MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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I'm in Bristol for a holiday this week and I'm looking for a road ride of about 25 miles with hills starting from the Fishponds area. Anyone got a link to a route that I can access. Bikely, Ridewithgps & Endomondo have a load of point to point rides but no circular ones. Not keen on an out and back to Bath, Sandwich jr pulled a face when I suggested this. Not too many really busy sections would also be good.
Over to the Bristol locals.
I'd head out via mangotsfield to pucklechurch, up through hinton to the a46, head north, then come back down either through codrington (shorter but prettier route) or old sodbury. Prob not 25 miles on teh nose, but you could probably do something with it?
Sorry if its a shit suggestion, I'm not a roadie.
Second Wrecker's suggestion. It's easy to get out into the countryside if you take the ring road path from Mangotsfield, and the roads out that way are pretty quiet if you stick to the lanes.
Pucklechurch - Hinton is a good start but I'd head out to Castle Combe then head back via Ashwicke - Marshfield - West Littleton. Plenty of hills, lots of quiet roads, though might be a bit longer than you wanted. The A46 is an awful road.
Fair point. Instead of the A46, you could carry on past Hinton and take in Dyrham, Doynton and come back in via siston etc. Small and not brilliantly maintained roads but very nice area.
I'd head out on the Sustrans route to Chew Magna / Chew Valley Lake as a mid-point and then back in through the city centre (mainly traffic free).
Thanks for the answers so far. Keep them coming please. Will do some checking and planning later on. Anyone want to tag along tomorrow. Possible 10am start.
You're far better off heading north or east from Fishponds, rather than cycling to the other side of the city.
I would get on the cycle track at Fishponds and head towards Bath.
Get off at Oldland common near Victoria Rd, head across high st and up Redfield Hill, left down Beach Hill, then towards Beach but turn left onto Oldbury Lane, follow to A420. Turn right then left and follow road to Doynton then onto Durham and Hinton, loop back to Puckle Church and then get back on cycle track to Fishponds.
You're far better off heading north or east from Fishponds, rather than cycling to the other side of the city.
+1
Get off at Oldland common near Victoria Rd, head across high st and up Redfield Hill, left down Beach Hill, then towards Beach but turn left onto Oldbury Lane, follow to A420. Turn right then left and follow road to Doynton then onto Durham and Hinton, loop back to Puckle Church and then get back on cycle track to Fishponds.
That's eerily close to one of my quick winter night routes. Some of the roads can be filth around Beach when it's been raining a lot as it all runs off the fields. Otherwise it's nice out that way.
One of my favourite quick loops as well. You can do a bit of hinton hill as well if you like!
I usually do it in reverse though by going to bridge yate from oldland, right and then left up chesley hill and left again up lodge rd to abson then Pucklechurch, hinton etc. You get the pleasure of Beach Hill on the way home then!!
Great stuff, I have a route planned. I'll see if he enjoys the lanes out towards Dryton.
Thanks very much for the pointers.
We went with a version of Eskays route. Total mileage was 21-ish and we took our time. The linked pics show the delay.
[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5820/23009909150_2dd472ae58_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5820/23009909150_2dd472ae58_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/B4iNky ]Only a little[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/mycams/ ]Mike Hams[/url], on Flickr
Looks like you had fun! Did you smash it up Hinton Hill after the 'delay' at The Bull?!
After The Bull we were heading downhill. His nibs above was complaining of a lack of fitness. So much so that our moving average was just under 11 mph! The 50+ father felt very good. I managed to gett quite sideways on the downhill out of Pucklechurch before heading back towards the 4174 on the old railway. There's a bit of a spike on the heart rate.
There has been talk of joining a club for sociable rides to start. Anyone have any recommendations?
North Bristol Cycling Club (NBCC) are a sociably paced road club. Big club runs go from Bradley Stoke on Sundays. The Cheesy Riders for MTB and road jaunts.
egb81
Thanks for the recommendations I'll pass them on. We had a look at websites while there and Bristol CC need to change their homepage it's decidedly unwelcoming and cliquey. The Keynsham Club weekly ride at 7am on a Saturday seemed excessively keen (he wants a social life too).
I think they are decidedly cliquey and unwelcoming though. I got aggressively heckled by a bunch of them a while back as I rode in the opposite direction with my friends for not wearing a helmet. I thought that was a poor show, regardless of their view on helmets.