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2020 was a pretty bad year for many of us due to the Covid pandemic, but by September I found myself craving the open road (cycle path in this case) and planned a 3-day round trip down to Brighton and back to try and get away from it all. I was suitably impressed with my previous National Cycle Network adventure back in March of 2020, that I decided to plan another trip on these excellent trails, this time it was numbers 2, 21, 22 & 223. Day 1 - Sutton to Horam Having packed the bike up the night before, all that was left to do was say my goodbye’s to the family, grab the bike and go. The first part of the cycle route was purely my own, taking me away from Sutton train station, over the M25 and on to East Grinstead on bridal paths and quiet country lanes. I arrived at East Grinstead around midday, planning to grab something to eat for lunch and also for my evening meal. The latter was in the form of a Wayfayrer meal purchased from a Millets camping store that I'd pre-arranged to collect the day before. I don’t really like leaving my bike unattended with all its bags, lights and other paraphernalia so a convenient Costa Coffee next to the start of the Bluebell Railway provided suitable outside lunchtime eating. I picked up NCN route 21, otherwise known as The Forest Trail, just outside the town and headed due south for what would be the remainder of the day. For the main, this trail is a disused railway, its tracks having long since been removed, turning it into a superb dedicated cycle path. The surface was made up of finely crushed stone, a little worn in places but generally in good repair. It made for fast off-road riding and easy navigation through farmers fields and autumnal woodland. The route flits on and off of the old rail line south of Eridge Green until it starts again in earnest as the Cuckoo Trail at Heathfield. Horam Manor Country Park campsite was good. Its main custom would appear to be caravans – making my tarp set up, nestled in between them look quite comical – but the ground was flat and it had excellent toilet and wash facilities. After a delicious chicken curry Wayfayrer meal followed by sticky toffee pudding, the pub beckoned. Lakeside Horum (pub) was closed due to Covid so a five minute walk brought me to the May Garland Inn. Despite its 3.7 star Google rating, it had good service, a cheery bar lady and they had no problem with me charging up my various electronic gadgets whilst enjoying a pint or two. I'd recommend it. Day 2 - Horam to Henfield I like to get going early in the morning (although it takes me an age to pack up…) and stop for breakfast slightly later. So after gobbling down a trail bar first thing I was happy to push on a few miles before considering something more hearty. The remainder of the old rail line quickly ushered me onwards, quickly arriving at the coast and the aptly named seaside town of Seaford. Contrary to the traditional London to Brighton route, this particular trail and the one I’d use at Shoreham-by-sea conveniently use the natural gaps in the South Downs making crossing this small but not insignificant hill range somewhat easier. I joined the eastern part of NCN route 2 at Seaford, the same route I’d ridden the western part of back in March. Most of this section is tarmac, starting with the aptly named “Seaford exercise path”, so again progress was good. And little did I know that delaying breakfast on this occasion was saving up for a real treat. As I hit the very western end of Brighton I came across The Whitecliffs Café, a chic establishment selling every delectable morsel you could wish for, be that a savory snack or chocolatey pudding. After munching my way through a full English breakfast pasty and saving half my chocolate brownie for later, I joined the sea wall cycle way which passes along the base of the towering chalk cliffs for an easy ride into Brighton. (I say it was an easy ride, and it would be normally if it wasn't for the niggling pain I had in my left knee...) Brighton’s best explored on foot so I passed through reasonably quickly via the dedicated cycle way taking me out towards Shoreham's shore side industrial area and power station. My coast route turned north at Shoreham-by-sea, away from NCN 2, over the South Downs and onto NCN 223 – The Downs Link. I’ve cycled this trail a number of times before, the last was in the Summer of 2019 with my family on a two-day cycle adventure. It’s another great cycle path, formerly a rail line from Guildford to Shoreham-by-sea, with miles of traffic free, reasonably flat terrain. A final push up over the South Downs to Steyning, saw me arrive - somewhat later than I had planned - at Blacklands Farm Campsite, just north of Henfield. A request to campsite owners – please put more tables and seats around your sites for the likes of us that can’t carry them around with us! Sitting and cooking dinner on a muddy field just isn’t that pleasant. However, I’m pleased to say that Blackland’s has picnic benches dotted around, so I bagged one to use for my shelter and to sort my gear. Heaven! Dinner was a treat, a deliciously creamy fish pie at the Wheatsheaf pub a short walk up the road. Day 3 - Henfield to Sutton I’ve always taken slightly longer than most to get my kit packed up in the morning. I like to have everything neatly folded and stowed away, whether that’s my rucksack for a weekend hiking or my dry bags for a canoeing trip, it just takes time! Also my knee hadn’t got any better and I was in two minds whether to push on. As ever, optimism prevailed and I was back on the bike and heading out to pick up the Downs Link trail once again. My “breakfast later” mindset really paid off this time as, not ten minutes later, the smell of bacon wafted across the road just as I was set to re-join NCN 223. Sausage butty and coffee consumed, and a brief chat with a couple of riders that belonged to a Dorking MTB club, left me fuelled and raring to hit the trail. The route was once again easy – a straight cycle path with a few interesting villages and cafés en-route if you’re in need of a mid ride snack. I’d collected sloe berries during a family camp just prior to this ride; if your looking for a good crop then this route has bushes full of them. I turned off NCN 223 at Shamley Green and stopped for lunch. My knee was in a bad way at this point. I'd torn one of my knee ligaments a few years ago and it took four months to heal, so I made the disappointing decision to call out the calvary (my wife with the car) a few miles further down the route. I’m ever the optimist and probably would have ridden all the way home only to find myself booked into the osteopath and cycling well and truly off the cards for the next few months if I'd continued. I met my wife in Shere, just outside Guildford at around 2pm, packed up the bike and headed home. I guess I was slightly disappointed with the outcome of the day but ultimately wholly satisfied with the overall trip. It had certainly reset the stress-o’meter and combined a number of previously ridden cycle ways into an awesome 3 day adventure. It’s definitely one I’ll do again, perhaps with friends as I now know the route works well. Easy riding along great paths, with good campsites and plenty of excellent places to stop and eat. Perfect! Tips for bikepacking London to Brighton Route: 150miles (240km), 3000m total ascent The route starts and finishes at Sutton Station, SM1 1DE, which has plenty of great rail connections. Day 1 – 51 miles (85km), 1250m ascent - Sutton, Coulsdon, Bletchingley, East