In a couple of weeks is this year’s Rufty Tufty Mountain Biking Weekend, where a group of old friends for a weekend of camping and riding bikes.

The itinerary is generally thus:

– Friday afternoon; arrive, eat crisps, drink beer, go to pub.
– Saturday; eat bacon sandwiches, eat more bacon sandwiches, all-day ish ride, drink beer, eat crisps, go to pub.
– Sunday; eat bacon sandwiches, eat more bacon sandwiches, short-ish ride, eat crisps, go home.

This year we’re off to Corfe Castle, so ideas are needed for Saturday’s ride, which should ideally be the kind of old-fashioned XC type countryside bumbling that everyone did back in the day (before the trails starting coming alive).

The STW archives have this, which looks like just the kind of thing, so

– would it indeed be just the thing, and if so, which way round is better?
– if it could be improved, how would that be done?

Ta.

Dorset Gravel Dash route takes you right around the Purbecks – you’ll probably find a .gpx online

Gravel dash seems to be 100 miles, which is about 70 miles longer than I was thinking…

dovebiker only meant part of the Gravel Dash went around the Purbecks. You’d have to duplicate a hell of a lot to get a 100 miles there!
Your route looks pretty good to me. Don’t forget the Square and Compass in Worth Maltravers. Rated by some to be the best pub in the world.

Cheers Jobro. I assume doing the route clockwise from Corfe Castle is best, so not too long to get back to the start after a few ‘refreshments’ at the Square and Compass?

Yep, clockwise is good. I’ve done it a few times on various unsuitable bikes. The Square and Compass is not to be missed. The fish and chips in the blue chip shop in Swanage are ace…..enjoy.

That STW route is a good one – do that!

DrP

Wicked, cheers all.

+1 for the STW route being a good one taking in most of the best bits.

Square and Compass is the best pub and the chips in Swanage are brilliant, but I tend to go anti-clockwise (usually start in Worth Matravers), because the Priest’s Way is better downhill, and i reckon it’s more fun to descend towards Old Harry and then Studland. You could always stop at the Bankes Arms pub in Studland with it’s brilliant views, then it’s heathland/forest ride back to Corfe. You could probably still stop for a pint at the square and compass, as the climb up Swyre head is fairly long.

Either way it’s a good way to spend a day!

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/trails-around-bournemouth-area

I have the GPX if you want it.

I am not sure it will satisfy your all-day ride criteria though, it took me 2h20m. I guess if you included lunch in a pub it may be OK!

Which way round did you do it eskay? GPX might be useful ta, if you could mail it to me that would be great (address in profile).

And by all day, I’m talking start at about half ten with phasers set to pootle, finish about half three, including faffage/beer/mechanicals/talking bollocks, so I reckon 50km is about right 🙂

I rode it clockwise. Started at Corfe Castle visitor’s car park (free if you are a National Trust member). The car park is not very big and gets busy as the day goes on. I then rode out towards the ferry road, then right towards Knoll beach, Harry Rock etc.

I’ll email the GPX.

I would work out your route pending on wind direction good descents but waste of time against the wind also same with climbing worth coming out of Corfe up past the railway station then cycle up past mobile mast and ride along hill ridge then drop down to Studland road then along to BW up to obelisk a bugger of a short sharp climb then lovely ride down to Old Harrys then go over to Aggelstone rock then into the woods there nice area.

Soooo, it was this weekend.

We ended up doing it anti clockwise from Corfe, tweaking the STW route a bit to get more off road stuff (there’s a lot of road on that route otherwise).

Anyway, it was brill 🙂