The Ridgeway… Where are the water taps etc..??

Might look to doing this one weekend..one way, or both..meh, who knows…

I pretty much know where all the water stops are on the SDW, but no clue on the Ridgeway.. Is there a good website that’s got all the locations/distances plotted down somewhere?

It’s a bit far away for me to ‘have a play’ on various sections to learn them, TBH, so any prep I can do would be appreciated!!

ta

DrP

See the bottom of this page – http://ridgewaydouble.net/

Buckmoorend farm shop now has kitchen open at weekends – a few yards off ridgeway nr chequers, not cheap but saves locking up bike to get provisions in Wendover.

When you get near East Ilsley I can meet you and feed/water you, but it’s only 20 mins to Goring where there are shops anyway.

hmm..downloaded the gpx and loaded it to RWGps… but no cues to note?? hmm…

And what do you do..just park at west overton somewhere??

DrP

Not sure if this will help much this is from last summer, advice, if it is over 30degrees it might not be the best conditions!

https://www.strava.com/activities/1684807047

there are a couple of points on this where I deviate off the track a bit and that is where the two taps are. one is Idstone hill on the Northside of the track after some farm buildings and from memory south side near East Ilsley.

for parking I just use the NT car park at Avebury.

@DrP – I hadn’t looked at the file, just downloaded the zip file, unzipped then loaded one of the tracks into Garmin Basecamp. The taps are shown on the map, the notes appear when I click on the list of waypoints in the sidebar.

No idea about parking – it’s darn sahf innit?

No idea about water stops I’ve drunk from a lot of dodgy looking taps in the chilterns! But if you’re planning on it this summer post up as I’ve been planning on doing it, probably just the single depending on timing/legs.

When I did it I couldn’t be bothered to scope out taps beforehand, so I just used the shop in Goring and the Budgens in Wendover in each direction. It broke it up into roughly similar sized chunks – only stopped at those and the ice cream van at Ivinghoe Beacon.

I camped at a Caravan Club site called Bayardo Farm the other side of West Woods and cycled over. However there’s a car park at the start of the trail, and the field containing the Sanctuary I think offers you a chance to bivi behind a hedge and be reasonably out of view. There are hippies in camper vans parked up all over the area though so a biviying cyclist won’t cause any fuss I’d imagine.

When you get near East Ilsley I can meet you and feed/water you

You can’t, if he wants to put a time in for the leaderboard…

I can do it on the fly

There is a small car park by the A4 at the start of the Ridgeway or end depends how you look at it or just down the road is a car park by Silsbury hill least if you park in the first park it wont be full of New age travellers like Sunday after the summer solstice.

I can do it on the fly

I presume more that if you want your name on the leaderboard it has to be self supported. Which means only resupplying at places that are open to everyone. So shops are fine, but friends, supply drops, caches etc aren’t.

Assume you are doing the double and will be riding ridiculously quickly Pidge? I’m not to far, so email if any help needed

DrP suggest you exercise caution with where you decide to park, cars do get broken into around that area. I wouldn’t leave a car for any length of time at the little car park on the A4 at West Kennett. The National Trust car park gets locked although can’t remember what the closing time is, that would be my first choice. Another one is near Fyfield Down but, again, wouldn’t advise leaving it there for too long.

I know a couple of the taps aren’t functioning. I think Hill Barn is one that isn’t working.
Waylands Smithy / Idstone Barn tap works, always been reliable for me.
There’s shops in Goring/Streatley area.
South Stoke church is a cert.
Aston Rowant nature reserve is always reliable. tbh between that one, Goring and Wayland’s Smithy you’ll probably be fine on all but the warmest days.

Assume you are doing the double and will be riding ridiculously quickly Pidge? I’m not to far, so email if any help needed

Cheers Andy…yeah, will have a punt at the double but not feeling my fittest at the moment… Might just smash a gob full of brufen and paracetamol and tab it out head down!!

Thanks for the offer Weeksy, and if it was a social jaunt i’d have met with you/TINAS and had a ride and chat.. but as has been said, taps and shops are fine, mates and caches aren’t.

Unless I just do a scope out this time (thinking 20th July) to get my bearings, and then attempt a decent run another…??

Hmmm

DrP

Brownlow Cafe is not too far form Ivinghoe Beacon and has a drinking water tap outside round the side of the build near the entrance to the toilets that is free for all and accessible even after its closed.

https://goo.gl/maps/JnXb34iYnnBw4F4y6

Righto… I’ll be peddling along this on the 20th July…
Not going to go for a double attempt though as think it’s sensible to get to know the route/taps/feed stops etc first!

RIding with a friend, so if anyone fancies joining us for a bit, or popping out to say bonjour, that’s cool!

DrP