Fosse 2

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Enigmadick
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Fosse 2

Post by Enigmadick »

Lived just off the Fosse Way as a kid and half a century ago used to hitchhike up and down it to university in Bath so I'm quite taken by the idea of riding Fosse 2 in the spring.

The route stays off the main road, which is a glorified high speed rat run, and currently only goes from Newark to Bath. However to make getting to the route by rail from home in North Wales, I'm thinking of starting in Hull and going Lincoln, Newark, Bath, Bristol and Chepstow.

So anyone any experiences or observations to share?
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mjr
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Re: Fosse 2

Post by mjr »

Lincoln-Newark looks pretty easy on route 64 (as long as you aren't too wide for the A46 cycleway), or you can add a bit of 647 to cross the (gravel) Fledborough viaduct then Grassthorpe, Sutton-on-Trent, Carlton-on-Trent, Norwell and use the National Byway into Newark, which I did in reverse last summer. The viaduct is worth seeing IMO and worth the bit past the sugar factory which will win no awards!

You could ride more of Fosse Way out of Lincoln on local cycle route 93 to Witham St Hughs and then either head west to route 64, or south to ride the bypassed bit through Brough but then it looks a bit of a faff to actually connect to Newark. There's a concrete track behind the A46 hedge as far as Drove Lane but it appears to be private and gated. South of Drove Lane, there is a footway marked as a cycleway on some maps as far as Newark Services, then an astonishing set of uncontrolled crossings taking you to B6166 Lincoln Road into the town.

Bath to Bristol is the famous railway path, part of route 4.
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TrevA
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Re: Fosse 2

Post by TrevA »

Andy Curran (who lives in Bath) rode the route of the Old Fosse Way in the summer - dressed as a Roman Centurion for added effect. Worth watching the series of videos he made on it (he tried to stick as close to the original Fosse Way as possible).

https://youtube.com/channel/UCg1xap7KdhbQj12vvi6yf0g

I live a few hundred yards from the Old Fosse at Bingham in Notts. Quite a bit of the old main road is still there and rideable but some of it disappears under the new dual carriageway road. I can advise on the Newark to Leicester section.
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Re: Fosse 2

Post by Richard Fairhurst »

Fosse 2 was the brainchild of Patrick Davis, one-time Sustrans East Midlands manager (now retired, I think?) and helped by a number of Sustrans rangers from across the country.

In Leicestershire, Asfordby-Rearsby along the Wreake Valley is a lovely country-lane ride. I've not ridden the route from Leicester to Rugby (and I don't think it's signposted) but it's a pleasant enough area. Southam to Shipston-on-Stour is really enjoyable - lots of narrow, quiet lanes.

Moreton-in-Marsh is where it starts getting Cotswoldy. The short stretch of route from there to Stow-on-the-Wold is one I got signposted! Unfortunately the distance sign after Evenlode got torn down, I suspect by an anti-cycling Broadwell villager I encountered once... sigh. Broadwell's very pretty though: good pub. The green lane from there to Stow is charming though a bit bumpy. Personally my favourite route south from Stow is the byway out of Maugersbury, but Fosse2's official route goes via Lower Slaughter, which is one of those classic Cotswold tourist spots.

Great country lane route through Northleach (I got another sign put up there recently) to Cirencester. More of a 'High Cotswolds' feel for a while after Kemble, and then a newish railway path into Tetbury. Around here the Fosse Way itself is very cyclable, albeit bumpy, so you might want to choose that instead of the detours via Tetbury and Malmesbury. In due course the Fosse becomes a tarmaced road and you can follow that to Bathampton... you really notice the undulations on such a straight road! It gets a bit rat-runny on the Fosse after Colerne Airfield, so peel off onto the minor roads into Bathampton which are fabulous.

There was talk at one point about extending Fosse2 down to Exeter and perhaps beyond that onto Dartmoor, but since Patrick retired I don't think there's been any progress on that.
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TrevA
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Re: Fosse 2

Post by TrevA »

Does anyone have a link to Fosse 2? Google doesn’t find it.

