Office Move- Guildford anyone...?

mitb

My employers have kindly decided to close our office (14 miles from home) and if I'm not made redundant then I can look forward to commuting to Guildford from Reading, somewhere in the region of 28 miles from home!

I've read a few posts on the practicality of long commutes like this, realistically it's not going to happen in a hurry as I don’t even do the 14 mile one every day, but it's something I can build up to if I need to. Ride in, train home, or my parents live in Bracknell, other family in Sandhurst, so I could possibly drive there, ride to Guildford and back and then drive home (hate the idea but I have to face up to it in case).

My issue is I can’t really see a good route. I've got no driving route to base it on and it just seems too far for my brain to handle! Does anyone do this trip, or parts of it? It took me ages to refine Reading to Marlow so anyone with experience could really save me some pain. It'd be nice to know what I have in store...

Wooliferkins

It's not a pleasant ride at the best of times. I ride occasionally from Wantage to Guildford and due to the nature of the commuting world the main roads are pretty hairy. A recent trip too Sussex also took me across some of your commute. The A329 out of Reading was OK on a bank holiday early morning but I guess much busier in the week although you'll be off quite early. IMHO the A322 is to be avoided at all costs. Once you negotiated the signless black hole of Bracknell you have to head towards Sandhurst and Farnborough no real gain except miles. I swing round through Hartley Witney and Fleet as on my route Aldershott is the lesser evil. I planned mine by putting in start and finish points on google maps walking option then dragging the route away from dangerous bits of road

thelawnet

The direct road route through Bracknell and West End (A322) on the Reading-Guildford route is frankly lethal, a 70mph dual carriageway on which drivers won't be concentrating. The alternative is to cycle through the forest from Crowthorne to Bagshot, which would be ok on a 10 mile commute, but you are looking at 30 miles+ and it's muddy for much of the year and slow, and not suitable on a road bike.

If you want to do it part bike, part train, I would personally aim for Farnborough North. From Farnborough North you head across to Frimley Green, up a hill to start, then you've got a beautiful 5 miles of fast twisty downhill along the stunning B3012 to Pirbright and then through Worplesdon on the way to Guildford.

Sleeptech

thelawnet wrote:

If you want to do it part bike, part train, I would personally aim for Farnborough North. From Farnborough North you head across to Frimley Green, up a hill to start, then you've got a beautiful 5 miles of fast twisty downhill along the stunning B3012 to Pirbright and then through Worplesdon on the way to Guildford.

How do you find the traffic on the B3012 - I was put off that route due to a few hairy moments in the car & use B3411/A323 instead which isn't too bad.

@ OP, as long as you never consider the (oops - A331)you'll be fine - been doing this daily for a while (from frimley) with no issues.

Edit - mean A331

mitb

Thanks for the info so far...I longed for someone to have an amazing shortcut route and say "it's like 27 miles on a turbo" but of course knew that would not be the case.

The odds of doing the whole journey sound pretty slim, the occasional evening for training maybe but it sounds v.nasty in places. I'll research some more, but a new job might be a better option..

Sleeptech

If you can drop your car off at family in sandhurst (if it wont bother them on a daily basis) I'd say you have nothing to worry about.

I'd say this: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Marshall+Rd%2FA321&daddr=51.2519032,-0.7083134+to:Aldershot+Rd%2FA323&hl=en&geocode=FcR0DwMd9gH0_w%3BFb8KDgMdJzH1_ynLdR4netN1SDGBzLmtLa4OEw%3BFY8DDgMdkfr2_w&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=13&via=1&dirflg=w&sll=51.269326,-0.674114&sspn=0.075503,0.154324&ie=UTF8&ll=51.287688,-0.676003&spn=0.150946,0.308647&z=12

or this (check with @thelawnet for more exact routing nr worplesdon):: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Marshall+Rd%2FA321&daddr=51.29095,-0.645+to:51.28853,-0.63779+to:Aldershot+Rd%2FA323&hl=en&geocode=FcR0DwMd9gH0_w%3BFUajDgMdeCj2_ykpWh-WmtZ1SDEQBLqtLa4OEw%3BFdKZDgMdokT2_ylP5DxAkdZ1SDFYj-_vnym29Q%3BFY8DDgMdkfr2_w&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=13&via=1,2&dirflg=w&sll=51.303038,-0.641155&sspn=0.075448,0.154324&ie=UTF8&ll=51.295632,-0.64785&spn=0.15092,0.308647&z=12

are eminently doable!

The only no go is the A331 blackwater valley road.

mitb

No, thank you all of you, that's great and would allow me to avoid the (apparently hideous) queues into and out of the indistrial estate. Just so depressing not being able to do the whole thing, and having to go that far at all. Not sure about the daily parking, but sure I can work something out. Bracknell would be easier, but as theLawnet mentioned, a daily ride through Swinley forest/Crowthorne Woods/whatever would be heaven, if it wasn't on a road bike and bookended with lots of road miles!

Cheers for the routes Sleeptech, might try them outfor research. Just not on a Monday morning.

drawblood

I do Frimley to Bracknell every day (left hand circut, I don't like to unclip for right hand turns!) A30 to Bagshot, up the A322 (not so bad - you get used to it) and home via Crowthorne / Sandhurst - no worries.
Will be moving office to Reading in July so Frimley / Reading will be through Yately, Eversly and Arborfield. I'll start 3 days a week and see how it goes. I'm not the best to give advice but I'd say just go for it, no preconceptions... see how you get on but look forward to it and don't fret about it too much. You always have the escape options of family in Bracknell and Sandhurst if you are hurtin'