Grinstead, Eridge Green, Rotherfield, Mayfield, Heathfield, Horam. Day 2 – 52 miles (89km) 850m ascent – Horam, Hailsham, Polegate, Seaford, Newhaven, Brighton, Shoreham-by-sea, Steyning, Henfield. Day 3 – 47 miles (82km), 950m ascent – Henfield, Horsham, Cranleigh, Gomshall, Dorking, Epsom, Ewell, Sutton The attachment below is a .gpx file of the entire route without detours for overnight stops. Please feel free to download and modify to suit your own adventure accordingly. Accommodation: Day 1 – Horam Manor Country Park, Horam, Healthfield, East-Sussex – TN21 0YD https://horammanorcountrypark.com/ Day 2 – Blacklands Farm, Wheatsheaf Road (B2116), Henfield, West Sussex, BN5 9AT https://www.blacklandsfarm.co.uk/ Eating: May Garland Inn, Horam, Heathfield, East Sussex, N21 0LJ. https://maygarlandinn.co.uk/ The Whitecliffs café, Marine Drive Saltdean, Brighton BN2 8SQ The Wheatsheaf, Wheatsheaf road, Woodmancote, Henfield, West Sussex, BN5 9BD. https://www.thewheatsheafhenfield.co.uk/ Cat and Canary Pub breakfast café. Upper Station Rd, Henfield BN5 9PJ. (I couldn’t find a website for this establishment, but it's literally to the left of the pub at the back of the open seating area.) Equipment: Specialized CrossTrail “Adventure Bike” running Schwalbe Marathon Mondial 35c tyres Self made bikepacking bags (using Sea to Summit dry bags) – 15ltr bar bag, 2 x 8ltr rear bags. Waist pack. Sleeping: Tarp, Bug bivi, sleeping bag, inflatable mattress and pillow Cycling clothes: Helmet, gloves, glasses, cycling shoes, padded cycling shorts, zip off trousers, wool t-shirt, short sleeve shirt, windproof smock. Spare clothes: Down gilet, zip off trouser legs, socks, underwear, waterproof jacket Wash kit and first aid items Collapsible seat and sit mat Stove, pot, gas, food Head torch, multitool GoPro, GPS, battery, cables Bike lock, lights, 2 x 1ltr water bottles Bike tools, innertube, pump Notes: Any good Gravel, Hybrid or Mountain bike would be suitable for these routes, something with a reasonably wide tyre with some off-road grip. I wouldn’t take a road bike as the terrain is really not suitable. After I’d booked my camping arrangements for Horam, I stumbled across the “Runt in a Tun” pub in Maynards Green, a few miles up the road from Horam. It had good reviews and also offered camping in a field at the back. There's just something about rolling out of the pub and straight into your tent... Unfortunately, a non-refundable booking fee at Horam Manor campsite kept me to my original plans, but if I did this route again I’d definitely give this place a go. Runt in Tun - Hailsham Road, Maynards Green, Heathfield, East Sussex, TN21 0DJ. http://www.runtintun.co.uk/16334.html

I had originally set out to complete this as a solo adventure over 3 days, but when my brother asked if he could join me and raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, the adventure took on a whole new dimension. In August 2020, Cycling UK officially launched 'The King Alfred’s Way', a 220 mile off-road cycle route, beautifully detailed in a paperback and down-loadable guidebook. The guide provides a fantastic background to the rich history surrounding the area, details about the route, suggestions on itinerary and what to expect on the way. We’d elected to ride our cross-country mountain bikes in a bikepacking set-up and split the route over four days, camping for two nights with a hotel stay mid-point in Reading. Day 1 – Winchester to All Cannings We arrived in Winchester, parked, unloaded and were passing through the ancient "Westgate" by nine thirty. Winchester is a pretty city, its centre full of cobbled side streets and pavement café’s, all with that air of quiet longevity that a medieval city exudes. As we wound our way through the leafy suburbs, stopping occasionally for the usual beginning-of-the-ride-faff - to tighten a bike bag or remove a layer - the wide residential roads quickly turned to gravel track and open farmland. It had been a wet summer so far and our four-day adventure didn’t look to buck the current weather trend. Rain was forecast (again), as if there wasn’t enough in the myriad of puddles that littered the trails, and our bikes were soon clagged with mud and our gears grinding under the lack of lubrication. Although it was wet, it was still warm. The kind of weather where you don’t mind riding through the rain in a jersey rather than donning the boil-in-a-bag waterproof. Continuing west through King’s Somborne, we passed a couple of joggers who warned us of an overgrown path up ahead..Not only had the wet summer brought mud to otherwise dry trails, the path side vegetation was wild and heavily overgrown and in some places impassable. And coupled with the weight of the moist air, the nettles and brambles drooped low across the path like claws; scratching, biting and stinging us as we gingerly picked our way down the Monarch Way old Roman road. Finally free from the lacerating confines of the narrow path, we made a quick detour into Salisbury to grab some food then back up the hill for lunch at the Old Sarum Hill Fort. After the hill, the route turned northward along the Pewsey Avon Trail and parts of National Cycle Network route 45 up towards Stonehenge. And with it brought a welcomed dose of warm sun and a break in the cloud. It wasn’t our plan to stop here but a brief look at the ancient stones from the non-paying side of the boundary fence was enough to satisfy our cultural appetite for the day. Onwards, past the traveller’s vans and army camp at Larkhill, brought us to the edge of the British Army’s training area on Salisbury Plain, it’s ominous “DANGER” signs firmly warning us of the imminent hazards of crossing the virtual boundary. It was relatively good riding from here on, skirting the edge of the plain, the route alternating from tarmac perimeter road to expansive rolling crop fields with broad open skies. We dropped off the ridge at Market Lavington to stock up on food for dinner, then back on route passing through Chirton and Patney all the while acutely conscious of the black clouds gathering just off to the east. We knew the rain would catch up with us at some point, it had been menacing us all day. But when it came, it was like an unsuspecting wave, a brief rush of cold air against the surrounding humidity and then the full force of the heavens burst upon us. We were soaked through within a minute, the chestnut trees we’d optimistically taken shelter under at the side of the road offering scant protection as we watched the road flood and water stream off into the already overflowing gutters. We decided to ride on, the rain still relentless, arriving at our campsite just outside All Cannings, drenched, cold and definitely not looking forward to pitching our shelter. A neighbouring family in a camper van took pity on us as we struggled with the tarp and kindly offered us a cup of tea and handful of biscuits. Shivering, but now under cover, we slipped on dry clothes and got dinner on the go. Chicken Pot Noodles, Scotch eggs and pork pies! The rain continued well into the night but that now seamed a world away as we sat cocooned in our sleeping bags and shared a dram or two of Scotland’s finest. Day 2 - All Cannings to Reading The morning started by donning wet clothes, wet shoes, putting away our wet shelter and pretty much anything else with the word “wet” in it. Dark clouds still dominated the horizon but as they scuttled across the sky, occassional optimistic shafts of sunlight streaked out from behind, with the tease of better weather to come. The route