Bedwyn to Basingstoke via Combe Gibbet and Watership Down

England's hilltop trails provide plenty of scope for scenic cycling. I am well familiar with the South Downs Way, and have put together routes on the North Downs, as well as exploring further afield, for example the Ridgeway, Salisbury Plain and the Wansdyke. On my recent trip along NCN246, I crossed Combe Hill, located on an impressive range of hills which seems to have no collective name, and I decided to try a ride along it. Study of the maps and railway timetables showed the ride might conveniently be accomplished between the stations at Bedwyn on the Kennet and Avon Canal and Basingstoke. I would follow the Mid-Wilts Way to Combe Gibbet, where I could then join the Wayfarers Way, a total distance of some 35 miles. My route for the day is here.

I dusted off my mountain bike for this one. I got the train from Guildford to the impressively modernised station at Reading, where I then boarded one of the hourly trains to Bedwyn, arriving there at around 11:30. It was a fine day, with a good tailwind from the North West. The start was not auspicious. My handlebar-mounted GPS unit had decided to stop working, and I missed a couple of turns, thus taking longer than necessary to reach the start of the byway up Rivar Down. This track was heavily rutted and overgrown, making cycling impossible for ordinary mortals like me. After a 4km slog, I got to the Ham road, to be greeted by the sight of yet more rutted and overgrown bridleway heading into the distance up Ham Hill. I decided to complete the next segment on road, by dropping down and passing through the villages of Ham and Inkpen, then climbing back up to the ridge, and making a short excursion up to the Combe Gibbet on Inkpen Beacon: a grizzly monument but a fine viewpoint, and evidently popular with paragliders.

Heading East from here over Walbury Hill and beyond, the quality of the track was better, and I was able to cycle most of the way, though there were some quite muddy patches after all the recent rain. At the A34, I opted to follow the optional diversion via a subway. This avoids the need to take your life in your hands crossing the very busy road, but adds over a kilometer. I was flagging a bit by this stage on this hot afternoon, and stopped for some rations. Refreshed, I pressed on. It was a long slog back up to the ridge at Ladle Hill, then on over Nuthanger Down. I was relieved that the 'gallops' above Watership Down (of bunny-book fame) provided a good track, grassy at first then stone, down to the car park on the B3051 at Whitehill. After a further stretch of bridleway, I reached a metalled lane again. I had intended to stay on bridleway as far as possible, but decided to give myself a break and followed the very pleasant lanes instead, stopping off at the welcoming Vine Inn in Hannington for a light meal before pressing on to Basingstoke station in the evening sun.

As happens rather too frequently on this line, 'signalling problems in the London area' meant there were delays, but I got back to Guildford (via Woking) whilst it was still light. A tough but satisfying, airy and quite epic ride, though were I to do it again, I would make directly on roads for Combe Gibbet and miss out that pesky rutted bridleway.

Incidentally, I always think of these hills as being 'the Berkshire Downs', but I think this title is reserved for the hills further North. After modern boundary changes, the first part (the bad bridleways) is in Wiltshire; Inkpen Hill and Walbury Hill (including Combe Gibbet) are in Berkshire, the remainder (ie the majority) of the ride is in Hampshire.