King Alfred's Way To Go.......

 With the van safely parked up in Frome Pete joined us on the first leg of our six day ride by showing us a largely traffic free route through to Westbury for a coffee stop and then the short sharp climb on to the chalk escarpment that becomes the White Horse Way and Imber Range Perimeter Path. Stunning views under a cloudless sky with light bikes and packs saw us make good progress to high above Erlestoke where Pete turned back and we dropped rapidly down to a point south of West Lavington where we could pick up the KAW proper. It is a www.cyclinguk.org compiled route available as a GPX download from their website so is not signed as such. It links sections of other well established routes covering around 220 miles, mostly off road and encircling the old county of Wessex.

Thus the rest of the day was spent following sections of the White Horse Trail/Wessex Ridgeway before turning north SE of Devizes to cross the Kennet and Avon Canal at All Cannings. We grabbed delicious pears from a box at a house gate and then passed over the canal to stop at an impressive long barrow. To our surprise it is only just over a decade old and was built in the traditional manner by the local land owner. The £340,000 construction and ongoing maintenance costs are covered by the letting of 340 niches deep within the structure where cremated remains can be left. It was hugely impressive and well worth a visit, there are open days at the various solstices and equinoxes.

Climbing Tan Hill, one of the highest points in Wiltshire at just under a thousand feet gave as good spin down to Beckhampton and a quiet entry in to Avebury. As luck our hosts at the charming Avebury Lodge were just back so we soon had the bikes tucked away and were shown our room. As antique collectors and sellers the house and room were full of an eclectic mix of paintings, sculptures and furnishings with our window looking directly out over some of the stones and towards one of Avebury's two great avenues.

After freshening up we nipped in to the pub next door to reserve a table and then spent the remaining daylight hours walking the stones and following the Avenue. With few visitors around we could really appreciate the history and sentiment attached to this unique place before a well earned and excellent meal.

A substantial vegetarian breakfast after a good night's sleep set us up for the steady climb north to pick up the ancient Ridgeway passing right through Barbury Castle Hill fort, looping around Ogbourne St George and then turning north with Swindon in the distance.  The rest of the day was spent following the Ridgeway on superb tracks, making good progress in the dry conditions and in my case remembering walking it one February in the early 80's. A sign to the Rose and Crown at Ashbury tempted us to drop off the route for welcome refreshments before we picked up the trail and stopped to inspect Wayland Smithy's original and ancient long barrow. Uffington Castle above the White Horse of Whitehorse Hill provided more interest and passing above Wantage we spotted a live-in lorry whose chilled occupant was relaxing under the sun on a roof top settee.

Soon after passing under the busy A34 we were dropping off in to Goring where the Thames is crossed and the eponymous Path heads south to Pangbourne for our second night. An excellent room in the Elephant Hotel gave us a chance for hot baths after 50 odd miles after which we walked in to the centre for a curry before sleeping well.

After a full English breakfast we retrieved the bikes and began a day of careful route finding using the OS App and my Satmap to follow the Thames in to Reading. The Kennet and Avon Canal then led us out of town with a number of dilapidated live in boats contrasting strongly with the cruisers back at Goring. Allowing boats and their surroundings to become so rundown and such an eyesore will do nothing to help those of us who choose alternative lifestyles gain acceptance from the mainstream, certainly an issue for van life.

We met two brothers, carpenters from Barnstaple who have worked on the Lynton funicular who were hoping to do the route in 3 or 4 days but the frequent stops for route finding were already slowing our average speed but also giving us time to enjoy the scenery.

A mix of lanes, tracks and bridleways threaded us through the rural parts of Berkshire and on in to leafy Surrey before crossing the M3 and eventually reaching Farnham where the Bush Hotel provided another welcome hot bath, secure bike storage and easy access to a friendly Italian restaurant. Breakfast surrounded by businessmen and pilots from Heathrow resting up provided interesting snippets of conversation before with continuing good weather we rode through Tilford and round the Frensham Ponds. We passed a film location on the army training reserve at Hankley Common and some heavily laden soldiers whilst thoroughly enjoying the autumnal colours and smooth flowing tracks.

