Ride Report: The Old Chalk Way
From the English Channel to the North Sea.
Following a chalk spine from Lyme Regis in Dorset to Holme-next-the-Sea in Norfolk, the Old Chalk Way joins the dots between the best bits of the Greater Ridgeway to create a coast-to-coast all-road route which embodies the history of this ancient highway, its most iconic sites, best scenery and some of the best riding in Southern England.
The route is a mix of well-trodden bridleways, chalk double-track, forest fire roads, old drovers trails, back lanes and overgrown grassy desire lines. Filled with rolling green hills, ancient woodland, ancient market towns, Bronze Age round barrows, Iron Age hill forts, two seas and plenty of red kites.
Day 1: Watton to Royston - 71miles 3166ft climbing
As I live on the route as it passes through Thompson on The Peddars Way I opted to ride it in reverse, heading south to Lyme Regis rather than north to Hunstanton, I also missed off the section from the Norfolk coast as that is familiar terrain and setting off from home made life a lot easier!
The first day was a nice introduction to the ride, heading out through Thetford and the Kings Forest towards Newmarket along a mixture of forest roads and country lanes. After a lunch break at Pheonix Bike Park just outside Newmarket, the sun was shining and a gentle breeze pushed me along towards Cambridge were I was joined by a cyclist out chasing his friends down before I peeled off back onto the gravel.
Climbing steadily towards Royston I reached my campsite by mid afternoon and pitched up for my first night under canvas after 70miles on the bike. A short ride into the village of Chrishall where I found a pub for an evening meal and I was buoyed by a great day on the bike and my first day of proper bike packing.
Day 2: Royston to High Wycombe - 77miles 5312ft climbing
Note to self - bring a sleeping mat next time! I was quite happy travelling light, with only minimal spare kit, but I sorely regretted not bringing a roll mate after a fairly sleepless night of rolling from side to side unable to get comfortable.
Setting off in pursuit of a Co-op that opened early I stocked up on warm pastries and snacks for the day. I had brought some emergency back ups but wanted to rely on ‘normal’ food for the trip as I wasn’t in a hurry and could afford to stop and eat.
It was a hot day today so I was glad to cover a decent number of miles early on before I hit Luton - this was a fairly dull stretch along guided bus lanes, but at least the urban area meant petrol stations for coffee and a filled roll for lunch! The climbing really started from then on, with some long drags towards the end, but I reached my second campsite after by mid afternoon and found a local Indian restaurant, The Mowchak in High Wycombe, for dinner.
Day 3: High Wycombe to Easton Royal, beyond Marlborough - 71miles 4377ft climbing
I set off early today after the heat of yesterday with a long day on The Ridgeway through Oxfordshire ahead. The recent good weather had baked the trails and footpaths bone dry and hard, so I made good progress along the long stretches of chalk that make up The Ridgeway covering ground with relative ease. Whilst the 30mile stint of near uninterrupted trails is quite something, the unchanging rolling landscape almost became a bit monotonous and by the end of the section I was glad of something different and the welcome relief of a petrol station where I could refill my empty bidons and wolf down a Steak & Cheese Subway.
It was just 20miles to the finish from there and I pushed on, laden with drinks and food for the following day. With hindsight I should have stopped for longer to refuel but a warm shower and a cold beer was more tempting so the final couple of hours was tough and the emergency Snickers had to be devoured.
Day 4: Easton Royal to Shaftesbury - 66miles 3894ft climbing
The bright sunshine and warm temperatures of the previous 3 days were replaced by an overcast sky and drizzle today as I headed for Salisbury Plain, Stone Henge and then onto Shaftesbury where I was meeting my partner Ellen.
Sensing a Top Gear-esc race between bicycle & car I notched the pace up and pushed on towards the infamous Army Training Ground. Some techy, slippery climbs later and I found the red flags of gunfire to be flying (which I half expected) so had to take the diversion and loop all the way around the Salisbury Plain rather than cut straight across it. It seemed to take an age and riding in a big half circle is an inevitable downer, but the rain eased as I headed towards Stone Henge. Double Choc cookies were consumed as I stood looking at the stones in the mist before heading onwards.
Some monster climbs followed, but I reached Shaftesbury in time for a late lunch before a night in a nice pub hotel with Ellen.
Day 5: Shaftesbury to Lyme Regis - 61miles 2969ft climbing
My spirits were high for the final day, ditching my tent and sleeping bag with Ellen the ominous dark clouds felt like just a minor inconvenience with the finish at Lyme Regis only a days riding ahead. But an easy day it was not to be!
The first hour was largely on quite country lanes which was a nice warm up and let my legs wake up before the real climbing began, but on my first gravel descent disaster struck and my rear tyre went bang - a sharp stone slicing the length of the sidewall! Stood in the middle of nowhere, I called Ellen to put her on standby as I fashioned a tyre boot from a sachet of peanut butter I had stashed in my pocket, fitted an inner tube and gingerly picked my way through the last of the gravel to find the nearest town. Dorchester was signposted 10 miles away so I set a rendezvous with Ellen there and rode onwards, abandoning the real route from here as I didn’t dare risk the tyre boot on gravel. It was at this point that the weather really closed in and I reached Dorchester in a sorry state, soaked through, feeling defeated and ready to pack, but after digging out some more cookies, reading words of encouragement from friends and a hug from Ellen I pushed on - 25 miles to go - how bad can it be?
Quite is the answer! A gruelling headwind was blowing thick rain clouds in from the coast which enveloped the rolling coastal lanes and the devil on one shoulder was urging me to just give it up, but as I climbed (again) to Lyme Regis the sun finally won out and the coastal town came into view. One final walk up a 17% incline and then it was a freewheel through the town to find Ellen with a fresh coffee in hand at the coast!
Read more about The Old Chalk Way here.
