of 35kms - but I'd appreciate any local advice or suggestions of routes. I normally ride 50 to 80kms each ride.

Many thanks
ScottieP

Hi Scottie.

I originally come from North Coventry and go back to the city regularly to visit my family. I've been exploring the countryside to the north-west of the city and have found that there is a whole network of little lanes up there. I didn't know where Water Orton was, but having looked it up I can see that it is just to the west of the area that I'm talking about..

If you look for the little yellow roads on an OS map in that area, you can find lots of quiet lanes. some of which are fairly hilly. To get 80 kms in you'd probably have to do 2 or 3 loops.

If I've got time in the morning, I'll knock up a route for you.

ColinJ

Okay, I've plotted a 68 km route for you - ColinJ's route for Scottie from Water Orton.

I've ridden 80% of the roads before, just not the area round Coleshill & Water Orton. There's a nice mixture of roads from tiny country lanes to quiet roads and the odd slightly busier road to join the quieter sections together. There are a few significant little hills, some of them surprisingly steep (the one up by Corley Rocks for example). If you look at the satellite pictures on Bikely, you can see how rural some of the roads are.

Some of the little lanes do not have fantastic road surfaces and you might have to watch out for the odd patch of slurry near farms, especially in wet weather but I find that area nice to cycle in.

I'm going down to Coventry soon, so I might tackle this route myself if I have a few hours spare.

ScottieP

Colin

Thanks very much - I appreciate it! I will definitely take my bike now. It's exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. Water Orton Ride is the ride I had found on Bikely - but yours is good as it's twice the distance

I'll be there late next week - would be great if I get a chance to do a few rides - will report back afterwards.

Thanks again.

ScottieP

ColinJ

ScottieP wrote:

Colin

Thanks very much - I appreciate it! I will definitely take my bike now. It's exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. Water Orton Ride is the ride I had found on Bikely - but yours is good as it's twice the distance

I'll be there late next week - would be great if I get a chance to do a few rides - will report back afterwards.

Thanks again.

ScottieP

No problem!

It's a pity about the timing - I'm going down tomorrow but travelling back the middle of next week, otherwise I'd have suggested meeting up and tackling the route together. Another time perhaps?

ScottieP

Colin,

Just wanted to say thanks for this route. I rode it last Friday with a load of printed out maps in my back pocket. Some of the roads didn't seem to have signs and I didn't know any of the countryside, so after getting lost a couple of times - including ending up in Nuneaton - the 68km ended up at 85km for me! :oops: More miles in the bank at least.

I'll definitely do it again. It's flatter than I'm used to so my speed was slightly higher than normal - which was very nice

I'll PM you next time I'll be up there and would be very happy to get out on the bikes again.

Thanks again.
ScottieP

ColinJ

ScottieP wrote:

Colin,

Just wanted to say thanks for this route. I rode it last Friday with a load of printed out maps in my back pocket. Some of the roads didn't seem to have signs and I didn't know any of the countryside, so after getting lost a couple of times - including ending up in Nuneaton - the 68km ended up at 85km for me! :oops: More miles in the bank at least.

I'll definitely do it again. It's flatter than I'm used to so my speed was slightly higher than normal - which was very nice

I'll PM you next time I'll be up there and would be very happy to get out on the bikes again.

Thanks again.
ScottieP

I'm glad that you enjoyed your ride.

I nearly ended up in Nuneaton by accident myself once because the local yoof had turned a sign round to face the wrong way. These days I use a bar-mounted GPS so I don't get lost any more.

I'll be down in Coventry at the start of November and again just before Christmas. I'll be riding my singlespeed bike and I'm not quick but if you happen to be visiting again at the same time as me, just let me know and we can nip out (assuming we don't have another icy winter!).

Another ride you might like to try is a circumnavigation of Coventry. I did one earlier in the year and it was about 68 km. From Water Orton it would probably be more like 80 km. If you are interested I can knock up another route for you.