escape and return - from Reading

[gbs]

Next Tuesday we will arrive by train at Reading and want to go Northwestwards to Peasmore and return from the Southwest following the A4 Bath Rd or the K&A path NCR4.

This is totally new ground to me so any local knowledge/tips will be helpful:

• Fox at Peasemore looks good for lunch
• the NCR4 and rideability on road tyres. I imagine it will be dry and so should be manageable.

 

[PK99]

Next Tuesday we will arrive by train at Reading and want to go Northwestwards to Peasmore and return from the Southwest following the A4 Bath Rd or the K&A path NCR4.

This is totally new ground to me so any local knowledge/tips will be helpful:

• Fox at Peasemore looks good for lunch
• the NCR4 and rideability on road tyres. I imagine it will be dry and so should be manageable.

Lots of the K&A path is not suitable for road bikes. The immediate stretch into Reading is fine, but there are earlier stretches that are across rough fields. I can't recall how close some of those are to reading. Even the stretch close to reading has some loose/ large gravel sections.

 

[Brandane]

My memory of trying to do the K&A path is fading a bit as it was over 3 years ago and I am not familiar with the geography of the area, however:
This was my most disappointing venture on a bike ever, bar none. I set out to cycle London to Bristol but gave up at Hungerford. The cycle "path" west of Reading slowly deteriorates to a rut through fields. Add in frequent gates which involve having to remove panniers to negotiate and you begin to get the picture.
I met some other cyclists doing the same route in the other direction and asked them if I could expect things to improve further west. Their information did not encourage me to continue so I got a train back to London. I was riding a Tricross with 32mm width tyres!

 

[gbs]

Thanks for the comments. That is enough for me - the road bike will stay on the road.