started with a steep climb into the clouds and up onto the White Horse Trail, then a long descent down into Avebury. It’s worth noting that The King Alfred’s Way, being a relatively new cycle route, has yet to ‘wear-in’. Combined with the overgrown path-side vegetation, a good percentage of the trails are literally a six-inch wide rut down the middle of a grassy strip and more fool the rider who gets their front wheel stuck in the groove and can’t hold their nerve! After breakfast in Avebury and a quick visit to our second set of ancient stones, The Avebury Ring, we climbed up onto the Ridgeway, a trail that would pretty much be our companion for the majority of the day (or so we thought...) We were devoid of views across the valleys either side due to the low cloud, but the wide track perched on the chalk ridge was decent enough and initially made for good going. Barbury Castle came and went, silent in the mist, Smeathe’s Ridge could well have been at the bottom of a valley for all we could see and we would have missed Ogbourne St. George had we not purposefully decided to stop there. The problem we were facing at this point was our generally slow progress. Some parts of the Ridgeway were so overgrown and so rutted that hikers were travelling faster than we were and our average speed at this point was around 4 mph. Fine if we had all the time in the world, but we still had forty miles to go and a reservation in the pub for dinner at 6pm! It’s at times like this that experience prevails and being able to adapt the route to suit the circumstances is more important than blindly following what the guidebook says. As a result, we dropped off of the Ridgeway and progressed via the parallel road to try and catch up lost time, an action that paid off over the following twenty miles allowing us to get back on schedule and re-join the Ridgeway just after Wantage. Which, coincidentally, made for a great place to stop for a late lunch sitting on King Alfred’s statue in the town centre! The Ridgeway is a stunning section, full of ancient history, littered with hill forts, barrows, hill side carvings (The White Horse) and pockets of woodland evoking images of long past travellers camping out keeping watch for local bandits or packs of roving wolves. The sun finally came out as we passed through the towns of Streatley and Goring, either side of a natural gap in the ridge worn by the River Thames, marking the end of the Ridgeway for us. We’d been heading east ever since the White Horse at Uffington and our route now switched to paralleling the Thames for the run into Reading. For a riverside trail it was surprisingly hilly but encouraged by the thought of a warm shower and a pub meal, now re-arranged for 8pm, we cruised into the Premier Inn in Reading with an hour to spare. Day 3 – Reading to Hindhead The grey clouds, both figurately and literally had lifted by this point and the ride southwards out of Reading was a marked improvement on the previous two days. Blue skies, warm sun and an interesting mix of urban sprawl, industrial expansion, wooded single track and quiet country lanes lasted for most of the morning as we wound our way towards Farnham. We stopped for lunch at a recently opened café, its shabby chic styling drawing us in after the somewhat alluring sign outside the pub next door. Refuelled we pressed on to Farnham the chalk terrain now firmly swapped for sand as we passed through heathland, plantations, commons and parks, the convoluted route necessitating constant checking of the GPS at every junction. Heathland is some of my favourite terrain and the heady scent of Scots Pines coupled with a sea of purple heather was absolutely stunning as we picked our way up onto Frensham Common. And it repeated itself twice more as we passed through Hankley and Thursley Commons a few miles further on. Hindhead has been totally transformed since the tunnel was built. What was once a bottleneck on the A3, it’s pretty shop fronts dirty from the constant stop-start vehicle traffic, has now become a beautiful town; its eastern end cul-de-sac’ed by the Devils Punchbowl and surrounding common. Our plans for accommodation were fairly loose for day three, we were definitely camping but had left the final booking until a day previous and plans for an evening meal were still not set. We opted for pub grub again and after confirming our camp site booking and asking for pub recommendations, we began a tour of the local hostelries in search for food and beer. After passing two pubs, one that was shut and one that was not serving food, we eventually ended up in The Deers Hut, three miles past our campsite! Back at the campsite, our bellies full of beer and burgers, we pitched our tarp in the shelter of a glamping cabin, showered and hit the sack for the last night of our adventure. Day 4 – Hindhead to Winchester Another torrential downpour overnight ensured the trails were wet once again. Dodging the puddles only meant we brushed past the - now expected - stinging nettles, wet bracken and brambles, opening up old wounds and soaking our feet for the fourth day running. Our route was westwards now and on the home straight back to Winchester, so these minor inconveniences really didn’t matter anymore and we could just enjoy the riding and look forward to the fourth section of the route, the South Downs. Breakfast first though, and a quick internet search alerted us to a 5 star cycle café pretty much en-route and a supermarket to stock up for lunch later on. It’s worth pointing out that this entire Cycle UK route purposefully circumvents most urban establishments meaning you’ll need to deviate off route to get food and water. If you’re used to road riding or National Cycle Network routes then please don’t expect to just come across somewhere to stop and eat or even refill your water bottle! We picked up the South Downs at South Harting and were quickly closing in on the Queen Elizabeth Country Park and Butser Hill. There’s some cracking MTB routes in the Country Park and Autumn brings a stunning swathe of gold across the valley as the Beech trees shed their green foliage. But for now, the middle of (our wet) summer, we were greeted with a dark canopy, flinty tracks the now customary wet chalk. As we emerged next to the visitor centre our brakes smoking from the steep decent, we could hear the rumble of the London to Portsmouth road and could see the steep hill to come in the distance. The underpass takes you safely to the other side of the A3 and onwards to the bottom of the long steep grassy slope of Butser Hill. There’s no shame in walking and it also gave us the chance to stop and admire the view, chat to walkers on the way and save our legs for the remaining twenty miles. We stopped for lunch and a cup of tea at the top before re-joining the South Downs ridge and cruising west again. There’s a similarity between the Ridgeway and the South Downs, they’re both chalk / flint trails, which undulate across the landscape with fantastic views all round, the South Downs having the advantage (in my opinion) of facilitating stunning views across the English Channel to the south if you’re not in the cloud. This was the hilliest day, six climbs in all, but we were on the closing stretch so didn't mind using up our remaining leg power knowing we didn't have to ride the next day. There’s a fantastic moment as you crest the hill at Twyford Down where all of a sudden Winchester comes into view, its cathedral spires rising proudly above the surrounding city. It was a poignant moment as we not only admired the view but