Edit- found it

https://cycle.travel/route/summary/157318
Last edited by TrevA on 6 Dec 2021, 6:46pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Fosse 2

Post by Richard Fairhurst »

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Re: Fosse 2

Post by rjb »

The fosse way doesn't stop at Bath and continues down to Exeter. This route in Somerset follows some nice lanes now. :wink:
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foxyrider
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Re: Fosse 2

Post by foxyrider »

Bath - Bristol - Chepstow is straightforward enough, from Bristol centre to Chepstow there are various options to get you to Aust, flat via Avonmouth, a more 'interesting' and sometimes convoluted route out to Filton/Cribbs Causeway on the 'Concorde' route from where you can pick up signed NCN routes to the Severn. If you don't need to go into Bristol itself you can leave the B2B at Mangotsfield and follow the Ring Road path to Frenchay then head out through Stoke Gifford to Almondsbury pretty much all on signed/segregated bike paths, from there its an easy run down to the bridge..

Whilst the 'oroginal' Fosse from Tetbury to Batheaston is technically all rideable there are sections of Byway which are a mixed bag of surfaces and in places barely rideable - especially if its been wet. There are road diversions available but some do stray some distance from the Roman route. Once past Grittleton/M4 as far as Colerne airfield, its mostly a narrow lane with several quite challenging climbs and a not great surface.

After the airfield you could take the lane to the right shortly after the Three Shires Stones (the end of the estate wall) which will take you down several steep ramps into Batheaston and down to the old A4, however the B road will take you to almost the same point on a much better surface, there isn't usually much traffic except at school chucking tome and even that isn't much. From Batheaston either follow the A4 into Bath (not that bad actually as its mostly in a bus lane) or join the cycle route that follows the Avon for a bit before taking you across to the Avon & Kennet canal which from where you join it at Bathampton is tarmac right into Bath. The B2B is signed from the bus station, there are often bits of diversion in Bath but they are reasonably signed.

Several years back i rode the stretch from @ Banbury towards Leicester which i found quite busy and tedious on the fully loaded tourer, up, down, surprosingly twisty through rge villages which is okay except you are dodging HGV's, etc and often climbing/descending at the same time - not fun. The same is true south of Bath and across east Somerset, there are certainly more pleasant roads to use!
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Tiggertoo
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Re: Fosse 2

Post by Tiggertoo »

" there are certainly more pleasant roads to use!"

As Britain's density and developed areas increase, resulting in faster and heavier traffic usage, I suspect safe and pleasant roads to ride along will become rarer.
Enigmadick
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Re: Fosse 2

Post by Enigmadick »

Thanks for all the suggestions tions folks, especially at the northern end from Hull to Newark. I get as much satisfaction in riding through middle England as I do in more exotic places and am looking forward to it - about 300 miles over about a week giving plenty of time to stand and stare.
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mattheus
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Re: Fosse 2

Post by mattheus »

Looks an intresting route!

I've ridden a fair bit around Chepstow-Bristol-Bath: unless you're despereate to see Bath, I would cut cross-coutnry from Malmesbury (which is a nice town) to Chepstow. It's all quiet roads.

Bath-Bristol just adds a lot of extra urban faff, in my mind. Nice places to visit! Just a bit clumsy to ride through, IMO.
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Re: Fosse 2

Post by Enigmadick »

. Bath-Bristol just adds a lot of extra urban faff, in my mind
Not for me. Spent three wonderful years there and will undoubtedly have a non biking day in the city sightseeing and getting <i>[inappropriate word removed]</i> faced on cider, which used to cost 11p a pint in The Beehive up Lansdown Hill. You could take out 50p, get blathered on 3 pints and still have enough for the bus back to campus. It was my drug of choice at the time. Today that's Viagra.
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Re: Fosse 2

Post by mattheus »

mattheus wrote: 7 Dec 2021, 10:46am Nice places to visit!.
Enigmadick
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Re: Fosse 2

Post by Enigmadick »

Oops sorry missed that.
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Re: Fosse 2

Post by millimole »

It's curious that it avoids the B4455 which I've ridden many times over the years between Sharnford (Leicestershire) as far south on occasions to Shipton on Stour.
I've always found it a fairly quiet road and despite being very straight not one for unpleasant drivers.
The only reason I can see for missing it, is that it is boring (but allows a fair bit of mile-eating)
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