Bristol & Bath Railway Path

[cosmicbike]

I'm heading off to Bristol in a couple of weeks time to have a towbar fitted to my van, and since that's a 4 hour job I thought I'd chuck a bike in the back.
A quick google brings up the Bristol & Bath Railway Path, a 13 mile route between the 2. That's a nice distance, and with a destination like Bath at the end looks promising.
Has anybody ridden it? The website photos look like a mostly compacted gravel surface, I'm planning on taking the CX anyway to most surfaces are ok.

 

[PK99]

I'm heading off to Bristol in a couple of weeks time to have a towbar fitted to my van, and since that's a 4 hour job I thought I'd chuck a bike in the back.
A quick google brings up the Bristol & Bath Railway Path, a 13 mile route between the 2. That's a nice distance, and with a destination like Bath at the end looks promising.
Has anybody ridden it? The website photos look like a mostly compacted gravel surface, I'm planning on taking the CX anyway to most surfaces are ok.

Ridden it several times as part of Bristol to reading Kennet and Avon. Steady up hill at railway gradients, on mainly tarmac.

 

[EltonFrog]

It's a nice ride can be busy at weekends and school holidays.

 

[summerdays]

I only ride the Bristol end as part of my commute but I'm pretty sure it's Tarmac the entire way.... Nice cake stop at Warmley on the path and further on towards Bath there are pubs a short distance off the path.
Is the place you are going near the path or do you need directions to it.... There are lots of different places to join the path. If you can avoid the 8-9 rush hour.... Especially if you were heading out of Bristol. Outside that it's much calmer.

 

[youngoldbloke]

If you can It's worth carrying on at the Bath end to experience the Two Tunnels and on then turn round at Midford - gentle uphill, but you can freewheel all the way back to Bath! Worth having lights on your bike, the tunnels are dimly lit!

 

[SWSteve]

Echoing @youngoldbloke stay on a little bit in bath to ride through the two tunnels. Warmley station offers lots of lovely cake - or there are several pubs just off, there's a flight of stairs to one of them

 

[Rasmus]

Warmley is good - there is also a cafe at Bitton station a bit further on.

Generally excellent surface all the way to Bath. A large section was resurfaced last year.

Bring a light for the Staple Hill tunnel.

The path often gets busy with families, runners, etc. Not a place for a fast ride.

 

[Donger]

Did it about 5 years ago with a cycling buddy and really enjoyed it. My only bugbear was that the car park at Warmley had a height barrier, so you couldn't get in with a bike on top! Started at Warmley and rode all the way into Bath, then all the way to Bristol, then back to Warmley. There were some bits of old railway station left, and a couple of steam engines. Throw in a decent pub lunch at a pub that was visible from the path, and it was a nice day out. I agree with the comments above about the dark tunnels. Lights recommended. Enjoy!

 

[mjr]

If you can It's worth carrying on at the Bath end to experience the Two Tunnels and on then turn round at Midford - gentle uphill, but you can freewheel all the way back to Bath!

Come on, if you go that far, continue along the tops of the Mendips, scare yourself witless descending Cheddar Gorge, take the Strawberry Line tunnel back through the hills (compacted gravel) and finish the sixty ish mile loop back into Bristol along Festival Way (mostly tarmac now AFAIK)

 

[youngoldbloke]

Come on, if you go that far, continue along the tops of the Mendips, scare yourself witless descending Cheddar Gorge, take the Strawberry Line tunnel back through the hills (compacted gravel) and finish the sixty ish mile loop back into Bristol along Festival Way (mostly tarmac now AFAIK)

Not that far surely - Bristol to Bath 13 miles or so, and out to the pub at Midford about another 3 or 4, so a return journey of 35 miles ish, with a good surface, and gentle gradients

 

[cosmicbike]

Really looking forward to it now, thanks for all the info folks. Dropping van about 1mile from the Bristol end at 08:30, and with 4hrs to kill looks like the tunnels are on the cards, and maybe even a cake stop.

 

[mjr]

Not that far surely

Sorry. I wasn't being entirely serious but forgot the winking smiley.

 

[summerdays]

The Stapleton tunnel is fine without lights.... I don't bother putting them on in the lighter months, just watch out for the drips from the roof, it's rare I will make it out without being dripped on at least once. The roads near the beggining of the path are fine for riding on, I'm assuming it will be somewhere in the industrial area that you'll be leaving the van...

 

[fatblokish]

The path is tarmac the whole way. You don't need lights for any of the tunnels, though about 10% of cyclists choose to use them on the Two tunnels path. Nice cake stop in Bitton too, enjoy the engines!

On reaching the Bath end of the track, continue on road in same direction, passing a kids park on RHS. About 250m further on, there is a tiny bike contraflow that leads you onto the riverside path. Follow this for about 400 m till you come to a pedestrian bridge over the river, cross here, at which point the two tunnels route is signposted.
Just beyond Lidl's is a toucan crossing which you can use to get to the Two Tunnels route.

I live close to the route, so when you've done it come back and tell me how spoiled I am!

 

[cosmicbike]

The roads near the beggining of the path are fine for riding on, I'm assuming it will be somewhere in the industrial area that you'll be leaving the van...

George Jones Road on the industrial estate. Looks like an easy pedal around to the path at Trinity Street/St Phillips Road