Then with no warning and for no apparent reason my front wheel went away from me and I fell heavily at speed landing on my right shoulder. It was a hard fall and winded me completely but after some bellowing I was able to stand, retrieved my glasses and Satmap and found the tools to realign both handlebars and saddle. Otherwise the bike seemed OK and whilst my shoulder and chest hurt like hell strapping on the rucksack and carrying on seemed to ease things. Mandy was shaken up but I reassured her we could continue although she needed to open any gates and we took things steadily through the Queen Elizabeth Country Park and after crossing the A3 decided to walk the steep Buster Hill. 

Now largely following the signed South Downs Way route finding was easier and we passed Winchester Old Hill to enter the Meon Valley eventually reaching the Bucks Head at Exton which was lively and welcoming. The local vineyard had finished harvesting that day and the workers were celebrating with wines and the pizzas from an impressive wood fired oven but we had arrived at dusk and were tired so after a long hot bath to try and ease my shoulder and ribs we headed to bed. Unfortunately what was clearly a broken scapula made sleeping almost impossible and moving doubly so with breathing also impaired I was not particularly well prepared for our final full day. A good breakfast helped but light drizzle and a strengthening wind also spurred us on to deal with the task ahead. Crossing the M3 and passing beneath St Catherine's Hill put us in Winchester and King Alfred's statue near the cathedral that marks the recommended starting and finishing points and as we were quite wet coffee and cakes in a warm cafe were very welcome. A few painful hours against an increasing headwind, although we had lost the rain, made for a challenging day and the exposed sections of the Monarchs Way towards Salisbury were slow going.

However we then turned north so the winds eased to crosswinds as we followed the Avon Valley up to Amesbury. A pub lunch followed by coffee late afternoon in a small cafe right on the route, a surprising rarity as much of the Way is far from settlements, saw us arriving at The Antrobus Hotel in the centre of Amesbury. As the cheapest of our five nights we weren't expecting much and thus weren't disappointed. The faded glory of the impressive building combined with a spectacularly chaotic storage area for the bikes contrasted sharply with the luxury of previous nights. However the shower was hot and it was only a short walk along to a decent curry house where we spotted the hotel owners dining...

After a lighter than usual breakfast we headed north passing Stonehenge in the distance on a dry but very windy day. A couple of hours later we had completed KAW but decided to return to Frome via Westbury along the road that runs along the base of the escarpment as this provided some shelter from the 45/50 mph headwinds of the approaching Storm Amy. An excellent farm shop at the Three Daggers Brewery provided a final boost and we arrived in Frome mid afternoon after a thoroughly enjoyable week. The varied scenery, superb views, largely excellent accommodation and determined, tough company made for a memorable ride. We had thought five days would allow time for looking around but in reality we had to push on so few photos were taken and there are no extras with this post.

After a good Italian in Frome we headed to Priddy for a couple of days resting and to clean the bikes before moving on to Brecon via the excellent St Fagans Museum of Welsh Rural History. Our visit coincided with a large conference hosting around a thousand delegates but we still enjoyed the mix of buildings so carefully relocated to the large site.

After a couple of nights in Brecon we called at Lower Chapel to collect post and a few stored items and squeezed in a gentle run along the canal and back via the Venison Farm Shop and Cafe at Bwlch before joining friends for a long overdue reunion at the Shoemakers. We returned to Sheffield where the van passed its MOT and the alarming screeching and squeaking seems to have been resolved by replacing both lower wishbones so after a good clean and sort out I am ready to head off again.

We had taken one of the last runs of the season on the open top Peak District Sightseer bus which was as excellent as ever : local scenery and top deck views combined to give a memorable day out.

I will be returning to Cheddar for more cycle path volunteering with a visit to the Map Shop at Upton on Severn en route in the hope of obtaining maps for my trip to Central Asia next year. A trip down to Crediton will allow me to catch up with John whose planned 3 months in South America has been cancelled after a deer hit his motorbike at speed, writing it off and leaving him with a broken arm and much bruising. 

Then in Brecon once more I have a couple of GP appointments, a greenhouse to erect and I also hope to squeeze in another glider flight and test a new ex army Gore-Tex bivvy bag during a short ride in mid Wales.

Plenty going on as ever......