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Twelve of us from the Dorset Rough Riders at Martin Down on a perfect day. Special guest Anna B.
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Ackling Dyke
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Oh great, that's all we need
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Luckily a big softy
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Climbing up from Broadchalke to the Shaftesbury Drove
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Coming down from the Punchbowl
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One long downhill to Barford St Martin
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Handsel Sisters No 1 tree in Grovely Wood
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Deposit your trinkets here. Bit like a scene from Blair Witch but that coily stick was nothing to do with us.
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Dark forces at work?
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Grovely Wood Roman Road
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The Fovant badges
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Painful climb back up to the Drove
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Great bit of singletrack back to Broadchalke
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Easy ride to finish with. Not really enough bluebells out yet.
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31 miles and took a bit longer than expected, but what a day though 😀
Wow - I'm jealous! Good to see pics of some trails I've been wanting to ride for ages. Lovely views and rolling landscape.
Can I just ask about the Fovant Badges? I rode along the ridgeway expecting to see them and I didn't. 🙁 Obviously need to be lower down!
As for the sisters of Grovely Wood - that really gives me the shivers. 😯
Any chance of a gpx or description of the route please?
[url= http://www.mediafire.com/?c1hip74z5k95cps ].gpx here[/url]
Let me know if it doesn't work CG.
Yes, the badges aren't viewable from the drove road, only the A30 below.
Thanks very much Dave. 🙂 Definitely one to try for when/if I'm fit!
I guess the conditions were good today as it's presumably a fair weather route?
Wouldn't be much fun after heavy rain.
Some of the singletrack can get overgrown in summer. I reckon Wiltshire spends less than a tenner a year maintaining its ROWs 😈
Looks like a hard ride to me ...but lovely .
What a great route that was! Thanks again Dave, and nice pics. I would have been cycling up that hill where I'm walking in the pic were it not for the trailraker on the front 😉 Looking forward to the wedding ride!
Thanks Anna. Wedding ride will not disappoint. Expect open heathland to spooky woodland plus the Gabby's Goodies experience.
Would be nice to sample more of the Salisbury trails. The only route I know is Sarum to Sting's place at Lake.
That's a great story - I imagined Gabby was a 50 something yr old house wife! Ref Salisbury routes, I told Robin I could organise one for a Sun am while the Purbecks were off the calendar due to the chain ferry having its winter service..... still a possibility and better late than never!Gabby's Goodies
Anna - I've rescheduled my May 15th ride (Sixpenny Handley/ Cranborne Chase) to May 2nd (BH Monday) due to the bluebells being out early, so that Sunday is a possibility if you're OK for then.
Can't do that Sunday I'm afraid. Let's talk at the Wedding Ride?
Nice pics and looked fun to ride aswell weather was perfect today.
Great stuff... I lived in Broad Chalke for a while. By the time I left, I'd fallen in love with the rolling turf, big ol' hillforts, loooong chalk droves & sneaky singletrack.
It's a magnificent landscape, especially in high summer.
thanks for the GPX file! i will give a go at the next BH.