Cycling UK Forum

Zulu Eleven wrote:Oh, it’s me again for this one I’m afraid Linus

The GPX route will be updated again within the next couple of days, part of that being that this was the route used for a press run, with a couple of diversions for things that we did on the way (essentially tied in with the North Downs Way anniversary festival)

I’ll reassure you that none of the roads used are ‘busy’ (apart from the centre of Canterbury obviously) in fact there’s only even a couple of busy roads being crossed. The two exceptions I’ll place on that are a short stretch of road that we cannot avoid, under the motorway, to the east of Gatton Park, the hill near Titsey place (steep downhill, I couldnt comment about using the nearby segregated NDW Footpath instead) and one short stretch after Eastwell near Ashford

All these sections are being actively lobbied for formal alternatives/solutions such as permissive shared use of a stretch of Footpath, but these things take inordinate amounts of time to solve.

Zulu Eleven wrote:To confirm, the routes will be uploaded on the existing page within the next couple of days

Weave rebalanced it a bit to concentrate on three stretches that can be reached from railway stations

Farnham to Oxted
Oxted to Hollingbourne
Hollingbourne to Dover


As prevuouslt discussed, all as off-road or quiet-road as possible, with a few short sections of busier road where we need to cross main routes. We’ve also put an alternative for day 2 that’s more ‘gravel’, but at the expense of introducing a few sections of busier road through Otford.

For all the routes you may notice a couple of, ahem, sections where we have obviously been forced to divert the route onto a road due to a section of Footpath... (make of that what you will in accordance with formal CUK policy on public footpaths) but you’ll likely be able to see the bits we are lobbying for improvements.

A shout up that we know there are some persistent path obstructions around the Borough Green & Wrotham area in the middle of the “off-road” day 2, blocked gates to prove that traveller access etc, etc which the highway authority are working on resolving,

LinusR wrote:Has anyone ridden any of this route?

MikeF wrote:I don't see how it's possible to cycle some of the existing North Downs Way eg around the Oxted area. Also I wouldn't want to see it made possible to cycle it in some places, unless the route deviated from the existing route. It's portrayed as a hill top ride, which it is in places, but in many places it isn't. It's very different from the South Downs.

Edit I see that much around Oxted is on roads so hardly North Downs Way. You don't need mountain bikes for that.

The North Downs Way unlike the South Downs Way is not horse/ cycle friendly throughout but we are working with Cycling UK to make the North Downs Way more accessible to cyclists and riders.

[...]

The North Downs Way is predominantly for walkers. However of the 153 miles (246 kilometres), 31 miles (50 kms) are public bridleway, 21 miles (33 kms) are Byway or Restricted Byway and 30 miles (48 kms) are metalled road. Horse riding and Cycling is not permitted on footpaths.

It should be noted that some of these footpaths are steep, narrow and winding; you wouldn't be able to ride safely even if permitted due to the ground conditions and landscape character.

LinusR wrote:[edit] Just noticed there's a good report about the route and its future development here: https://www.cyclingweekly.com/routes/south/search-gravel-bike-adventures-englands-green-pleasant-land-396116

Labrat wrote:STW published this over the weekend, with some lovely photos:

https://singletrackworld.com/2018/11/no ... -rat-race/

RickH wrote:Do note that the GPX files do each leg twice (I have commented to this effect on the Cycling UK article).

MikeF wrote:It seems to me it's pandering to yet another craze.

RickH wrote:

LinusR wrote:[edit] Just noticed there's a good report about the route and its future development here: https://www.cyclingweekly.com/routes/south/search-gravel-bike-adventures-englands-green-pleasant-land-396116

There's also the Cycling UK article (linked from the Cycling Weekly one) with GPX files. Do note that the GPX files do each leg twice (I have commented to this effect on the Cycling UK article).

MikeF wrote:It seems to me it's pandering to yet another craze, and I don't support CUK's campaign. There's far more that needs campaigning for, and this is a waste of resources.

General provisions as to long-distance routes

(1)Where it appears to the Commission, as respects any part of England or Wales, that the public should be enabled to make extensive journeys on foot or on horseback along a particular route, being a route which for the whole or the greater part of its length does not pass along roads mainly used by vehicles, the Commission may prepare and submit to the Minister a report under this section.

Looking at the area around Oxted I don't understand why the route uses Oxted station rather than Woldingham. That way the route would remain on the Downs rather than travelling along the vale below.

Zulu Eleven wrote:Really the bigger question is to begin to analyse why, despite this data, we still only have two of our fifteen flagship National Trails, whose very purpose is to encourage people out into the countryside, fully open to riders

Mike F wrote:Looking at the area around Oxted I don't understand why the route uses Oxted station rather than Woldingham. That way the route would remain on the Downs rather than travelling along the vale below.

Zulu Eleven wrote:Deliberate due to difficulties with the continuation of the route around Woldingham Quarry & Titsey - Woldingham is great as an idea but more difficult to link Eastwards off-road