Cycling from Salisbury to Winchester and Alton

In a previous ride, I travelled from Salisbury to Winchester loosely following the old Roman road from Old Sarum. This time, I followed the 'official' cycle route 24 for some of the way, and, from Winchester, went on to Alton on routes 23 and 224. A map of my route is below.

The forecast was for a strong south-westerly wind, so I decided to do the ride from West to East, ie starting from Salisbury. I cycled from Guildford to Woking, from where I got the train to Salisbury. The timetable board on the station said that a reservation was essential for cycles, but I got on to the train with no problem, arriving in the city at about 11:15. The cycle route 24 leaves Salisbury passing the always-magnificent Cathedral, but then exits the city beside the busy A36. It was a relief to escape onto the less-busy Clarendon Road to Alderbury. From here, the route pealed off cross-country, following the pleasantly rolling Dun Valley, close to the Salisbury-Eastleigh railwayline. The route passes nearby Mottisfont Abbey National Trust property where I stopped off for a look around the gardens by the River Test.

From here, NCN24 takes a rather roundabout route to Winchester, so I headed straight across country on quiet lanes. A plan to cycle through the grounds of the IBM Research Centre at Hursley Park, was foiled by locked gates making clear this is private, hence I took a longer way round on the A3090, although this was compensated a little further on by a good off-road track from the hamlet of Silkstead, which provided a quiet approach to Winchester. I entered the city via the Hockley (disused railway) viaduct, which has been newly restored as a (very fine) cycle path.

Pausing to admire the Cathedral (round about 3.30 pm), it started to drizzle, but I decided to press on nevertheless, which proved a good decision as the drizzle soon ceased. Leaving Winchester on the Easton Road, I retraced my route of 22 June in reverse, ie along the pleasant river valley to Alresford, then climbing to Medstead (this was quite a climb so late in the day: fortunately the village shop in Medstead was open to supply energy-boosting sustenance.) From Medstead, I took route 224 to Alton: this was an excellent descent, with a particularly good downhill off-road track through the Chawton Park forest.

From Alton, I got the train back to Guildford (via Aldershot), a handy service I must make more use of to access this area. Total distance: about 50 miles. I was grateful to have that strong tailwind!