[Closed] Chiltern Gravel Riding

I have ridden some of that both on an MTB and gravel bike. TI'll certainly try it at some point. My hunch is that on a Monday you'll meet some dog walkeres but I don't think it will ne crowded. Of the bit I know I think it will ne rideable but you'll be riding along the edge of the trails in Ashridge. I think the bit near wendover might actually be gravel.

A useful link

Thanks

If you’re looking for gravel I don’t think you’ll find much on that route at the moment, it’s more a matter of whether the layer of mud is thin enough to still be rideable. A lot of it won’t be very busy for precisely that reason - not everyone wants to wash their dog after every walk. There are some odd choices on the route where it uses roads where it doesn’t need to or uses footpaths where it shouldn’t. To be fair to Redbull whilst I wouldn’t link it up that way, in the summer most of that route is great to ride if you avoid the busy road bits, and at the moment it’s muddy but not as bad as it can sometimes be. The picture they use to illustrate it is a bit misleading though, carefully hiding the housing estate on the left!

tl;dr I think if you did it midweek and not after heavy rain it should be ok.

That's on my doorstep. Not a bad loop but not the best 'gravel' ride you could do in this area imho. Odd pick for UK top 10. There's some better stuff around Stevenage, or out on the Ridgeway east part.

Agree with all of what Rio says & if you're local (not sure which part you're close to) The Ridgeway is a much better choice.

The redbull and strava links are different ends of the chilterns.

Both will be pretty muddy.

If you do the redbull route you can come back up the Canal to Theale and then North up the farm track from IKEA, and the Thames Path from Pangbourne to Goring is a blast.

In Summer it would be a good day out, this time of year it has the potential to become a bit of an epic. Timing wise at least the canal is quick so Id keep that as the return leg as you can always cut it short early by just heading South untill you hit it.

Actually I was being a bit negative in my last post, it's a good route - in the dry it's a lot of good trails that would give a good impression of the general area. I forget that the first time you ride an area feels very different to being almost too familiar with it - I'm lucky to have riding like this on my doorstep.

I’ve ridden a lot of that too. There’s a great descent out of Ashridge that’s not on it. Plus, for me, if you’re gonna ride wendover, Tring, Berlin, you may as well take in Ivinghoe Beacon. If you get three dry days before Monday you’ll be alright.

It's pouring with rain in Berkhamsted right now. Very muddy in Ashridge and Wendover. On the plus side it will be very quiet on Monday. It's a lovely place to ride when it's dry. I wouldn't bother at the moment.

Agreed, Ashridge mud is a very special kind of grim.

Fresh back from a ride tonight on parts of that very route (Tring / Wendover). It’s grim in places on a mountain bike with 2.3” tyres, so a gravel bike would be sketchy at best.

Was up at Ashridge on Sunday night in the rain and that was proper grim. Almost unrideable. Was exhausted ploughing through the mud near the Monument (although not the main mobility scooter trail on the Strava route).

If there’s more rain between now and then, I’d give it a miss.

That said, there’s a spooky film set up at Ashridge / Ringshall at the moment. Makes for an interesting detour if you do go out...

Thanks everyone. Forecast looks very wet this weekend so I will postpone until following Monday or next summer!

TISNAS I thought the Strava link was for ride no. 10 on the red bull summary. Is this not the case? Thanks