Fosse Way - Grittleton/Crudwell - Whats it like ? Nicest alternative road route?

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Trying to help a friend with route planning (tour of a few days, via Bath to Cirencester area).

On various route planners, we keep getting the route suggestion for Grittleton/Crudwell bit of the Fosse Way as the best route.
I presume this is some kind of rough old bridleway in modern times, ignoring any fleeting sight of marching Roman ghosts.

- What is the surface like, season dependent?
- Suitable for MTBs only?
- Plagued with gates and fields of animals you have to pass through (cow/horse phobic) ?
- Would this route work with panniers?
- Would a woman feel safe riding it alone, many people use this bit of Fosse?
- Is it a fun route worth the effort?

A nice alternative road route to avoid this bit of Fosse Way, from people who actually know the area?


Thanks lots for any info.
 
I have ridden a bit of Fosse Way bridleway in that area, to avoid a chunk of main-ish road - but I was going East-West, so possibly for different reason. Can you post the actual bridleway section of interest? (Crudwell-to-Grittleton is 11 miles!)
 

Solocle

Über Member
Location
Poole
Trying to help a friend with route planning (tour of a few days, via Bath to Cirencester area).

On various route planners, we keep getting the route suggestion for Grittleton/Crudwell bit of the Fosse Way as the best route.
I presume this is some kind of rough old bridleway in modern times, ignoring any fleeting sight of marching Roman ghosts.

- What is the surface like, season dependent?
- Suitable for MTBs only?
- Plagued with gates and fields of animals you have to pass through (cow/horse phobic) ?
- Would this route work with panniers?
- Would a woman feel safe riding it alone, many people use this bit of Fosse?
- Is it a fun route worth the effort?

A nice alternative road route to avoid this bit of Fosse Way, from people who actually know the area?


Thanks lots for any info.
It's a bit far north for me to know it, but I do have a plan to ride the entire Fosse Way as faithfully as possible at "some point".

As I understand it, that section is going to be some quiet roads, some bridleways. I doubt that it's heavily used - I'd be surprised if you saw more than one or two other people on the bridleway sections.
Google Maps Sample

As for surfacing, again it looks more like a gravel road than a standard bridleway - which makes sense, being a Roman road. So I suspect that it would work on a bike with nice touring tyres and panniers - but again, defer to local knowledge.

For alternative routes, the Fosse looks best between those two points, as you're sandwiched between two primary routes - but again, without knowing the bigger picture, it's pretty much impossible to say.
 
Trying to help a friend with route planning (tour of a few days, via Bath to Cirencester area).

On various route planners, we keep getting the route suggestion for Grittleton/Crudwell bit of the Fosse Way as the best route.
I presume this is some kind of rough old bridleway in modern times, ignoring any fleeting sight of marching Roman ghosts.

Are you talking about the stretch of Fosse Way which runs from approx the southern boundary of the Cotswold Airport in a southwesterly direction, crossing the B4014 at ST 91500 90929 then the B4040 at ST 89325 87649 and thence to the M4 underpass, near Grittleton?

If so, I have ridden the entire length of it - and further - a few years ago, but on a pony not a bike. On Jack it was disappointing in a way - I'd've done better to have harnessed him to his cart - so that will tell you that it is a byway not an actual bridleway. In fact it is designated as a Byway Open To All Traffic, and much of it was what I would call semi- or roughly tarmacked, although it was breaking up in places. There were a few muddy spots, mostly carried on to the Fosse Way by 4WDs I think (see later) - but it had been a very wet spring - and a couple of large puddles which Jack objected to by tiptoeing round the edges (don't blame him - who know what dragons and seasnakes were in that muddy water!) and there were IIRC two fords, both of which had footbridges. At some of the spots where the Fosse Way intersected with minor roads, there was considerable fly-tipping, pretty hideous stuff really, mattress springs all over the pathway and the like - but those were isolated, and I got the impression that they were cleared up pretty quickly as it clearly wasn't very old junk - and some of the actual real bridleways (not Byways) which intersected with the Fosse Way looked as if they'd been (illegally) heavily used by 4WDs; at those points I was very glad for the relentless tarmac and gravelly bits under Jack's hooves! The worst parts of the Fosse Way were what I'd call farm-track surface, and the best parts were smooth tarmac.

