@Daft and @Si look forward to it, I should have a bike friendly car by May.

Gravel – yup ran into that a bit North of Bishops Waltham this week. Horrible tar too.

@cg sent you an email re Imber, thinking of Friday or possibly Saturday

Well I’ve had a delivery… if I can get going early enough on the knives tomorrow I may be able to get time to re build the Stanton! Excited!!!

Hi All,

Recently moved to Andover. Hoping to find some local xc loops for mid week riding. Anyone out there now of a weekly ride I could tag on too?

Thanks
Rob

robatpopeswoods – the following offers some Hampshire routes, unfortunately it seems to be down currently. 🙁 Where it says map layers scroll down to ‘off road cycle routes’:

http://localviewmaps.hants.gov.uk/LocalViewmaps/Sites/ROWOnline/#

@jambalaya – reply sent. 🙂

The build has started….

Go daftvader!

How’s mini-White, Si?

Bloody marvellous – just keeps getting better and better. The first few months were grim – a huge culture shock – but all settled down beautifully now. He’ll be one in June – time flies!

Thanks CG! It’s been a long road back to a place that I feel mentally comfortable being in this forum and back on the bike. For the first time in years I’m looking forward to being able to ride again

Hi been following this thread for a while, great thread ! I’m from the basingstoke area and have quite good knowledge of the local area, would be good to maybe organise a gravel ride for anyone local, good to hear your getting back on the bike @daftvader give me a shout if you fancy a steady pottle out !

Cakeyboy that’s cool, will give you a shout once I have my bike sorted

Back to real Hampshires Drovers Roads..

Skinwall – check
Chalky drover’s road – check
Sunshine – check

Approved.

Quick q: where to eat in Bishops Waltham? Had a recommendation some time ago from peeps, we did go there, can’t remember the name but it was bike friendly. Is it still there? Thanks!

Sorted, the CTC cafe list has been added to my Favourites. 🙂

@cg we enjoyed our visit to Imber and have our Honey

got out on the gravel bike this week – first time in a while. rode the castleman trailway ringwood to poole; well recommended. 😀

View this post on Instagram

Bonus bank holiday no. 2. 130km gravel ride. #newforest #poole #pushthecranks #ukgravel #gravelbike #dropbardirtygoodness #railtrail

A post shared by Thom (@thomthum84) on Apr 18, 2017 at 11:09am PDT

Tom how ling did that take ? Train back ?

Ringwood to Poole was ~1:45.
I started at deerleap CP. linking up the bits of the Trainline which are rideable before ringwood. And took almost exactly the same route back. Ride time around 6.5 hours.

It would be great if they cleared/ surfaced the burley to ringwood section- it’s all there and over grown! Can be seen on google earth/ can see it from pound lane.

https://www.strava.com/activities/947818052

@cg we enjoyed our visit to Imber and have our Honey

Excellent jambalaya and hope you’re finding the honey delicious, it’s great on porridge!

Schralping the gnarmacz to teh MAX at Farleigh Wallop.

The wonderfully named Bedlam Bottom.

The air was heavy with the the scent of bluebells and wild garlic. Glorious.

*Likes* and I know where that is. 🙂

Not long back from a ride that went near Durley, lovely back lanes. 🙂

Now I see the attraction of a route planner that tells you which way to go, made a couple of minor mistakes at junctions after relying on my poor memory of looking at Google maps before I set off. 😉

ride with gps will let you print an audax type turn by turn sheet.

Farleigh Wallop.

you got any routes for round here? – an area i don’t know well but the map looks bountiful for farm tracks.

thomthumb – scroll down to Off Road Cycle Routes, Ellisfield. This goes through FW.

http://localviewmaps.hants.gov.uk/LocalViewmaps/Sites/ROWOnline/#

Would you like some gpx’s of that area?

i know that track cfh, its on my favourite cliddesden circuit

Spent a good 2 hours this afternoon getting reacquainted with forest of Bere (100 acres). I walk the dog there every other day so I refuse to ride it in winter as it’s a bog, but it was in great condition. Nice and dry!

my favourite cliddesden circuit

Well, get building then! 🙂 Some lovely country round that way.

Has anyone done the Whitchurch Primary Pedal? Pondering doing this next weekend.

its built, but between a full order book (and growing TF!) and looking after the kids and shooting, ive had zero time. it will get better once mrsvader has done moon walk and i can get out

Good news regarding the orders, mind you!

yup… actually quite busy! having to put in some full 8hr days atm!

anyone have any suggestions for some ‘hants bianche’? looking for some gentle offroad to ride on a ‘proper’ road bike as opposed to gravel bike.

I have some ideas around SDW/ meaon valley but wouldn’t mind a bit more.

Ideally i’d like a 100 mile route with 10 or more secteurs so small sections are fine.

Hi all
Just discovered this thread and have skimmed my way through all 46 pages! I am a Hampshire rider (MTB) based in Fair Oak near Eastleigh. My regular quick out and back is bridleways (Red lane, featherbed lane, warren lane etc) north to cheesefoot head and back home. About 15 miles, 9 of them off road and usually takes me about 1.30 – 1.40 depending on mud. It’s rideable most of the year round except for very wet periods.

Unfortunately I am nursing a broken pelvis ( see Swinley Crash thread for gory details) and probably won’t be riding for a few months yet. Longer term plan is to trade in current bike (2012 Camber) for a new 2018 model – probably some kind of full suss 29er, next year.

Just thought I’d introduce myself and perhaps see some of you out there before too long. On my return I’m planning to stick to the XC routes I’ve been doing for 22 years (SDW, QECP, KV etc) and avoid Swinley etc for a while. Need to build confidence!

In the meantime feel free to fling bike suggestions at me so that at least I can dream…..

Today’s wet weather made me think of heading to Old Winchester Hill from Bitterne on the mudguarded Wazoo, for a change…

Looked on Google and came across the Meon Valley Trail between Wickham and West Meon.

Any experiences?
2.35″ G-Ones, 4.0″ Jumbo Jims, or does it really need tyres with decent off-road tread?

Meon Valley trail will be fine on either. Ride it in Feb on 40mm G One.
Will be muddy in places but the resurfacing has bedded in a bit now so not quite as bone shaking as it was.

Thats the bit that’s basically been turned into a gravel road I think

Cool, thank for the info, both of you. Hopefully give it a go tomorrow or Friday.

Was running the meon valley railway line today with the little one in her buggy. Its fine.

’twas rather lovely around Barton Stacey over the weekend.

And, on the subject of Barton Stacey, does anyone know about these mounting blocks?

That’s a Google image grab, looking North along The Street, towards the bridge over the A303. What appears to be two, reasonably new mounting blocks (for getting on to horses), but no idea why! Nearest bridleway runs E/W about a third of a mile to the south of them.