Salisbury to Guildford cycle epic

I need to start getting back into shape for doing Lands End to John O'Groats later this year. This will require around 60 miles a day, so I will try some rides of similar length. This week I did Salisbury to Guildford, map here.

I took the train from Woking to Salisbury, starting the ride around 1030 am. I followed the route of my 3 July 2014 blog to Winchester, though this time I stuck to roads, and didn't try to follow the Roman Road bridleways: they looked pretty much as they did last year: overgrown and impassable on a bike. I grabbed lunch in the Crown Inn in King's Somborne, and a cuppa and cake in the Cathedral refectory at Winchester.

The pastoral NCN23 took me onward past Avington Park house and lake to Alresford. Then for a change from NCNs I struck across country south of the A31 via Ropley (short stretch on the A31: I used the pavement), the Farringdons and Binsted to Alice Holt Forest, arriving just in time to get welcome refreshments at the snack bar just before it closed at 6pm. This stretch over the Hampshire countryside was a pleasure: rolling countryside on quiet lanes for the most part.

I then skirted the leafy suburbs of Farnham to join the NCN22 at Seale for the run down to Guildford via the brake-burning descent of The Mount. Arrived under the town clock in the High Street just as it was striking 8pm. Around 70 miles in 9.5 hours. Probably need to improve my average speed: I will either have to cut down on the tea stops or cycle faster. Tricky!

In its own right this ride provides an excellent cross section through the countryside of Wiltshire, Hampshire and Surrey. The lanes cover some quite high ground with distant views (the highest point according to my GPS is around Four Marks). There are many points of interest, though I had no time to visit them this time round: Salisbury Cathedral, Old Sarum, straight stretches following the old Roman Road, Winchester Cathedral precincts, Jane Austen country, Alresford watercress beds, Alice Holt Forest trails, Watts Gallery.