As a bike route I think a decent hybrid/tourer would be fine especially after a dry spell. Not smooth riding, and be prepared for some discomfort/gravel/potholes. Widthwise there's absolutely no issue with panniers - it's plenty wide enough for a (small) horse-drawn vehicle. I don't remember any gates or open fields; the whole route was either fenced or hedged, and often ditched, too. As I said it was actually a disappointment to me on a horse as I never once got out of a trot and I'd been hoping for a few good gallops; my mistake in route finding as on the way back by a different route there were plenty. There will be horse riders using it of course - but not many, as we usually prefer to keep off tarmac for a host of reasons including the health and wellbeing of the horse - so if the cyclist is really horse-phobic I don't know what to suggest as the quiet roads round there will have horse riders using them too, at similar or greater rates, in order to reach 'proper' bridleways … Someone who is horse-phobic had better keep to the busy roads perhaps.

I did a lot of riding (horse) in that area a few years ago. It's nice, but not as nice as Herefordshire and Shropshire!
Hope that helps.
 
Can you post the actual bridleway section of interest?
As for surfacing, again it looks more like a gravel road than a standard bridleway - which makes sense, being a Roman road. So I suspect that it would work on a bike with nice touring tyres and panniers - but again, defer to local knowledge.

For alternative routes, the Fosse looks best between those two points, as you're sandwiched between two primary routes - but again, without knowing the bigger picture, it's pretty much impossible to say.
Are you talking about the stretch of Fosse Way which runs from approx the southern boundary of the Cotswold Airport in a southwesterly direction, crossing the B4014 at ST 91500 90929 then the B4040 at ST 89325 87649 and thence to the M4 underpass, near Grittleton?

Hi folks, thanks all for the very helpful replies. I would have got back sooner but I had to go out and I have no smart phone.

I am fairly new at bike route mapping sites and also pretty new to CycleChat, so my best way of describing the route is to say on
www.cyclestreets.net
(no need to join or anything)
type into the route planner
'Grittleton' to 'Cirencester'
one of the routes offered has a long straight line which is the section I mentioned. It ends just above and a bit beyond Crudwell. If I do the search on https://cycle.travel/map it only seems to do the route partly up the same straight line before coming off onto a road.
 
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If so, I have ridden the entire length of it - and further - a few years ago, but on a pony not a bike. On Jack it was disappointing in a way - I'd've done better to have harnessed him to his cart - so that will tell you that it is a byway not an actual bridleway.

You have an interesting life with your pony :-) I enjoyed your post.
My Aunt and Uncle used to have a dog which hated puddles, he came to them as a rescue dog. Right from the first day, if they walked him (a German Shepherd) he would push them to one side to avoid stepping in any puddle himself. They were very amused and from then on his new name was 'Tidy', which suited his clean disposition very well. A nice dog. He would have got on well with your pony.

Re horse phobic, she likes horses provided there is some kind of fence between, or there is a rider/handler and some space to get by. She had a not very fun experience with a loose horse in the past - knocked down and bitten.
 
I use OS maps which is why I put the grid references in; with the grid references you can go to the exact spots. However, the 'long straight line' you describe is indeed the Fosse Way; if you look on an OS map you will see there is a minor road southwest of the airfield (and railway station) at Kemble. This road runs between the A433 and A429, through a village called Culkerton, and is where the Fosse Way starts/ends southwest of Cirencester. Long straight roads across the countryside are typically Roman in origin. For Cirencester to the commencement of the Fosse Way, I have no idea what the route's like. The Fosse Way itself is, for much of its route in that area, a Byway Open To All Traffic and is at a minimum of farm track standard (potholes and puddles) and in some stretches much better.

