Can’t believe there’s not more interest in this, looks like a good book to me. So here’s my contribution.
This is a collection of short loops west of Bristol. One is an extended version of the popular Timberland Trail and the other two are add-ons you can mix and match depending on how much time you have.
Extended Timberland
A good map of the standard Timberland Trail is here.
For the extended version, follow the standard Timberland Trail until the end of Fifty Acre Woods where it dumps you on to Weir Lane. Instead of turning left and returning straight to Ashton Court by road, turn right. After 100 metres, where the road turns sharp right, go straight on to a dirt track. Follow this slightly uphill, then level and finally in to a nice bit of down hill. At the road turn right. Follow the road for 1 km then turn right onto a bridleway through Fish Pond Wood. Go up past the ponds and the car park and at the road go straight across onto a bridleway. This is the far end of the bridleway you took to get from Ashton Court to Fifty Acre Wood so follow it, steeply at first but easing off, back to Ashton Court and continue with the rest of the Timberland Trail.
Tour De Tickenham
This loop gives some good riding on the Tickenham ridge but it does involve 6 km of road work each way. Still, that should be good for you training program.
At the far end of the quarry loop on the Timberland Trail, just as the trail does a 180o, turn right onto Longwood Lane. Follow for 700 metres and turn left at the cross roads onto Beggar Bush Lane. After 500 metres turn right onto the obvious gated bridleway (Wraxall Piece). Follow this for 400 metres until you pop out onto a lane and turn left. Back at the main road turn right (B3128 Clevedon Road). Spin for 4 km and take the fourth right at a sharp left bend (Whitehouse Lane). Follow for 400 metres and at the junction go straight over onto a rough looking lane. Signs say this is a private road but it is a bridleway so legal on bike. Carry along for 300 metres looking for a track off to the left between two fences. This is a lovely bit of track, slightly downhill and a bit water eroded. All too soon it turns into a hard surface. When you arrive at the road (B3130) carry straight on westwards. After 250 metres turn right onto the signposted bridleway and climb past several building and along a wall to the top of the ridge. Turn left and follow the ridge along for 2 km. Take a small track that heads off right from the main one (if you hit a road and start going down hill you’ve gone too far) which takes you to a bridge over the M5 motorway. At the far end of the bridge take the track off to the right, steep, rough down hill. At the road turn right, and take the second bridleway on the right after 2km – it’s easy to identify as its right under a support for the motorway above. Tricky technical climb which brings you back onto the ridge, but a bit you haven’t seen. Turn left and follow for 2.25 km back to the start of the private road. Reverse the route back to Ashton Court on Whitehouse Lane and B3128, skipping Wraxall Piece if you wish. Alternatively after just over a kilometre turn right down Wraxall Hill to get to the Bourton and Barrow Blast.
Bourton and Barrow Blast
The nominal start of this loop can be reached from either the start or the return leg of the Tour De Tickenham.
For the latter see the Tour De Tickenham description, but for the former, at the far end of the quarry loop on the Timberland Trail, turn left onto Longwood Lane and follow for 50 metres. Turn right at the first cross roads (B3128 Clevedon Road) and then left at the second after 1 km (B3129 Weston Road). Follow this road, becoming slightly downhill, and go straight on where a road joins from the right after 800 m. Road now becomes a full-on hill, steep and bendy. Where it eases off a bit, at a crossroads, is the start of the Bourton and Barrow Blast. Go straight across onto the minor road and follow still downhill, round a left hand bend, across the railway line and down to the A370. Turn right and look out for a lane on the left after 250 metres, just before a close with a wall. Up this lane for 250 metres and at the end turn right onto the dirt bridleway. Follow for 200 metres with trees and hedges to the sides and where it widens slightly, take the obvious track left and up. Carry on up around the edge of the woods, gradually becoming level. About 1.5 km from the road go through a gate and reach a clearing with buildings. Carry straight on, passing a track to the right, eventually emerging into fields after 100 metres. Veer slightly left and follow a farm track across the edge of fields to reach a gate at the end of a road. Don’t go through the gate, instead turn almost around and follow the farm track heading for the edge of the wood due south. When you reach the corner of the woods turn left and follow the track along the edge of the fields, through a gate, with woods to your left. This turns into a tree-lined track and brings you to a road at a gate. Through the gate and straight across the road onto the track the other side. The track dumps you into a field, follow along the fence on the right, through a gate and into another field. Head across the field slightly away from the fence and look for a metal gate on the far side. Through this into a path between houses and onto a residential road. Turn right and this quickly brings you onto the B3130 Barrow Street. Turn left and follow for 2.5 km, under the A370 and across a double mini roundabout back to the start of the loop. Return back to Ashton Court the way you came, up that steep hill I’m afraid.
[oh, and only UK postal addresses unless you pay the postage]
