New Forest
Pross
Posts: 43,547
I have to do some work in Salisbury today that will leave me with about 3 or 4 hours to kill between 6pm and whenever it finally gets dark so I was thinking of driving down to the New Forest and getting a ride in. Can anyone suggest a route of about 45 miles for me that will be fairly straightforward for someone who doesn't know the area? Also, somewhere to park that will be open until about 9.30pm and preferably with toilets so that I can change without getting arrested for exposing myself! Cheers.
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Hi
Did 47miles the other month.
Have a look at this https://www.strava.com/activities/49671278
Hope this helps for your ride
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Cheers for that, I might do something similar but instead of the westernmost section go further east around Beaulieu area. I've only cycled through there once before but remember it being a very nice area. Hopefully it will be fairly quiet by time I set off.0
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Why not just ride out from Salisbury?
Head out towards the race course (at Stratford Tony), and westwards through Bishopstone, Ebbesbourne Wake, Berwick St John, then up Donhead Hollow past Win Green, to Ashmore, up and down to Fontmell Magna, Iwerne Minster, up and over Tarrant Hinton, Tarrant Launceston, up the cliff past Rushmore airfield to Witchampton, then onto Farnham, Chettle, Sixpenny Handley, Bowerchalke and back towards the race course and Salisbury.
It'll save you sitting in traffic in the car and the roads will probably be quieter than the New Forest, plus a couple of hills for fun.0 -
Dorset Boy wrote:Why not just ride out from Salisbury?
Head out towards the race course (at Stratford Tony), and westwards through Bishopstone, Ebbesbourne Wake, Berwick St John, then up Donhead Hollow past Win Green, to Ashmore, up and down to Fontmell Magna, Iwerne Minster, up and over Tarrant Hinton, Tarrant Launceston, up the cliff past Rushmore airfield to Witchampton, then onto Farnham, Chettle, Sixpenny Handley, Bowerchalke and back towards the race course and Salisbury.
It'll save you sitting in traffic in the car and the roads will probably be quieter than the New Forest, plus a couple of hills for fun.
Cheers but a bit far in the time I have available. I've decided to set out from Salisbury and do the north western corner (B3080 / B3078) of the forest over to Fordingbridge and back.0 -
Try to avoid the A338 as much as possible - it's a horrible road to drive on, let alone cycle on. Tis a beautiful day so have a great ride!
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Cheers, I've only got a mile on that road which I think is about the minimum I could realistically manage.0
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Well I got out and really enjoyed some new scenery, it really is a beautiful part of the country (although obviously not as good as Wales
). I forgot my cue notes and almost immediately went wrong doing a pointless trip through Alderbury and Whaddon then u turning and going back. I then headed through Downton and Woodgreen before unwittingly ignoring Dorset Boy's advise and doing a few miles on the A388 south to Fordingbridge - I agree, it's a horrible road even though it was quiet and I almost crashed at one point where I got squeezed and the edge of the road had a huge pothole about 9" deep. I then turned onto the B3078 and up the climb to Godshill, beautiful road but horribly exposed to a fairly strong crosswind that also left me surprisingly cold. Having not eaten I started to flag on the gentle drag across the top to where I turned onto the B3080 back to Downton and retraced back via Trafalgar House to Salisbury by which time I was completely knackered despite only doing about 35 miles at just over 15mph :oops: I'm hoping my struggling was at least in part due to being on a diet and not having enough fuel in the tank but I think I'm just totally unfit at the moment. Needless to say I didn't trouble the leaderboard on any Strava segments (or even the top 100). 0