In all cases, if going off the actual road network and using PROWs (public rights of way) to get from A to B, it's well worth double checking any route provided to you on an OS map anyway - none of the other mapping apps have the same degree of detail as OS maps. Some will ignore Byways and Public Bridleways, some will try and route a cyclist along a Public Footpath, and some will try to send a cyclist along a track which, while it might appear on the satellite view to be a 'through way', is actually a private road of some sort and carries no legal right of access at all. Hence, discrepancies of the sort you describe between two mapping apps are best clarified against the OS map of the area. You can usually get paper OS maps in your local library, which should be good enough to give you a general idea of the status of the routes you're being directed along. Alternatively there are various websites which use OS maps for various purposes - but (for free) only in tiny bits so you can't draw a route out on screen. Still useful for checking the details, though.
 
You have an interesting life with your pony :-) I enjoyed your post.
My Aunt and Uncle used to have a dog which hated puddles, he came to them as a rescue dog. Right from the first day, if they walked him (a German Shepherd) he would push them to one side to avoid stepping in any puddle himself. They were very amused and from then on his new name was 'Tidy', which suited his clean disposition very well. A nice dog. He would have got on well with your pony.

Re horse phobic, she likes horses provided there is some kind of fence between, or there is a rider/handler and some space to get by. She had a not very fun experience with a loose horse in the past - knocked down and bitten.

Oh there won't be any loose horses on the Fosse Way - it's pretty well enclosed in that area, and it's a vehicle's width wide. Jack didn't mind getting his feet wet - he went through the fords like a champ. Just the big puddles. I think it was the stillness and muddiness of the water. He wasn't going to jump the puddle - he wasn't a jumper - and anyway I wouldn't have let him on the hard surface. So he picked his way round them. He'd have gone through them if I'd've made him but tiptoeing round them wasn't a problem, no traffic to worry about anyway! And he'd've sulked afterwards; no point having someone who's your only company all day long in a sulk with you! He was a great character and we had many adventures together over the years. Unfortunately he had to go to the great green meadows in the sky just a couple of years after that when he developed an internal melanoma (common in grey horses as they age).
 
I use OS maps which is why I put the grid references in; with the grid references you can go to the exact spots.

I never even thought of this (feels a bit dim!). I might have a map that covers the right spot if I dig about the map pile (feels more dim!). Thanks for the wise advice. Its also nice to know I am not the only one posting this late :-)

I grew up adjacent to the Roman road running from Sea Mills to Gloucestershire but only discovered its existance a few years ago as its not marked on most maps. Unsure if its a more recent discovery or just was not considered of equal value to such as the Fosse Way. Its mostly under the A38 now I think, so maybe no visible remains makes it a bit dull to historians etc.

I actually found this mapping site for property reasons a while back. If you enjoy maps you may like this site, or may already know of it,
https://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap...4983:260935&useDefaultbackgroundMapping=false

Its the UK Government DEFRA land map. If you explore the panel on the left all sorts of interesting historic sites and land designations can be found and you can zoom in to the level of house numbers being noted if in a built up area.

Have a good sleep. :hello:
 
And he'd've sulked afterwards; no point having someone who's your only company all day long in a sulk with you! He was a great character and we had many adventures together over the years. Unfortunately he had to go to the great green meadows in the sky just a couple of years after that when he developed an internal melanoma (common in grey horses as they age).

I am so very sorry about your horse. I have lost animal friends to cancer too and its awful.

He sounds a sensible horse, wise not to step into unknown depths of water. I only have (limited) experience of 1 pony and he would be furious for literally hours if he felt some other animal was put ahead of him at feeding time. He had a sense of humour too, stealing things and clearly amused at people if they tried to retrieve them as he would run off holding the item, then turn and quite clearly was laughing at the human antics.
 
Hi folks, thanks all for the very helpful replies. I would have got back sooner but I had to go out and I have no smart phone.