reflected on the last four days, the first of them seeming a lifetime ago now. We finally arrived in Winchester at around 7pm, limbs aching, saddle sore, scratched and bruised as we posed for the obligatory photo next to King Alfred’s statue. A couple of guys wandered over keen to pick our brains about our journey. It turned out they were starting the route the next day and given the filthy state of our bikes were concerned about whether their gravel bikes were up to the job! It's an amazing route and one we'd both have no hesitancy recommending to anyone looking for a cracking multiday adventure! Tips for bikepacking The King Alfred's Way Route: 220miles (355km), 4550m total ascent (approx.) The route starts and finishes in Winchester which has good connections for both road and rail. There are no public signs for this route (as you might find for National Cycle Network trail) so you will need a GPS or map for direction finding. Day 1 – Winchester to All Cannings - 59 miles (95km), 1030m ascent, 3 x C5 climbs. Winchester, Sparsholt, King’s Somborne, Houghton, Broughton, Middle Winterslow, Old Sarum Hill Fort - Salisbury, Amesbury, Stonehenge/Larkhill, (Salisbury Plain), Orcheston, Tilshead, Market Lavington, All Cannings. Day 2 – All Cannings to Reading - 58 miles (93 km), 1055m ascent, 5 x C5 climbs. All Cannings to Reading. All Cannings, Alling Down, B'hmpton & Avebury, (Ridgeway), Barbury Hill, Ogborne St. George, Foxhill, Uffington Castle (White Horse), Streatley & Goring, (Thames Path), Whitchurch-on-Thames, Reading Day 3 – Reading to Bramshott Common - 55 miles (87km), 835m ascent, 3 x C5 climbs. Reading, Riseley, Crockham Village, Ewshot, Farnham, Frensham Common, Hankley Common, Thursley Common, Hindhead Common, Hindhead, Bramshott Common. Day 4 – Bramshott Common to Winchester - 46 miles (73km), 1035 ascent, 5 x C5 climbs. Bramshott, Weavers Down, Liss, (South Downs Way), Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Butser Hill, Old Winchester Hill, Exton, Cheesefoot Head, Winchester. The attachment below is a .gpx file of the entire route without detours for overnight stops. Please feel free to download and modify to suit your own adventure accordingly. There is a version on the Cycling UK website which features route notes alongside each waypoint but I found this was incompatible with my Garmin GPS. Accommodation: Day 1 – Little Owls Camping, 3 South Farm, All Cannings, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 3JX. https://www.littleowlscamping.co.uk/ Day 2 – Premier Inn Reading (Caversham Bridge) hotel, Richfield Avenue, Reading, Berks RG1 8EQ. https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/berkshire/reading/reading-caversham-bridge.html Day 3 – Old Barn Farm Camping, Hewshott Lane, Liphook, GU30 7SY. http://www.oldbarnfarm.estate/ Eating: I haven't included any of the local shops we used for general supplies on route as these can be found in most villages. The list below contains the main places we stopped for an "eat-in" meal. Toby Carvery Caversham Bridge, Reading. https://www.tobycarvery.co.uk/restaurants/south-east/cavershambridgereading Nibbles Café, The St, Crookham Village, Fleet GU51 5SJ The Deers Hut (Pub), Longmoor Rd, Griggs Green, Liphook GU30 7PD https://thedeershutpub.co.uk/ Turtle Bean cafe, 41-43 Station Rd, Liss GU33 7DP https://turtlebeancafe.co.uk/ Equipment: Felt Edict, full suspension mountain bike, running Maxxis Ardent 2.25 tyres Bikepacking bags: Self-made bar bag (15ltr), Topeak seat pack (16ltr), self-made frame bag (3ltrs), Topeak top tube bag (0.5ltr), Evoc Hip Pack Pro (3ltr) Sleeping: Tarp, ground sheet, Bug bivi, sleeping bag, inflatable mattress and pillow Cycling clothes: Helmet, gloves, glasses, cycling shoes, padded cycling shorts, zip off trousers, wool t-shirt, short sleeve shirt, arm warmers, neck buff, windproof smock. Spare clothes: Down gilet, light weight fleece, zip off trouser legs, socks, underwear, waterproof jacket Wash kit, towel and first aid items Collapsible seat and sit mat Stove, gas, mug, spork Food Head torch, multitool Mobile phone, GPS, GoPro, Drone, battery(s), charger, cables Bike tools, innertube, pump, lights Notes: Guide Book The Cycling UK guidebook is an excellent resource, providing a huge amount of information on the terrain, bike, kit, navigation, safety and the historical aspects of the entire route. It also provides useful considerations on how many days to break the route into and where to stay along the way. The guide can be downloaded here: https://www.cyclinguk.org/king-alfreds-way Bike choice This is definitely not a National Cycle Network Route. The guidebook says it's an off-road route, which I'd agree with, and they also suggest it can be ridden on a gravel bike - to which I'd have mixed thoughts. Two significant considerations will be the weather and the amount of equipment you’re intending to take. Weather - if the weather has been good over the preceding weeks and the trails are dry at the time of your trip then a gravel bike is fine. If you're attempting the route in Spring or Autumn (or even Winter), or when the trails are wet, I would definitely recommend a MTB. Equipment weight - If you're planning to self cater the whole way and your bike is loaded up with bags and gear then I'd suggest a MTB is the better choice. The terrain is quite varied: there’s plenty of chalk, which when wet is like ice and always mixed with tyre slashing flint. The earth over Salisbury is a kind of clay / gravel mix that clogs your tyres and throws up small sharp rocks. The heathland around Hindhead has wide tracks of 'wash-out inducing' sand. Much of the first 120 miles crosses washboard corrugated farm land and a good percentage of tracks are just generally muddy bridleways. The flip side to this are beautiful quiet country lanes, dusty single track and loamy wooded trails. Whatever bike you look to take, you’ll need a low gear ratio for the hills, wide tyres with a thick casing to protect from the sharp flint, a decent grip for wet chalk and mud and plenty of volume to iron out the washboard terrain. We both rode full suspension cross country mountain bikes and they were perfect. I locked out my rear suspension for a couple of days as I was suffering from some bag rub, so would suggest a hard tail MTB is a good choice as well. We met a fair few people on gravel bikes, none of whom were camping / carrying camping gear. Parking in Winchester Car parking facilities in Winchester are not great as most car parks only allow up to 24 hr parking. I did read that some people have 'fed the meter', remotely via an app for a number of 24hr periods, but the car park terms and conditions suggested I may be returning to a parking ticket if I tried to extend the stay past the maximum single visit. You could park outside the city itself and then cycle a mile or so to the start. We found a Premier Inn just on the outskirts that allowed us to park for the entire four days. Distance vs days The guide book contains some excellent information to help you to work out how many days you should break the journey into. We chose four days of approximately 55 miles a day. Obviously it all depends on your fitness, the weather / time of year, the amount of equipment you're carrying, whether you're camping or B&B'ing, even the amount of time you have available. I would however offer a thought that perhaps day 2, All-Cannings, to Reading, is quite a long stretch for one day. If everything is on your side then it's perfectly doable. But, as we found, the trails were slow making it a very, very long day.

