Off-road riding has become more appealing to me in recent years, especially now that I ride a bike with tyres suited to rough surfaces and trails. The Old Chalk Way is a long distance, at least by UK standards, off-road trail that connects the south coast of England with the North Sea, 600km away on the Norfolk coast.

The route, also referred to as the Greater Ridgeway, has existed for centuries, connecting what are now marked as predominantly byways and bridleways on a map through rural England, passing many ancient burial sites and settlements, including the most famous and well-known - Stonehenge.

Naming it The Old Chalk Way is a reference both to its age and the fact that the underlying geology throughout much of the route is composed of chalk, a surface that allowed the route to be used throughout the year, particularly as much of it passes over higher land, hence naming it the ridgeway. I’d seen the route posted on a few sites before, and had it marked down in my wishlist of summer UK rides when I had a chance.

The route is primarily made up of four marked trails through rural England: The Wessex Ridgeway, The Ridgeway, The Icknield Way and the Peddars Way. Aside from riding through the concrete jungle that is Luton, the route bypasses most urban areas and busy roads. For an area of the UK which is relatively densely populated, I found it surprisingly quiet. 

I’ve cycled parts of this route before, but never in its entirety, so picked a good weather window at the end of August to set off. While the official route starts in Lyme Regis, my UK base in nearby Weymouth meant connecting with the Wessex Ridgeway further east. A detour to stay with my sister one night also meant the route shown below is not the exact marked trail, but I rarely follow routes precisely, preferring instead to find my own way. The advantage of a marked route like this, especially in the UK, is that there was never any worry about riding on a restricted trail. Land use and its ownership is always a contentious issue on this crowded little island. The Old Chalk Way has a lot of turn-by-turn navigation through fields and gates, so having it on a phone or GPS device to follow is really the best way, even if there is some signage in parts.

 In terms of accommodation and logistics of food and water, I wild camped, as I predominantly do when travelling by bicycle in the UK. This is relatively easy throughout the route, although my second night on the Ridgeway I ended up in an exposed and windy spot. I was woken, (although hadn't really slept well as my tent was collapsing with the wind) by the sound of horses the following morning, camped as I was on what was a horse-race training field through which the trail passed. I peeped out of the tent to see a small number of wax jackets, horses and quad bikes. They ignored me, but not the best place to camp in hindsight. All other spots on my route I would recommend.

Some parts of the official route bypassed places where I needed to do some food shopping, so detours and wiggles in towns probably reflect that on the map above, usually to a Lidl or Aldi if one existed. The two cheapest UK supermarkets tend to be staple stops for me when cycling in the UK, not country pubs where a pint of beer is likely to cost in excess of £5, and a meal three times that amount! I find the UK increasingly expensive every time I am back in the country. The fact that this route rides through some of the most affluent parts of the country (quaint villages, large country houses, sports cars and range rovers parked on gravel drives) serves to remind me how very unequal wealth distribution is within the UK, but that’s a different story.  

Weather wise the riding was perfect. In wet weather parts of this route would be very muddy, requiring a mountain bike, which is probably the best bike to use anyway, although gravel bikes with wide tyres would suffice. Just like most of the UK I would say April-October were the best months to ride, with the summer ones being ideal. As the predominant wind direction is from the south-west, I was very happy to have a tailwind throughout most of this ride.

The start of the ride was certainly more challenging in terms of elevation change than the latter. Dorset and Wiltshire have plenty of rolling hills, so the route is far from flat. About 55% of the route is off-road, the other 45% on quiet country lanes. 

I took fewer photos than I normally would on this tour, partly because the landscapes and places are familiar, but I also did more filming. A short video at the end of this post gives a snapshot of how the ride is.

If you enjoyed this post and would like to show your support, please consider purchasing a virtual drink by clicking on the link below.