I attempted to do the Wessex Way in three days just three weekends ago. I underestimated how overgrown some of the bridleways would be, and how wet they are from our ‘summer’. The Tim Woodcock book is a useful reference to the ride, but I dispute that the maps are any good – they’re awful. There is a route card to follow though which is pretty detailed.
If you do give it a go, make sure it’s after some dry weather, and don’t leave it too late in the year as the undergrowth gets pretty overgrown.
From the Mendips towards Warminster, some of the trails are pretty miserable or involve ploughed fields, so don’t expect it to be all like Salisbury Plain or the South Downs Way. Also, the section around Pewsey is also a bit hit and miss for bridleways – one was just a fully grown corn field which I had to find another way around.
I finally bailed on Saturday when I realised there was a major storm coming in and that I still have 120 miles to do on the Sunday.
There is a GPX route here:Wessex Way GPX