We've enjoyed a number of joint-family adventures over the years and this one was originally planned for Summer 2020. But as the previous diary date had come and gone due to the Covid pandemic, the Nation decided to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee over the 2022 late May bank holiday, perfect for our long-awaited two-day Isle of Wight cycling adventure. Day 1 - Cowes to Shanklin With eight bikes packed onto two cars we headed out of London to catch the 10am Red Funnel, Southampton to East Cowes, car ferry. The journey was good and by 9:15am we were wheeling our bikes from the Triangle Car Park into the terminal building next door. Our kit was packed either on our backs or in dry bags strapped to the handle bars (bike-packing style). Boarding was dead simple via a quick check-in and a cycle lane straight on board the sizeable car ferry. Our friends were accompanied by the latest addition to their family, Sonny, a four month old Cocker Spaniel, who not only had his own bike trailer but also enjoyed a dog friendly bar on the top floor of the ferry. As soon as we departed the Red Funnel ferry, we turned right to cross another waterway this time on a chain link ferry, or floating bridge, taking us from East Cowes to Cowes for the start of the route proper. The Red Squirrel Trail is pretty much National Cycle Network route no. 23, running from Cowes to Sandown then onto Shanklin via, mostly traffic-free, old rail lines and dedicated paths. The return via a southern loop takes in Wroxall and Godshill on the Stenbury Trail before re-joining NCN #23 at Merstone. The route is around 32 miles long and we chose to split the trip into two days. The first was from Cowes to Shanklin at around 16.5 miles and the second day 15.5 miles with just a fraction more climbing. A short cycle through the houses takes you to the start of a former train line that forms much of the route following the River Medina from Cowes to Sandown. It's a wonderful trail, comprising of arched tree canopies, a good surface and every so often breaks in the foliage providing sweeping views out over the water. Unfortunately the beginning of the trail wasn’t going to be as smooth as our promised surface as a rather catastrophic mechanical failure brought the team to an abrupt stop when a rear derailleur managed to wind itself backwards, bending the hanger and snapping the jockey wheel cage clean off! After the heat of the moment had subsided, two of us walked a couple of hundred metres back down the path to Adrians Bike Shop in Cowes. After chatting with the wonderful staff we quickly elected to hire a bike for a very reasonable charge and leave the broken machine with them until our return the next day. Back on the route and eager to press on, we quickly made our way south along tarmac lanes passing through Newport in just under an hour. We'd elected to carry a packed lunch and knew we'd be hungry due to the early morning start so we found a peaceful spot just inside a farm field near Blackwater to eat our picnic and catch a few winks under the warm summer sun. On this occasion we should have perhaps held on for a little longer as the old station at Merstone, just one mile further along the trail, would have provided us with picnic tables, a BBQ and dedicated bike rack. (Images taken on the return leg) The continuing trail is much of the same, this time a little more open as it winds itself in a south easterly direction towards Sandown. The route is well sign posted all the way and deposits you neatly at the sea front at Sandown right next to a perfectly placed ice cream shop! The next 2 miles were a beautiful easy cruise down the Espanade with the English Channel on your left all the way into Shanklin. Our accommodation was the Harrow Lodge Hotel in Shanklin. A lovely 2 star hotel with friendly and helpful staff. The hotel is at the top of a hill, a short push (or ride for those with low gears) up from the sea-front to just outside the clifftop lift built in the late 1950's. After our bikes were securely locked away we ended our day with fish and chips on the sea wall and a pint (for those that could). DAY 2 - Shanklin to Cowes The weather reports had been threatening a wet second day and the heavy overnight rain certainly reinforced the point. As we munched on a tasty full English breakfast we were already thinking of fleeces and water proofs for the return journey. But as we set off into the grey sea mist, the air felt warm and the heavens remained leak free tempting us to remove our layers and trust the u-turned weather reports. We knew the first part of day 2 would be fairly hilly for those with little legs so we took it easy as we wound our way out of Shanklin via the off-road Stenbury Trail towards Wroxall and Godshill. Appuldurcombe House, and its majestic arched gate were both impressive and eery, a glimmer of former life and times. Passing through the ancient iron gate marked the point of a down hill route pretty much all the way into Cowes, 10 miles further on. The route joined back on to NCN #23 at Merstone where this time we made full use of the picnic tables, even just if it was for a few mid-ride snacks and a drink from our water bottles. One of the boys had tried to get us to stop at a trail side café just outside Newport on the first day, with the lure of ice creams, cold beer and "Bikes & Dogs welcome" as displayed on the blackboard. So we'd ear marked it for the return journey and turned right, off the trail, crossing the stream and into.... Newclose County Cricket Ground!?! Newclose Bar and Cafe Don't be fooled though, the trek around the grassy boundary into the cricket club is well worth the diversion as the food is superb and facilities excellent. We enjoyed an assortment of dishes: cream teas; jacket potatoes; tuna sandwiches and Sonny devoured a portion of dog friendly ice cream! We sat on the benches in the warm sun and despite delaying the inevitable restart with extra cups of tea, we knew we needed to press on with the last seven miles to Cowes for our 3:30pm ferry. The cruise back was good, along a mix of gravel and concrete paths and before we knew it we were back at the trail head, returning the hire bike and threading our way through the back streets towards the chain link ferry. Progress was so good we managed to hop on the earlier ferry and were back on the mainland loading the bikes onto the cars by 4pm. Tips for cycling The Red Squirrel Trail Route The Red Squirrel Trail was created by amalgamating two popular themed trails – The Sunshine Trail and the Troll Trail, in order to facilitate a circular route that could connect to the mainland via the ferry to Southampton. Full details, including the history, routes (both printable maps and .gpx files) and things to see and do on the way can be found on the Red Squirrel Trail website: https://redsquirreltrail.org.uk/ I used the brilliant cycle.travel website to plan the actual route. It is, in my opinion, a far better route planning tool than many of the more "mainstream" tools as it's developed and maintained by real UK based cyclists and someone who truly understands maps! https://cycle.travel/ Day 1 - Cowes to Shanklin, Red Squirrel Trail (northern loop) - 16.5 miles (27km), 125m ascent. Relatively flat, small hills at Sandown and Shanklin Cowes (0), Newport (5), Blackwater (7), Merstone (top of hill) (9), Sandown (14), Shanklin (16), Slope to get to hotel (16.5) (Maps and images courtesy of cycle.travel) Day 2 - Shanklin to Cowes, Red Squirrel Trail (southern loop) - 15.5 miles (25 miles), 165m ascent. Undulating, Shanklin to Appuldurcombe gate (4.5 miles), then descent all the way to Cowes (11 miles) Shanklin (0), Wroxall (3), Godshill (5), Blackwater (9), Newport (11), Cowes (15) (Maps and images courtesy of cycle.travel) The attachments below are .gpx files of the entire route split over our two days. Please feel free to download and modify to suit your own adventure accordingly. Alternatively, routes can be found here, although I haven't checked these myself. https://redsquirreltrail.org.uk/downloads/ We'd planned this ride for 2020 when the kids were aged 9, 12 and 14. Back then I think it would have been perfect for their age range, but now I would suggest the older kids could have easily ridden further given the flat route and excellent paved trail surface. Accommodation The Harrow Lodge Hotel (dog and bike friendly) 31 Palmerston Rd, Shanklin PO37 6BD. 01983 862 800 https://www.harrowlodge.co.uk/ Eating Horizons Take-Away and Cafe, Esplanade, Sandown Bayside Fish and Chips, Esplanade, Shanklin PO37 6BG Newclose County Cricket Ground, Blackwater Rd, Newport PO30 3BE These establishments were recommended although we didn't visit them on this trip: Newchurch - Peddallers Café Sandown – The Beach Shack, Western Esplanade, Sandown PO36 8JS. +44 1983 401392 Shanklin - The Salix Beach Café, Esplanade, Shanklin PO37 6BG. +44 7772 056204 Equipment We all carried a variation on the list below. Four of us transported our kit in drybags strapped to the handlebars, bikepacking style, others used rucksacks. Hybrid or MTB bike in good functioning condition. Water bottle or water bladder (min 1 ltr) Cycling clothes: Helmet, gloves, glasses, shoes, padded cycling shorts, over-shorts, wicking t-shirt, fleece, waterproof Spare clothes for the hotel, or the next day if day 1 clothes get wet (some of us also carried spare shoes) Wash kit, personal items Money, mobile phone etc. Maps, GPS, spare batteries etc. Bike tools, innertubes (to cover tyre sizes), pump, lights Useful info (Accurate at the time of publishing) Ferry Red Funnel Ferries. Southampton to East Cowes Terminal 1, Dock Gate 7 (Royal Pier), Town Quay Road, Southampton SO14 2AL 0238 001 9192 https://www.redfunnel.co.uk/ Southampton Parking Triangle Car Park Platform Rd, Southampton SO14 2HJ 0203 046 0010 https://www.trianglecarpark.com/ Chain link ferry East Cowes - Cowes Chain link ferry East Cowes PO32 6SL http://www.iwfloatingbridge.co.uk/ Cycle repair: Adrian's Bike Shop, Unit 4, Medina Court, Arctic Rd, Cowes PO31 7XD, +44 1983 755007 Wight Cycle Hire, Newport Halfords, Newport Red Squirrel Electric Bikes, Newport Wight Mountain, Newport. 31 Orchard St, Newport PO30 1JZ. +44 1983 520530 Al's Bikes, Unit 8, Senator Trading Estate, College Cl, Sandown PO36 8EH. 07962373277 W/C: West Cowes - Medina Rd/Floating Bridge, Cowes PO31 7BX Newport - Church Litten/South Street, Newport PO30 1JD Sandown - Pier Street, Sandown PO36 8JJ Shanklin - Esplanade Gardens, Shanklin PO37 6EL Godshill - Godshill Car Park, Godshill PO38 3JD

Update May 2022 - Another amazing adventure! But it hasn't quite made it onto here yet... Please continue to check back regularly as I'm updating the blog as quickly as time allows. If you're looking for more family orientated adventure, then please take a look at our recent Red Squirrel Trail Adventure on the Isle of Wight. Somehow that trip has made it onto the blog ahead of this one... Apologies if you've come here looking for a wonderfully descriptive, inspiring read all about Cycling UK's new route, The West Kernow Way. If you check back in late May 2022 after I've ridden all 150 miles, then you'll probably find exactly that, but for the time being I thought I share a few thoughts on the route and my preparation. "The West Kernow Way takes in many of the highlights of the western half of the Cornish peninsula, including the Botallack tin mines, the Bronze Age monument Mên-an-Tol, Land’s End, St Michael’s Mount and Lizard Point. Expect spectacular coastal scenery, hedgerows bursting with wildflowers and ancient tracks across isolated moorland. There’s no denying it will be a challenge, with over 4,200m of climbing – but all that exertion provides a worthy excuse to sample the excellent Cornish cuisine. Designed to be ridden over three to four days, the route links together bridleways, byways, lost ways and quiet lanes to escape the tourist hotspots and discover hidden treasures which reveal the history and culture of the region." CyclingUK As ever, the route is meticulously planned and brilliantly described in a full colour guide book, available as a download or traditional book. The guide not only details the route, but the history, culture and hint & tips for creating an epic trip! https://www.cyclinguk.org/west-kernow-way Itinerary I'm planning to ride with my brother again and we've chosen to complete the route over three days of approximately 50 miles each. We start at Penzance train station and spend two nights out on route before returning to Penzance, via St. Michael's Mount at the end of the third day. Rather than camp this year we've elected for a B&B and a hotel allowing us to keep the kit to a minimum and the weight of the bikes low. Day 1 - Penzance to St. Erth - 45 miles (72km), 950m ascent. 6 x cat. 5 climbs Day 2 - St. Erth to Gweek (Helston) - 48 miles (77km), 1150m ascent. 5 x cat 5 climbs Day 3 - Helston to St. Michaels Mount (Penzance) - 56 miles (90km), 1200m ascent. 1 x cat 3 & 1 x cat 5 ascent There's stacks of camping sites all around the route, so we'd be spoiled if we were taking a tent. Unfortunately none of Cornwall's amazing YHA's coincide for a three day split and B&B's and hotels are a little more thin on the ground than you'd expect for a popular holiday destination. Perhaps a four day split would work out better? We're staying in the Star Inn in St. Erth on the first night and a solidly reliable Premier Inn in Helston (a 3 mile detour off route) on the second night. Route Finding a simple, accurate, GPS route always seams to elude me. That's why, in the main, I tend to make my own from scratch. I also find that many GPX files don't work on my GPS (a Garmin Oregon 600) and the versions on Cycling UK are always a bit hit and miss. I've created the route here on Map My Ride, by painstakingly cross referencing the version on Cycling UK, with Ordnance Survey Maps, Google Maps and Google Street View, so hopefully it should be a pretty accurate representation. Map my Ride link: https://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/4834943530 Or you can down load the GPX file here: Or view the route on Google Earth via the .kml file here: If however you still want to just go with the official GPX file, here's a couple of links. The first to Cycling UK's website and the second to Ride with GPS. Cycling UK: https://www.cyclinguk.org/route/west-kernow-way-gpx-and-map Ride with GPS: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37378549 Bike I rode my full suspension bike for last years King Alfred's Way adventure and it was a perfect choice. Although our trip was in early August, it was wet, muddy, slippery and in parts quite rough. The bike carried the load whilst floating over the rough stuff providing armchair comfort for all 230 miles. Looking at the terrain for The West Kernow Way, there appears to be a greater quantity of road and rough trail and hopefully less slop. I'm planning to take the Adventure bike this time, its first long distance journey since its complete rebuild at the back end of 2021. The Mk2 "Adventure bike" I always try and select a suitable tyre to match the terrain, and for this trip the choice is easy enough. It'll be the (hugely underrated, imo) Schwalbe Land Cruiser 700c x 45. It's a cracking tyre both on an off-road and just enough robustness to repel trail damage without being too heavy. Bags As