I am fairly new at bike route mapping sites and also pretty new to CycleChat, so my best way of describing the route is to say on
www.cyclestreets.net
(no need to join or anything)
type into the route planner
'Grittleton' to 'Cirencester'
one of the routes offered has a long straight line which is the section I mentioned. It ends just above and a bit beyond Crudwell. If I do the search on https://cycle.travel/map it only seems to do the route partly up the same straight line before coming off onto a road.

cycle.travel generally prefers a quiet country lane to an unsurfaced track so won't route you up the Fosse by default. But you can drag the line onto the unsurfaced bits of the Fosse to make it go that way.

The reason you might want to do that is that you can then look at photos. Click the bit you're interested in, and then select "Find photos" in the popup. You'll get pictures of the route (from the excellent Geograph project) which will help in deciding how cyclable it is.

In all cases, if going off the actual road network and using PROWs (public rights of way) to get from A to B, it's well worth double checking any route provided to you on an OS map anyway - none of the other mapping apps have the same degree of detail as OS maps.

This is true as far as PRoWs are concerned, but it's worth noting that the converse applies - OS maps are very good on PRoWs but frequently don't have permissive routes marked, and obviously an OS map has no indication of the surface you'll find. Using multiple sources is definitely the way to go. Or just go out and ride it anyway. :smile:
 
The reason you might want to do that is that you can then look at photos. Click the bit you're interested in, and then select "Find photos" in the popup. You'll get pictures of the route (from the excellent Geograph project) which will help in deciding how cyclable it is.
Ooh, clever.
(I really must get round to getting to grips with cycle.travel properly ... )
 
cycle.travel generally prefers a quiet country lane to an unsurfaced track so won't route you up the Fosse by default. But you can drag the line onto the unsurfaced bits of the Fosse to make it go that way.

The reason you might want to do that is that you can then look at photos. Click the bit you're interested in, and then select "Find photos" in the popup. You'll get pictures of the route (from the excellent Geograph project) which will help in deciding how cyclable it is.



This is true as far as PRoWs are concerned, but it's worth noting that the converse applies - OS maps are very good on PRoWs but frequently don't have permissive routes marked, and obviously an OS map has no indication of the surface you'll find. Using multiple sources is definitely the way to go. Or just go out and ride it anyway. :smile:

There are quite a few permissive paths on some OS maps but it seems to 'depend', and I agree that multiple sources is the best - and really, only - way to go. When Sustrans first started to attract attention in the closing days of the last century or thereabouts, we long-distance horseriders thought it was great - but were soon disabused of that idea when they started putting in barriers, tarmac and concrete on perfectly good, well-drained sandy, gravelly or grassy bridleways - so satellite images and the like became very important as soon as they became available.
When I was doing a lot of travel by Jack, I found that the most recent definitive maps and any current orders, comments, and 'problems' were the way to go for my final journey checking, if I had any doubts at all - they're usually available online at county highways departments and the like. Of course on a bike if you come to something impassable you can at a pinch take it to bits and lift it over, get a taxi or a bus or even hitch a lift. Not so easy with a large animal!
 

Solocle

Über Member
Location
Poole
There are quite a few permissive paths on some OS maps but it seems to 'depend', and I agree that multiple sources is the best - and really, only - way to go. When Sustrans first started to attract attention in the closing days of the last century or thereabouts, we long-distance horseriders thought it was great - but were soon disabused of that idea when they started putting in barriers, tarmac and concrete on perfectly good, well-drained sandy, gravelly or grassy bridleways - so satellite images and the like became very important as soon as they became available.
When I was doing a lot of travel by Jack, I found that the most recent definitive maps and any current orders, comments, and 'problems' were the way to go for my final journey checking, if I had any doubts at all - they're usually available online at county highways departments and the like. Of course on a bike if you come to something impassable you can at a pinch take it to bits and lift it over, get a taxi or a bus or even hitch a lift. Not so easy with a large animal!
The definitive map is quite useful, especially for Veloviewer tiling...
1620819901607.png

That said, with e.g. NCN routes, surface is almost the opposite issue. You don't know when a nice stretch of tarmac is going to turn into knarly gravel - at least they're removing some of the gates!

I don't have much experience with bound rubber crumb, but it sounds like it might be a surface that works for all.
 
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