typical route conditions on KAW may/june

[lancewhitner]

Hi. I am planning to come over from the US to ride the KAW this end of May/beginning of June. Can anyone share what the "typical conditions are for the route/weather are for this time of the year? thanks... planning to stay on hotels and not camp.

[MrsHJ]

I haven’t done it but May and June are usually fabulous in this country subject to us always having somewhat unpredictable weather- I love the long evenings, they make perfect days for cycling and camping. Please note that the schools all take a break 27 May- 4 June (and then go back for a few more weeks) so I’d lean to avoiding that week if possible but obviously there will be plenty of others who will travel then- you might just need to book a head a bit more than usual.

ps for anyone else who scratched their head like I did- king Alfred’s way,

[lancewhitner]

Thank you so much for your reply! and the info about school break, super helpful. Yes King Alfred's Way.

[MrsHJ]

Thank you so much for your reply! and the info about school break, super helpful. Yes King Alfred's Way.

If I were moving it I’d move a week into June. There are public holidays on the first and second (coronation) Mondays in May and the third one is in that week of the school holidays so it feels like June will be quieter.

I’m going to France cycle touring from the 20th May to the 9th June so the school hols will be the middle week but I don’t think it will have too much influence where I am - I’m also crossing fingers for the weather as I’ll be coming home through the Languedoc, vendee and Brittany which can pick up rain in May.

[simonhill]

I think May is the most beautiful time to cycle in Southern England. The greens are at their most vivid and plenty of flowers and flowerings to see. Early June is OK

However temps not that warm and chilly evenings.

I don't know the terrain, but May is quite early in the season and if any part of the route is prone to standing water or mud from the winter then it will probably still be there. Also we have had a very wet winter (so I'm told) so this would make it worse. Bottom line expect mud.

[AndyK]

I think May is the most beautiful time to cycle in Southern England. The greens are at their most vivid and plenty of flowers and flowerings to see. Early June is OK

However temps not that warm and chilly evenings.

I don't know the terrain, but May is quite early in the season and if any part of the route is prone to standing water or mud from the winter then it will probably still be there. Also we have had a very wet winter (so I'm told) so this would make it worse. Bottom line expect mud.

I do know some of the terrain (I live in Winchester and used to live near the Ridgeway) and I'd say May is late enough for the ground to have dried out nicely for the most part. Some of the deepest ruts on the Ridgeway almost never dry out - there are probably undiscovered aquatic life forms living in them. After June, on the less-used paths the brambles and nettles start to close in and the long grass starts to conceal the big holes and ruts. A dry late spring is the ideal time for offroad fun in the south of England.
As for the wet winter, I've been out giving my new gravel bike a workout on the drove roads and bridleways recently, and the paths have been amazingly dry for the time of year. I did 40 miles on Sunday and came back with barely a mud spatter on me. That'll probably change after tonight, though, looking at the forecast.

[simonhill]

Yes, weather odd, maybe not as bad as I thought, sorry.

Early Jan was very wet. Then I went abroad, assuming it continued to rain.

Quote from Met Office blog "During the period between 18th December and 15th January, the UK received over 162.6% of average Jan rainfall."

Yesterday on the weather the guy said this was a very dry February and more rain needed. I give up.

I cycled the Ridgeway in June and experienced the mud, may you be preserved from that.

[lancewhitner]

Hi coming over from the US to ride the King Alfreds Way second week of June... any suggestions for a cycle friendly hotel in London? as in we can have our bikes in the room or storage for a week while sightseeing around London and then bag storage while riding the KAW ? Thanks!

[MrsHJ]

Most premier inns are ok. I’m sure that someone mentioned one in London (maybe King’s Cross?) that doesn’t take bikes. Avoid the really micro hotels like easy hotel as they often have no space. Anything on booking.com that says they store luggage is usually a good bet too and you can message the hotel once you have a cancellable booking to confirm that bike storage is ok. I find that generally they respond better to a message from someone with a booking to a question from someone random. But looking through questions that people have asked before on the booking.com page for the relevant hotel helps too.

https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/why/bike-friendly.html

[lancewhitner]

Thanks so much for the suggestions!