we're not carrying camping gear this time, I won't need a huge amount of kit. Most of the equipment will be stowed in my home made rear 2 x 8ltr dry-bag system and my home made frame bag (3 ltr). Camera gear and day-to-day bits and pieces will then go in my Topeak 5 ltr bar bag, which I first used on my 5 day ride along NCN #2. Tools will go in a small under seat pouch and snacks in a top tube bag. Home made rear rack and dry-bag system (2 x 8ltr), tools in the Specialized underseat bag Home made frame bag (3ltr) Topeak bar bag (5ltr) - for camera and day-to-day bits Equipment List Specialized CrossTrail Elite Custom "Adventure bike" c/w drop bars, mullet 1 x11 40T 11-46t gearing and Schwalbe Land Cruiser 700c x 45 tyres Bikepacking bags: Self-made rear rack and bag system (2 x 8ltr), Topeak bar bag (5ltr), Self made frame bag (3ltr), Specialized seat pack (0.5ltr), Topeak top tube bag (0.5ltr), Evoc Hip Pack Pro (3ltr) Cycling clothes: Helmet, gloves, glasses, cycling shoes, padded cycling shorts, shorts, wool t-shirt, gilet, arm warmers, neck buff, windproof smock. Spare clothes: Wool t-shirt, light weight fleece, leggings, socks, underwear, waterproof jacket and spare shoes. Wash kit, towel and first aid items Leatherman multitool, bike tools, innertube, pump, lights Mobile phone, GPS, GoPro, Drone, battery(s), charger, cables Check back here in June of this year to see how we got on. And if you're interested in how to go about planning a trip like this or want to read any of my other adventures, then click the links in the toolbar. Happy adventuring! Cycling UK's - West Kernow Way

In 2019, just before I embarked on my NCN route #2 adventure, I built an "Adventure bike". The name was really just to inspire me to get out and explore more of the UK, but the bike itself had to be a "do-it-all" machine allowing me to enjoy the best of our beautiful scenery in what I feel cycling in the UK is all about. And it's built around a Hybrid bike. The Mk 1 Adventure bike Why a Hybrid? Well, in my experience, riding in the UK means crossing every type of terrain and encountering all four seasons, including an obligatory dose of mud, all in the space of a few hours. Much of our "off-road" is access via journeys "on-road" so for me the beauty is combining both terrains into day (or longer) adventures. And if you look past the "Hybrid" title, then you start to uncover some interesting aspects that, in my opinion, make them the perfect platform for a do-it-all, go anywhere, all terrain bike for the UK. I also think this is where the current UK Gravel bike trend is heading and I think they'll eventually become the best all terrain bikes for UK riding, although they still have a degree of evolution to go. Some of the hidden gems overlooked on Hybrid bikes: Built around a 50mm to 65mm suspension fork and a 700c (29'er) wheel size Can run 700c or 27.5" (650b) wheels Clearance for a circa 50mm tyre Long wheel base which is good for trail stability Long and sloping top tube which increases stand-over height, cockpit manoeuvrability and great for avoiding toe strike. Classic 73° seat angle and 69°-70° head angle - a sweet spot for riding both on and off-road Circa 450mm seat stays - great for stability but still short enough for efficient climbing I've recently re-built my original flat bar Adventure bike, and in order to fund the build I sold my road bike. Although I was sad to see my old Planet X Pro Carbon go, riding on 25mm wide tyres, with no suspension and rim brakes (and being an MTB'er at heart) just wasn't doing it for me anymore. However, as my plan was to build the Mk2 Adventure bike with drop bars, I'd still have a bike with my preferred hand position for long days on the road. Ergo the new Adventure bike would take the place of both the old road bike and the original flat bar Adventure bike. And this is it... Like it's predecessor, it's based around a Specialized CrossTrail Hybrid frame. Real world aspects like 'budget' and 'parts availability' featured heavily in the build. Other than the frame, all the components have come from the Mk1 Adventure bike, been purchased new or found by rummaging around the parts bin. Spec: Frame: 2018 Specialized CrossTrail Elite Carbon Fork: Rockshox Paragon Gold RL with (Oneloc) lock-out activated from the left GRX brake / shift lever, incorporating a 2:1 ratio cable pulley hack. Wheels: DT Swiss RR521 rims on Shimano XT 11sp hubs Groupset (Shimano): XT 11 sp rear derailleur, XT 11-46t cassette, GRX810 40T crankset, GRX600 levers, Ultegra 68mm BB. And the magic part - a Wolf Tooth Tanpan which handles the GRX to XT shifting ratio conversion. Brakes: GRX600 levers, GRX 400 160mm rear and Deore 5100 180mm front Bars: PNW Coast 52cm Stem: Specialzed 45mm (was a Felt 90mm) Seat post: PNW Coast suspension dropper with bar mounted lever Seat: Ergon SR Comp Pedals: Shimano XT T8000 trekking Tyres: Schwalbe Landcruiser 700 x 45 (running tubes at present) How does it ride: Smooth and fast like a 29'er on steroids! The tyre width just soaks up the awful UK road bumps and cracks and the suspension seat post and fork do a fantastic job of smoothing out the off-road trail lumps. It's not quite an XC MTB but it's not far short. The frame is just how I like it, fast accelerating and it loves to climb. Cable pull ratio's between brands make mullet hacks really tricky but I'm impressed with the Wolf Tooth Tanpan which effortlessly converts the GRX road shift ratio to XT MTB shift ratios. And the left hand shifter actuating the lock out on my fork via a 2:1 ratio pulley wheel is perfect for flitting between road and trail. The 1 x 11sp 40T x 11-46t range gives me around 25 to 103 gear inches, which although not quite the spread I would like, is good enough for now. I've been running 1x set-up's since 2004, primarily due to the amount of mud a front derailleur attracts in the UK. My my previous 2 x 11 set-up on the mk1 Adventure bike was perhaps a bit optimistic so it's back to a 1x this time around. Wide bars give me more control and Pacific North West's (PNW) Coast bar at 52cm does exactly that. I've gone from a 42cm road drop bar to this new wider size and honestly it feels so much more natural, particularly as I'm used to 660mm+ flat bars. The dropper post was a must. The hybrid geometry does a superb job of shifting the riders weight backwards into a less aggressive / less front heavy position, but the dropper just adds that extra weight shift capability when the terrain starts getting steep. Plus it has built in suspension, something I've been running on all my hard tails (road bike included) since the early 2000's. What I also love about this frame is it still has a decent amount of lugs and fitment points, allowing me to attach my bespoke rear rack and multi position water bottles to head off for a bikepacking adventure whenever I feel the urge. And its flexibility doesn't stop there - all I need to do is swap the suspension fork for a rigid carbon version and stick a set of 28mm or 32mm slick tyres on and I've got my road bike back again, albeit better suited for touring on UK roads. Bikepacking with rigid Niner forks and 35mm Schwalbe Marathon Mondial's... ...and for fast road touring with 32mm Continental GP5000's What’s more, I still have a set of flat bars, shifters and levers that would allow me to swap the drop bars out for a flat bar set-up if I felt the journey necessitated. So is it perfect? It’s certainly getting there, and that's the fun of pioneering something new and experimenting with bikes not readily made for the mainstream. If I had an unlimited budget then a non mullet hack, 1 x 12 speed, 10-50 ish setup with thru axle hubs and carbon rims would be on the list... which