Challenge 1 - Towpath trundle.
A bit late with the blog post, but a fortnight ago I notched up the first 'tick' on my year of challenges. Well, three quarters of a tick at least...
The 'challenge' I'd declared was to ride from Newbury to Devizes and back along the Kennet & Avon canal towpath. A trip of 35 miles each way, 70 in total.
I have ridden along the Newbury / Hungerford stretch many times, so extending my knowledge sounded like a good thing to do, and towpath miles aren't the easiest.
I'd picked a quiet Saturday at what turned out to be the end of a freakish Spring heatwave. Two days before I'd requested a half day at work and snuck out for a cheeky 50 miler on the road in 26 degree heat. These were going to be 'sunbathing on the bike' rides. No checking data, worrying about average speeds or heart rates, just trundling and tanning.. Yeah, I'm vain.
Relatively fresh from the Thursday ride, I set off, solo, from Newbury at around 9:45 a.m. - I wanted to get out before the towpath got too busy, but also wanted the temperature to warm up a bit from the usual cold Spring nights.
Newbury to Marsh Benham is always busy. Lots of people walking in to town from the Craven Road area, joggers and cyclists and dog walkers. Plenty of stopping or at least slowing down to pass courteously. I knew once I was past Marsh Benham the path would be quieter.
Parts of the towpath, maybe all? is a National Cycle Network. The first stretch was very smooth, like a cinder track, the shock to the system came at Marsh Benham. The section to Kintbury had been muddy and the high temperatures of the week meant that the mud had dried quickly and was very rutted. Many times I questioned whether I should reduce my tyre pressure on my cross bike to less than 40 psi. You couldn't switch off and had to pay great attention to the line you were cycling. One false move or wrong line and I would have got very wet!
Hungerford took a while to get through, the towpath was getting busier and there are many more gates on the stretch I knew than I had actually remembered. I stopped at Freemans Marsh to do a quick photoshoot and video update for Instagram.
If anyone is at a loose end I thoroughly recommend a walk along the next bit. Froxfield, the Bedwyns and on to Crofton Beam Engine is proper nostalgia canal countryside. Away from big roads, beautiful views, and the best bit, nice and quiet. It's bumpy on a bike, so you still have to pay attention.
A quick stop at Crofton for pictures and then on to Burbage. The thing I noticed about the canal ride was that a lot of the time (after Crofton) I didn't actually know where I was.. Of course I knew where I was in between, but it's surprising how you can be literally in the middle of nowhere, having only the occasional road crossing for any sort of reference point. And then, about 5 miles from Pewsey I suddenly came to a big hole in the hill side... Bruce Tunnel.
I knew there were tunnels on the canal, but i'll be honest and admit I thought they were all nearer Bath. It was a big surprise to suddenly see this 458 metre subterranean masterpiece.. Dug by navvies in 1806, taking 3 years to finish. More info here
With chores to do at home and then being confirmed by wearing the wrong cycling shorts, I'd decided that I would only go as far as Pewsey today. I thought I'd be riding back on the towpath, but decided to return on the road, so the last 5 miles from Bruce Tunnel were my last ones on the towpath. To be honest I was actually quite pleased to reach Pewsey Wharf, despite it actually being a bit of an armpit of a place. Those last few miles were super bumpy, but again, so quiet. The arse had had enough of the bumps.
Halfway.. Pewsey Wharf. 2 hours and 22.5 miles. And the sun had decided to bring an end to the heatwave and opted to hide behind a sky full of cloud. FFS, this was a sunbathing ride!!
Two options at Pewsey, Up Oare Hill and in to Marlborough, or back in to Pewsey, Burbage, Crofton and Bedwyn on the road. The latter won.
An hour and half (and 27 miles) later, I was back in Newbury and putting the bike back in the car.
The last hour was a real treat, being back on the roads around Hungerford and Kintbury etc. For so many years my old stomping ground. And that feeling is exactly what I was hoping for in this year of challenges.. Perfect.
