Cycle route - Herts to the Cotswolds

[iaindp]

Hi all

I'm planning on cycling from Hertfordshire down to the Cotswolds and had wanted to cycle the Thames Path, but it seems that only part of it is open to cycling.

Can anybody suggest any alternative routes please? It will be very much an adventure ride / amble, and I'm allowing 2 or 3 days with stopovers at campsites or B&Bs and would like to stick as close to the Thames as poss, avoiding busy roads if I can

All suggestions gratefully received !

Cheers
Iaindp

 

[mjr]

@srw I think took us on a good route from errrm Amersham to Oxford which maybe he'd share and then that national route to Witney looks OK and it's not far from there to a Cotswold. That'd leave you to find a route to Amersham

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I would head out across the Chilterns then onto Oxford then Cotswold. You could do worse than pick up the Chilterns Cycleway for the first leg.

 

[srw]

Whereabouts in Hertfordshire are you starting?

 

[Tigerbiten]

How much of an adventure/challenge do you want ??
I'm assuming your bike can cope with off road routes.
Look at the OSMcycle map (Bikehike) for all the sustrans routes.
Pick up NCR 57/6 alongside the River Lea and follow it to around Leighton Buzzard.
Then follow the purple route/ NCR 51 SW to NCR 57 which is along the Windrush.
This will take you to edge of the Cotswolds.

Luck .......

 

[srw]

I'm planning on cycling from Hertfordshire down to the Cotswolds and had wanted to cycle the Thames Path, but it seems that only part of it is open to cycling.

Hertfordshire and the Cotswolds are both really quite big. Where are you starting and where do you want to get to?

You're right that the Thames Path is, by and large, footpath only.

 

[iaindp]

Thanks for all the replies, I'll be starting out from Elstree in Herts. If the Thames Path had been an option, I'd have probably caught a train into London and then started out through Kingston on Thames way.

I'll probably stick to the roads Tigerbitten, I'll be carrying a pack and maybe a tent so prob not feasible to ride off road.

In general, does anybody know of any journey planner type sites that I might be able to use to plot the full route?

Thanks again
Iaindp

 

[Aravis]

As you were looking at the Thames Path, I'm guessing you're heading for the source of the Thames, near Kemble? If so, once past Oxford there are many pleasant and quiet lanes to take you on your way, particularly on the north side of the river. There's no need to be concerned about heading west initially from Oxford on the A40, since the cycle tracks, on both sides of the road if I remember correctly, do an excellent job and once you get to Eynsham you can disappear into the lanes. The area is quite sparsely populated, and also very flat, and perhaps it's lacking a bit in adventure.

With that in mind, had you thought of crossing the river lower down, at Goring, and taking the Ridgeway Path as far as Uffington or Wayland's Smithy? From there you can easily work back up to the Thames either below or above Lechlade. It seems that cyclists are welcome on that section of the Ridgeway. In the mid 1970s, when I was starting to take on moderately adventurous rides on a heavy 3-speed town bike, the Ridgeway often featured in my routes, and I'd hurtle down steep, deeply rutted and flint-strewn descents pretending to be Franz Klammer. I never came seriously unstuck, but when I treated myself to a road bike I abandoned off-road almost completely. Happy memories. A picture from a ride last September, close to the Ridgeway looking towards Wantage.

 

[iaindp]

Thanks Aravis,

I'm ultimately heading to Rodborough but yes a ride down through Kemble would be perfect. Love,y part of the world.

I also quite fancy a ride along the Windrush as Tigerbitten suggested if I'm able to incorporate that. Good to know though that I can lose some of the traffic around Eynsham...would that mean that not cycling through Burford and Bibury as would be nice to get one or both in.

I don't really have a hard and fast route. I'll be leaving home in Elstree, Herts and heading to Rodborough to pop in on family!

I need to gave a good old study of the map to work out an exact route. Following the Thames seemed logical but not necessarily wedded to that idea, so thanks for all suggestions - some of them have prompted ideas that hadn't crossed my mind and will make it into the final route!

 

[srw]

That's proper south Herts!

As @mjr says, I led a ride from Amersham to Oxford last year - it's a route I like, and is here:

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/amersham-tob-oxford-36-miles-sat-9th-sept.222666/

To get to Amersham from Elstree, I'd go to Watford, then pick up the Ebury trail (packed sand) to Rickmansworth before going straight up the A404.

Somewhere I have a route from Oxford to Gloucester if that would be useful. I don't know anything about campsites, so you might want to avoid Oxford and go via Bicester or Abingdon instead.

 

[Tigerbiten]

The C&CC campsite is at the southern edge of Oxford near the A34/ring road junction. You go in next to Go Outdoors.
I always try and find/stop at the Camping and Caravan Club main sites as they are a know quality while a cheap price for bikepackers.

I find campsites three ways.
First is to use the OS map in Bikehike to show where campsites may be while plotting a route. Then go to Google maps to see if it has a web site for more info.
Second do a search on Google maps for campsites, very handy to do once you know approximately where you'll end the days ride then just tweak the route to end there.
Third is to use a site like ukcampsites to get an overview of what's in an area.

Luck .........

 

[iaindp]

Thanks srw - I'm glad i asked now as there are some suggestions for routes that I'd never have come across. Never even heard of the Ebury trail!

Wheels for the trip will be a pre 60's Carlton. About time she had a good run out..

 

[Richard Fairhurst]

Witney-Burford-Northleach along the Windrush valley is a really lovely ride - quiet lanes and not too hilly.

Oxford-Witney is pretty uninspiring: the cycle path alongside the A40 is the best bet. Unfortunately there aren't any decent crossings of the Thames upstream of Oxford until you get to Tadpole Bridge near Bampton, which limits route options. (Unless you count Duxford Ford, which is fun but maybe not in this weather!)

In general, does anybody know of any journey planner type sites that I might be able to use to plot the full route?

I'm 100% biased because it's my site, but cycle.travel will find you a nice route, and it can show campsites too (once you've planned the route, click 'Find accommodation', then change the menu from 'Hotels' to 'Camping'). Its default suggestion for Elstree to Rodborough looks good enough - certainly in the Oxfordshire/Gloucestershire area (I don't really know the Chilterns) - but I think I'd probably drag it through New Yatt, just north of Witney, so that it goes via the Windrush valley rather than Carterton.

 

[iaindp]

Mhmm. Rerouting,,,thanks Richard, sounds great

 

[iaindp]

Richard, should I be able to drag the suggested route, to the one that I actually want to take? So as an example, drag the route from NCR57 to head to New Yatt and the Windrush valley as you suggest? I'm attempting to do this on an iPad with no luck. Should I revert back to the PC?

Cheers
Iain