Gravel routes - Southampton/Salisbury to Bristol
Discussion
Anyone know best way to plan a road/gravel bike ride from Salisbury (or maybe Soton to make it longer and take in north part of new forest) to Bristol? I don't know Salisbury area (I would get train from my part of Sussex to Soton/Salisbury and cycle from there....
Most "suggested" routes I've seen online seem to be loops etc. in Komoot/Strava/etc.
I have ridewithgps but seems to be some work to plan the route. I also have OS maps (app) too but both seem to indicate that there's a bridleway/path but not how suitable they would be. I know locally some bridleways are great but some are rubbish and not really cycle friendly....
Not sure if there's some old unused trainlines (like Downs Link local to me which is perfect type of surface) en route (altho I think there's one from Bath to Bristol).
Basically I don't want to find out I've missed some glorious gravel/bridleway route and taken some roads parallel instead!
Note this will be in June/July so surfaces should be firm, hopefully dry!
Most "suggested" routes I've seen online seem to be loops etc. in Komoot/Strava/etc.
I have ridewithgps but seems to be some work to plan the route. I also have OS maps (app) too but both seem to indicate that there's a bridleway/path but not how suitable they would be. I know locally some bridleways are great but some are rubbish and not really cycle friendly....
Not sure if there's some old unused trainlines (like Downs Link local to me which is perfect type of surface) en route (altho I think there's one from Bath to Bristol).
Basically I don't want to find out I've missed some glorious gravel/bridleway route and taken some roads parallel instead!
Note this will be in June/July so surfaces should be firm, hopefully dry!
I've recently come across www.cycle.travel which seems pretty good. I'm Sussex too, and I asked it to plot my off road route from home to work over the Downs and it picked the way I would ride. I haven't tried it where I have never been yet though, so there is that caveat.
https://cycle.travel/map?from=Redbridge%20Railway%...
Going Salisbury Warminster Frome looks more likely on the above.
If you look at Create a Route on Strava, the "traffic" a path gets is shown by stronger blues, so you might be able to work out what is a viable trail and what isn't by comparing.
https://cycle.travel/map?from=Redbridge%20Railway%...
Going Salisbury Warminster Frome looks more likely on the above.
If you look at Create a Route on Strava, the "traffic" a path gets is shown by stronger blues, so you might be able to work out what is a viable trail and what isn't by comparing.
GCN on Youtube rode the King Alfreds Way route which is a big circular route in that area, might give some ideas.
https://www.cyclinguk.org/route/king-alfreds-way-g...
https://www.cyclinguk.org/route/king-alfreds-way-g...
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