would then necessitate a frame change.... which I’d then spec with more luggage fitment points… and so on… I’ve recently swapped the 90mm stem for a 45mm version which has tightened the steering up immensely when using the suspension fork. At 90mm (the only one I had in the parts bin) it felt a little front biased, I think also due to the weight of the fork compared to the frame. I've also found a 70mm long stem works well with the rigid Niner fork. I've also been running a set of Soma Cazadero 700c x 50 tyres this winter which have been amazing. I’m now more convinced that narrower, rather than wider tyres, are better for UK winters as they don’t get so bogged down in all the slop. So is this the future of the Gravel bike? I believe the Gravel bike will continue to evolve into the perfect go anywhere, adventure / bikepacking bike for the UK, fitting neatly between a road bike and an XC MTB. They will become the final incarnation of the Hybrid. They will evolve to be longer and slacker, but more importantly with less aggressive geometry, shifting rider weight up and back. 700c wheels with 45-50mm wide "all-terrain" tyres, 60mm front suspension (with lock-out capability), either flat or wide drop bars, suspension / dropper seat posts, MTB gearing and brakes. Geometry Less aggressive and more upright. Longer top tube, shorter stems, longer wheel base, longer chain stays, sloping top tubes etc. Pretty much as the 2018 Specialized CrossTrail! Details from Specialized concept store - CrossTrail Elite Carbon Front suspension In 2016 I toured the Isle of Wight with a bunch of mates, wild camping and mixing the route between off-road trails and road sections. I'd re-built my old Cannondale CAAD3 for the retro trip and it served me well enough. I'd put my old rigid "Pepperoni" forks back on and ran 26" x 1 1/4" Schwalbe Marathon tyres. Although it was primarily an on-road adventure, there were a number of off-road trails. It was perhaps the first time I'd ridden off-road in around 15 years without front suspension... never again. It was too jarring and too slow! From that point on I made a pact with myself that any bike I owned, that even vaguely ventured off road, would have front suspension. So, if 100mm travel is still XC MTB territory, I think the sweet spot for Gravel will be around 60mm with lock-out capability. Wheels 700c / 29'er is the place to be. 650 is only really there, in my opinion, because of the need for more tyre volume to dampen the ride due to a lack of suspension and a 700 x 50mm + doesn't always fit in the frame due to current Gravel bike geometry. In terms of rim width, I reckon anything around 20 - 23mm inner width depending on the tyre and the type of tyre profile you're comfortable to run. (see below) Tyres Dual purpose tyres are never going to be good at the extremes of road and off-road. I run anywhere from 23mm to 2.6" rubber across a number of my bikes and 45 - 50mm feels about the right balance. As the terrain and speeds get more challenging there needs to be a shift towards slightly heavier MTB style rubber with better all-round damage protection. Unfortunately this will forego some of the 'supple' feel, but when you're running suspension it's not so noticeable. I think tyre treads for a UK "all terrain" application need to become more 'all-round' with a raised solid central section for tarmac, intermediate knobbles and larger outer lugs for bite when the terrain gets loose or muddy. The rubber compound needs to match the various knobble profiles. Firmer to the middle, softer towards the outer. Some good examples are the Soma Cazadero, Schwalbe's old school Landcruiser, the Continental Ride Tour and perhaps the Teravail Washburn. In terms of tyre pressure - 40psi feels about the right balance between road and trail. I currently still run tubes (with added sealant) in my road / gravel biased bikes and am probably not likely to change for the time being. Gearing Forget the current road gearing, which in my opinion is completely over geared for anyone less than a professional UCI cyclist anyway. Real world ratios with an added dose of off-road hill climbing squeezed in. Ideally 20 to 110 gear inches with as smaller gaps / jumps as possible. 2x set-ups work really well with the lower range for off-road and the higher range for on-road. I prefer 1x set-ups and with the right range they also suit a gravel bike. Perhaps something like 12sp 1 x 40T x 10-50 ish? Brakes A firm shift towards XC MTB brakes with 180mm front and 160mm rear rotors and perhaps twin pot brakes on the front. The hand-on-the-hood position isn't great for braking but bigger discs or more powerful brakes will compensate for this. Bars Options for either drop bars or flat bars depending on your adventure or riding style. Drops: 50cm+ wide with 40mm - 50mm long stems Flats: mid-range flat bars, say 660mm to 720mm wide with 50mm - 70mm stems Seatposts As riders push the terrain limits of current Gravel bikes, I believe we'll see more suspension and / or suspension dropper posts, anything to dampen the terrain and also help shift weight back when going down hill. So what next? Firstly, I have a huge amount of respect for forward thinking companies like Wolf Tooth Components and PNW Components who make the kind of stuff that allows people like me to build bikes like this. https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/ https://www.pnwcomponents.com/ I believe in a just a few years time, if you're looking for the perfect do-it-all bike for UK riding, it will possibly look something like this and the only real choice will be whether you opt for flat or drop bars. "Gravel" will become the new word for "Hybrid" and Roadies and MTB'ers will sit happily together swapping tales of baggy shorts & leg shaving, drinking beer & expresso's! (Ok, maybe not the last part!) #gravelisthenewhybrid

The King Alfred's Way cycle route. 220 miles in aid of Motor Neurone Disease Association. Update: WE DID IT! What an amazing ride and a great sense of achievement. We got drenched, cooked, stung, scratched, bumped. Sore hands, sore back, sore... well... entire lower half! But we're grateful and very fortunate to be able to do these activities. Anyone living with Motor Neurone Disease doesn't have this choice. Thank you to everyone for your extremely generous donations and support, this certainly kept us going when the riding was tough! It's not too late to make a donation - now you know we have done it! Thank you. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kaw2021 The King Alfred's Way cycle route. 220 miles in aid of Motor Neurone Disease Association. This July my brother (Tim) and I have decided to tackle The King Alfred's Way cycle route. And as the 220 mile journey was going to be the longest distance Tim had ever ridden we want to make the journey worthwhile by fundraising for a charity close to his heart; the Motor Neurone Disease Association. King Alfred's Way is a 220 mile (350km) circular off-road adventure route through 10,000 years of history, connecting some of England’s most iconic sites. The route starts and finishes in Winchester and encompasses parts of The Ridgeway, The Thames Path, and the South Downs Way. https://www.cyclinguk.org/king-alfreds-way We’re aiming to complete the route in 4 days, giving us the opportunity to view some of the sites and document our adventure. We'll be overnighting in bivvy bags - with one 'luxury' stop at a hotel in Reading. Our ride takes place from the 24th to the 27th July 2021. We'll be posting updates as we go on my Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/nick_adventuring/ Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kaw2021 Thank you for supporting us!