Does anyone here ride the Ridgeway regularly?
If so, what are the conditions like recently? Does it dry fairly quickly or is it somewhere that stays wet for ages once the good weather arrives?
Not an expert on this (or anything else) but ride occasionally between Streatley and the White Horse. I wouldn't bother unless we've had a few weeks rain free.
I ride it every week in Swindon area. There is a lot of surface water still around but it is gradually improving. I reckon it needs a few more weeks yet to be a pleasurable experience.
Thanks guys, I think I'll give it a few weeks then before I venture up that way.
Was up there on Tuesday. Round Wantage anyway its drying out nicely, even dusty in places. A few puddles in the usual places.
Up between Streatley and Wantage for example there's 90% that's fine and dandy currently, but the last 10% just by East Ilsley is horrible. However, you can certainly enjoy the large majority of it.
I've just commuted in on it from Wallingford to Wendover (part of which is the Icknield Way) so the Northern end.
Completely different to above
The Ridgeway is nearly bone dry. The Icknield Way is mostly bone dry with some areas of pretty harmless mud and a couple of avoidable pits of doom.
Very nice ATM. Bike and self have barely a speck of mud on them.
they redo the bit between Streatley and Compton every year with chippings. That's fine - fine really till you get to the A34 underpass, then it turns into the usual sponge like surface, until the knob, when it's fine again.
Other trails around Compton/Peasemore/Brightwalton are still damp in the woods (Streatley especially has some very muddy areas), but on the open grass lands it's getting a lot drier
Out last night from Beedon-East Ilsley-Compton-Aldworth. All the exposed bits were pretty much dry and dusty. The wooded sections were a big claggy at parts, but mainly dry.
