Riding from Severn Bridge to London

[Curlybars1972]

Hi
I'm now a member of a new cycle club, Welsh Valleys Cycles, and we are riding the above for charity in August this year.
I've been given the route planning job.... Looked at a few on line suggestions, but I'd rather the advice from "the horses mouth" regarding routes
Any suggestions

 

[Welsh wheels]

Hi
I'm now a member of a new cycle club, Welsh Valleys Cycles, and we are riding the above for charity in August this year.
I've been given the route planning job.... Looked at a few on line suggestions, but I'd rather the advice from "the horses mouth" regarding routes
Any suggestions

Avoid the M4.....I'm afraid I don't have any serious route planning advice about the wrong side of the border but good luck to you all though!

 

[Curlybars1972]

Avoid the M4.....I'm afraid I don't have any serious route planning advice about the wrong side of the border but good luck to you all though!

I think we'll use cycle routes through Bristol and Bath and A4 onto London cycle super Highway

 

[booze and cake]

I've ridden from London to Bristol and back a few times, and though I have done the A4 as its more direct, its not a route I'd recommend as its a fast road with heavy traffic.

I don't have a satnav but plotted a good route in 2016 from London to Bristol that could be used in reverse. It was by far the best route out of London I'd done, but 85 miles in I realised I'd lost my hand written directions and so reverted to the A4 as I knew that took me the rest of the way. So you could take the first 85 miles of this ride, and then plot an A4 avoiding route, maybe through Burbage, Pewsey and Devizes to Bath, and then as you say when you get to Bristol you can use the old railway line cycle route to Bath. Might be something to look at to start with. Good luck.

View: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/9867045

 

[Curlybars1972]

Cheers .... Some real good pointers here... Appreciated

 

[Curlybars1972]

[QUOTE 5215624, member: 45"]How slow do you want to go? The cycle path between the bridge and Shirehampton is traffic free and quality, but you won't be able to get any speed up on it.[/QUOTE]
I'm looking at an average of 18/20 kph. We need to make Newbury on day 1 for overnight accommodation, then onto the city on the Sunday

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I would head for Malmesbury, then you have a fairly flat run to Swindon. I would then head for Lambourn and thence onto Newbury.

 

[Aravis]

Unless you have a particular reason for wanting to go via Bristol and Bath, that doesn't look like an attractive option.

After crossing the Severn Bridge, if you keep the motorway (M48 initially, then M4) on your right, you can quickly be up into the Cotswolds. I think the main road from Chipping Sodbury is probably the easiest ascent, but that means passing through Yate. There are other options but they'll mean a stiffer climb.

Once into the Cotswolds the countryside opens up and there are many excellent roads which will take you where you want to go. You can pass Swindon either to the north or south. My preference would be to bend round to the north, aiming for the village of Ashbury, from where you can ride the full length of the Lambourn valley to Newbury - a personal favourite.

Alternatively, after the climb out of Chipping Sodbury you could head for Chippenham via Castle Combe and pick up the A4 from there. During the 1980s I used to ride along the A4 a lot. Much of it is so wide that bikes and motor vehicles barely trouble each other, and with the M4 running in parallel it was never too busy. I doubt it's physically changed, but maybe the traffic's heavier nowadays. A lot of the A4 is very pretty, especially between Calne and Hungerford, and there's just one stiff climb, immediately after Marlborough.

Beyond Newbury any knowledge I may once have had will be totally out of date.

 

[Curlybars1972]

Unless you have a particular reason for wanting to go via Bristol and Bath, that doesn't look like an attractive option.

After crossing the Severn Bridge, if you keep the motorway (M48 initially, then M4) on your right, you can quickly be up into the Cotswolds. I think the main road from Chipping Sodbury is probably the easiest ascent, but that means passing through Yate. There are other options but they'll mean a stiffer climb.

Once into the Cotswolds the countryside opens up and there are many excellent roads which will take you where you want to go. You can pass Swindon either to the north or south. My preference would be to bend round to the north, aiming for the village of Ashbury, from where you can ride the full length of the Lambourn valley to Newbury - a personal favourite.

Alternatively, after the climb out of Chipping Sodbury you could head for Chippenham via Castle Combe and pick up the A4 from there. During the 1980s I used to ride along the A4 a lot. Much of it is so wide that bikes and motor vehicles barely trouble each other, and with the M4 running in parallel it was never too busy. I doubt it's physically changed, but maybe the traffic's heavier nowadays. A lot of the A4 is very pretty, especially between Calne and Hungerford, and there's just one stiff climb, immediately after Marlborough.

Beyond Newbury any knowledge I may once have had will be totally out of date.

 

[Curlybars1972]

Got the large scale atlas out last night, and day one is now inked in...
Severn bdg, Thornbury Iron Action, Sodbury, Castle Coombe then on to Chippenham and A4 to our 1st night stop in Newbury
Thanks for all ur suggestions ... Very much appreciated!

 

[Curlybars1972]

Unless you have a particular reason for wanting to go via Bristol and Bath, that doesn't look like an attractive option.

After crossing the Severn Bridge, if you keep the motorway (M48 initially, then M4) on your right, you can quickly be up into the Cotswolds. I think the main road from Chipping Sodbury is probably the easiest ascent, but that means passing through Yate. There are other options but they'll mean a stiffer climb.

Once into the Cotswolds the countryside opens up and there are many excellent roads which will take you where you want to go. You can pass Swindon either to the north or south. My preference would be to bend round to the north, aiming for the village of Ashbury, from where you can ride the full length of the Lambourn valley to Newbury - a personal favourite.

Alternatively, after the climb out of Chipping Sodbury you could head for Chippenham via Castle Combe and pick up the A4 from there. During the 1980s I used to ride along the A4 a lot. Much of it is so wide that bikes and motor vehicles barely trouble each other, and with the M4 running in parallel it was never too busy. I doubt it's physically changed, but maybe the traffic's heavier nowadays. A lot of the A4 is very pretty, especially between Calne and Hungerford, and there's just one stiff climb, immediately after Marlborough.

Beyond Newbury any knowledge I may once have had will be totally out of date.

Fantastic advice.... On which I've based my route!

 

[srw]

I'd get the train from Newbury...

Unless you've got a really good reason for riding into London, don't. It will be a frustrating last couple of hours in busy traffic. If you have to ride all the way, I've used the Uxbridge road a couple of times. It is roughly the right direction and has a bike path for the most egregiously busy bits.

 

[Curlybars1972]

I'd get the train from Newbury...

Unless you've got a really good reason for riding into London, don't. It will be a frustrating last couple of hours in busy traffic. If you have to ride all the way, I've used the Uxbridge road a couple of times. It is roughly the right direction and has a bike path for the most egregiously busy bits.

 

[Curlybars1972]

I take your point, but it's part of the charity promise...Guess I'll use the CSH network in the capital