You pass terrific cathedrals and also prehistoric barrows, castles, medieval farms and also the remnants of second world battle protections. You cycle throughout sandy heathland, via sunken tree-lined lanes, along milky paths as well as on verdant open plains.
Some areas include a caution: keep an eye out for the containers on Salisbury Plain, as well as you may have to leave your bike and push through sloppy spots.
Many of the path is fascinating: picture-postcard villages with old churches, orchid-dotted downland, hills with white horses etched right into the grass. As well as a coffee shop or pub about almost every edge.
The charity Cycling UK introduced a treat on Friday, a brand-new 220-mile route called King Alfred’s Method. It officially starts and also ends at the statue of the 9th-century king of Wessex in Winchester, as well as circles through components of Hampshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire and also Surrey.
“We’re very excited concerning it,” stated Sophie Gordon, a campaigns officer for Biking UK, and one of the really couple of individuals to have test-ridden the route. “It’s truly varied. My preconception of the path was that it would certainly have been rolling areas via eco-friendly and also positive land. There’s lots of that yet it also goes via timberland, heathland, next to rivers. There is a big total up to take in. You feel like you’re cycling through 10,000 miles of background.”
Gordon and her friends rode the course over four days. Some will linger longer, while endurance types will attempt to do it in 24 hr. Gordon recommended an affordable level of physical fitness would certainly be required as well as a suitable bike recommended– a crushed rock bike would be the suitable in the summer season. Some components feel adventurous. Gordon and also her celebration needed to cross a superficial ford because a footbridge was obstructed.