King Alfred's Way

[Pikey]

This from the guide sounds alarming, don't quite understand, for surely they wouldn't be promoting the route if the Salisbury plain bit was as alarming as this makes it sound? One thing to have a todo with a distracted driver, quite another with a speeding tank.

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The route passes through some areas of land owned by the Ministry of Defence where there may be military training exercises going on, so make sure you pay attention to any warning signs, stick to the main route rather than wandering off and don’t touch any ‘interesting’ objects lying around. Salisbury Plain is a live firing range with very real dangers, so you should never cut across it if the red flags are flying. Even when the flags are down, you need to be vigilant for 75-tonne Challenger tanks travelling at up to 60km/h with very limited crew vision as well as other, even faster vehicles.

Wise words there, no end of numpties picking objects up, wrecking their 4x4s and getting their dirt bikes seized up there since lockdown began.
One of my fave routes goes along the public access track, I’ve pulled off to the side a couple of times to make way for a convoy of warrior AFVs.
The last time I saw them, the lead vehicle did the equivalent of a stoppy when they saw me well off to the side on a grassy bank, must have hit the emergency brake, looked like the thing was going to upend itself.

 

[Pikey]

I showed the mrs the route for this King Alfred way the other day. She came back with “yep, I’ll tour that with you when you’ve built me that mtb next year...”

 

[Blue Hills]

I showed the mrs the route for this King Alfred way the other day. She came back with “yep, I’ll tour that with you when you’ve built me that mtb next year...”

go alone.
i fancy doing it on my 26inch exped bike.

 

[Bollo]

Wise words there, no end of numpties picking objects up, wrecking their 4x4s and getting their dirt bikes seized up there since lockdown began.
One of my fave routes goes along the public access track, I’ve pulled off to the side a couple of times to make way for a convoy of warrior AFVs.
The last time I saw them, the lead vehicle did the equivalent of a stoppy when they saw me well off to the side on a grassy bank, must have hit the emergency brake, looked like the thing was going to upend itself.

One of my routes to Smallsbury 😉 goes along the public road through the Porton Down site. Its not especially pretty but it is interesting. Stopping is not encouraged.

 

[figbat]

First I'd heard about it. Doesn't go through Wantage, which was his birth place, or so they claim. Living in Reading I'd be interested to cycle around it, but I think all the hostels are still closed, and I am not sure I want to drag a tent along.

Correction: I see it goes past Wantage. There was a private hostel at the top of the hill just south of Wantage. I don't know what its status is now. It looks like it goes by Streatley, where there's a youth hostel. I see there's a hostel near Devizes and on near Salisbury.

It goes nearest Wantage as the Ridgeway crosses the A338 but it seems a shame that King Alfred’s Way goes so near his supposed birthplace, where there is a prominent statue to him, and doesn’t actually go there.

There is this place to stay just off the Ridgeway at Court Hill, plus the YHA in Streatley.

The Ridgeway from Uffington to the east gets near-on impassable after lots of rain, so plan accordingly. There is one particular climb I have had to get off and push due to the clay muddy ruts making traction impossible and clagging up everything, and even pushing was tricky. A section of polished chalk a bit further east becomes like ice with any rain. I don’t ride this section of Ridgeway through the late autumn to early spring.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Lots of stuff on the route in today's Cycling UK email. https://www.cyclinguk.org/king-alfreds-way

And appropriate bike advice here: https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/what-bike-best-king-alfreds-way-and-other-questions

 

[Trickedem]

It does look a lovely route (that goes very close to Casa Bollo) although it’s just making use of existing facilities.

I don’t ride off road but certainly know the terrain between Winchester to Salisbury westwards and the A3 to the east. You could certainly roadify the Winchester-Salisbury section along the old Sarum Road if you wanted to make progress and not miss much in the way of scenary.

I did this on my recent tour. Very quiet roads and beautiful scenery.

 

[Cathryn]

please add details of your tea stop.

Give me a shout when you get to Avebury

 

[Cathryn]

This from the guide sounds alarming, don't quite understand, for surely they wouldn't be promoting the route if the Salisbury plain bit was as alarming as this makes it sound? One thing to have a todo with a distracted driver, quite another with a speeding tank.

@@
The route passes through some areas of land owned by the Ministry of Defence where there may be military training exercises going on, so make sure you pay attention to any warning signs, stick to the main route rather than wandering off and don’t touch any ‘interesting’ objects lying around. Salisbury Plain is a live firing range with very real dangers, so you should never cut across it if the red flags are flying. Even when the flags are down, you need to be vigilant for 75-tonne Challenger tanks travelling at up to 60km/h with very limited crew vision as well as other, even faster vehicles.

It's all true - locals are pretty adept at looking at flags and sticking to the gravel roads.

 

[Blue Hills]

Give me a shout when you get to Avebury

may take you up on that - i have a vague plan to do it soon before it gets spoiled - maybe late september/early october, mainly freecamping.

 

[Blue Hills]

It's all true - locals are pretty adept at looking at flags and sticking to the gravel roads.

yebbut what alarmed me is the bit where it seemed to say that even when you are allowed through, tanks may be crossing at speed driven by folks who don't have ideal vision.

 

[itboffin]

I’m also in Marlborough, Windshire I’ve ridden most if not all of this route many times and although the A338 is a bad road there are plenty of smaller parallel side roads or trails it’s easy to ride this loop on or off road or mix both

 

[slowridr]

yebbut what alarmed me is the bit where it seemed to say that even when you are allowed through, tanks may be crossing at speed driven by folks who don't have ideal vision.

If a tank is heading your way, you'll know about it. They don't exactly creep up on you

The Plain is criss-crossed by lots of public rights of way - footpaths, bridleways, BOATs - but before planning a trip across it's always worth checking the firing times https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/salisbury-plain-training-area-spta-firing-times and keeping an eye on the SPTA newsletter to see what's going on: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/salisbury-plain-training-area-spta-newsletter

 

[steveindenmark]

There is a Facebook page for this route and the ride is getting excellent reviews. As is the paper guide. If you can get one. They sold like hot cakes 😊

 

[Blue Hills]

Just a pity it was launched so late in the year, daylight starting to fade, one for next year I think before the hordes descend.