The Beacon Message Board

Planning a overnight trip to Chippenham area and need a good on-road route.

Bike toaster says this:

http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course. ... rse=626209

c. 130 km, with climbs south of Winchcombe and Withington.

My friend reckons it all looks good south of Cirencester, so no probs there. But what is the best way up and over the Cotswolds to Cirencester? I guess going via Evesham (c. 50 km) has the advantage of a good cafe stop, but I'd prefer a single stop at c. 70km.

Would welcome comments/suggestions.

Many thanks



p.s. interesting how its direct south. Maybe I should just keep going in search of good weather!

I often ride through that direction, so here are some thoughts.

Via Winchcombe will add some miles and a big hill but it is preferable to enduring the main road between Bishops Cleeve and Cheltenham. However, the latter is the easiest way with a single big climb up the quiet A435 out of Cheltenham.

To be honest, I would avoid Cirencester given that it is a dump encircled by an awful A road. The westerly trajectory through Winstone and Tetbury is pleasantly quiet and along lanes. Tea rooms are to be found in Winchcombe and Tetbury. If you go via Circencester, there is a popular cyclist's greasy spoon literally called 'Greasy Joes' nextdoor to Tesco on the eastern outskirts of the town (closed Sat after 2 and Sunday).

Many years ago I rode from Brum to RAF Compton Basset every Sunday for eight months.

My route to Cirencester was;

Evesham
Winchcombe
Corndean Lane then past Brockhampton to A436.
Turn right, Cross the A40 then, after abt 1/2 mile turn left to Withington then down the Whiteway to Cirencester

Pretty direct.

Phil and Alan

Thanks for comments; much appreciated.
I checked with another friend who lives in Evesham and it looks like the most suitable/direct way is as the toaster and Alan describes. I'll just go straight through Cirencester.

Planning this -weather permitting- friday 22 nov if anyone fancies a cruise down south for the first part?

Just looking for a alternative out/back route and used www.openrouteservice.org/ (race bike mode) to come up with this (imported in to Bikeroutetoaster):

http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course. ... rse=628032

143 km with a single big climb south of Western Subedge up to Chipping Camden.

Is this route any better/worse as a bad weather alternative?

Always keen to go out/back different routes, and always keen to learn of other member's experiences.....

Thanks

Barry

I've got a slightly different route from Brum to Northleach that I do all the time, very quiet and picturesque. Will post a link when I am back in Brum tomorrow.

Beyond Northleach there are some quiet and pleasant lanes - Keith and I did an overnight stop during our LEJOG in that neck of the woods this summer so will post our route around there as well. All fairly quiet lanes and B roads, though we did detour right through Cirencester which led to the unexpected benefit of us gate crashing a society wedding.

Thanks Ian.

Barry

This is my usual route to Northleach, usually stopping at Broadway Tower for a cafe stop:

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/bl ... northleach

The LEJOG route we did is here but having looked at it again it studiously avoids Chippenham so probably isn't much use to you!

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/bu ... northleach

Forecast is OK, so I will be off down to Chippenham on Friday and I'd be very happy with some company if any one wants to join me for part of the way? Leaving Edgbaston at 0900. Route is here:

http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course. ... rse=626209

going through Redditch and Evesham. I think I'll be clicking along at about an av. 25 kph.

I'll be coming back Saturday, so will come down the Cotswolds heading north towards Brum about lunch time.

I'll have live tracking on, so if you want to know exactly where and when to meet just take a look at the box 'Where in the World is Slogfester':

http://www.gps-sport.net/users/Slogfester

If it says Spain then you know I just kept heading for the sun!

PM me if interested.

Great ride down and back to Chippenham.

Outbound:
http://www.gps-sport.net/trainings/Home ... 1a_1267340
Nice tail wind going S on Frid. 130km. Made the mistake of using Route 55 / Icknield St down to Redditch. Its little more than a farm track caked in sloppy half-frozen mud (that I ended up carrying on the inside of my guards for 100 km) which would be dangerous enough, but when you meet a bus and several trucks coming the other way its damn scary. Should be stripped of its status as a cycle route. (Fine if was a track, but its supposed to be a tarmaced road). The rest of the route was very good, particularly so S of Evesham on the B4078 to Winchombe. There I stopped for a proper macchiato and bacon butty at Kelly's (formerly the Old Tea House, http://kellysofwinchcombe.co.uk). Keen on cyclists, but unfortunately not open Sundays.
I was greeted at my destination with hot food and a bath

Inbound
http://www.gps-sport.net/trainings/Edgb ... -2_1267999
Very cold on Saturday, especially up on top of the Cotswolds. Rode with a friend to Northleach where again found good cafe (can't remember the name, its new, next to the village PO). Then followed Ian's route back to Brum. Some tough little climbs through the Cotswolds (it goes further E, so there seem to be many more 'hidden' valleys), but excellent nonetheless. (Thanks Ian). Longer route (144 km) so I needed another fuel stop at the pub in Great Alne (just E of Alcester), before final leg in beautiful late Autumn colours:


20131123_154750 by Slogfester, on Flickr

First 'micro-light' tour (you heard it from me first ) on the Van Nic Yukon. Loving it

A bus in Icknield St? Presumably a minibus?

The only reasons anybody cycles Icknield St in winter are:

- heading north, taking the shortest possible route to to the Coach & Horses
- heading south, because you don't fancy going up Weatheroak Hill

No Steve. A bloody great big bus. And 2 HGVs. I had to get off my bike and jump in to the ditch to let them pass.
Maybe they were lost too

I could believe lorry drivers might be following a satnav but not a bus - presumably there were no passengers on board?

It was a empty coach. Sorry, I was speaking Ozstralian.

That's OK, we say "buz" anyway.