And the stats..
48 miles. 3 hours 40 minutes.
The 'challenge' I'd declared was to ride from Newbury to Devizes and back along the Kennet & Avon canal towpath. A trip of 35 miles each way, 70 in total.
I have ridden along the Newbury / Hungerford stretch many times, so extending my knowledge sounded like a good thing to do, and towpath miles aren't the easiest.
I'd picked a quiet Saturday at what turned out to be the end of a freakish Spring heatwave. Two days before I'd requested a half day at work and snuck out for a cheeky 50 miler on the road in 26 degree heat. These were going to be 'sunbathing on the bike' rides. No checking data, worrying about average speeds or heart rates, just trundling and tanning.. Yeah, I'm vain.
Relatively fresh from the Thursday ride, I set off, solo, from Newbury at around 9:45 a.m. - I wanted to get out before the towpath got too busy, but also wanted the temperature to warm up a bit from the usual cold Spring nights.
Newbury to Marsh Benham is always busy. Lots of people walking in to town from the Craven Road area, joggers and cyclists and dog walkers. Plenty of stopping or at least slowing down to pass courteously. I knew once I was past Marsh Benham the path would be quieter.
Parts of the towpath, maybe all? is a National Cycle Network. The first stretch was very smooth, like a cinder track, the shock to the system came at Marsh Benham. The section to Kintbury had been muddy and the high temperatures of the week meant that the mud had dried quickly and was very rutted. Many times I questioned whether I should reduce my tyre pressure on my cross bike to less than 40 psi. You couldn't switch off and had to pay great attention to the line you were cycling. One false move or wrong line and I would have got very wet!
Hungerford took a while to get through, the towpath was getting busier and there are many more gates on the stretch I knew than I had actually remembered. I stopped at Freemans Marsh to do a quick photoshoot and video update for Instagram.
If anyone is at a loose end I thoroughly recommend a walk along the next bit. Froxfield, the Bedwyns and on to Crofton Beam Engine is proper nostalgia canal countryside. Away from big roads, beautiful views, and the best bit, nice and quiet. It's bumpy on a bike, so you still have to pay attention.
A quick stop at Crofton for pictures and then on to Burbage. The thing I noticed about the canal ride was that a lot of the time (after Crofton) I didn't actually know where I was.. Of course I knew where I was in between, but it's surprising how you can be literally in the middle of nowhere, having only the occasional road crossing for any sort of reference point. And then, about 5 miles from Pewsey I suddenly came to a big hole in the hill side... Bruce Tunnel.
I knew there were tunnels on the canal, but i'll be honest and admit I thought they were all nearer Bath. It was a big surprise to suddenly see this 458 metre subterranean masterpiece.. Dug by navvies in 1806, taking 3 years to finish. More info here
With chores to do at home and then being confirmed by wearing the wrong cycling shorts, I'd decided that I would only go as far as Pewsey today. I thought I'd be riding back on the towpath, but decided to return on the road, so the last 5 miles from Bruce Tunnel were my last ones on the towpath. To be honest I was actually quite pleased to reach Pewsey Wharf, despite it actually being a bit of an armpit of a place. Those last few miles were super bumpy, but again, so quiet. The arse had had enough of the bumps.
Halfway.. Pewsey Wharf. 2 hours and 22.5 miles. And the sun had decided to bring an end to the heatwave and opted to hide behind a sky full of cloud. FFS, this was a sunbathing ride!!
Two options at Pewsey, Up Oare Hill and in to Marlborough, or back in to Pewsey, Burbage, Crofton and Bedwyn on the road. The latter won.
An hour and half (and 27 miles) later, I was back in Newbury and putting the bike back in the car.
The last hour was a real treat, being back on the roads around Hungerford and Kintbury etc. For so many years my old stomping ground. And that feeling is exactly what I was hoping for in this year of challenges.. Perfect.
And the stats..
48 miles. 3 hours 40 minutes.
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