in planning » recommendations South England

I am planning a ride through southern England this spring or summer.

After arriving in Folkestone, I will ride along the coast as much as possible towards Bournemouth and from there towards Bath.
Then I will head to London via Stonehenge, before finishing in Canterbury and heading back to the Netherlands via the tunnel.

Can you recommend any nice roads, quaint villages or other sights not to be missed.
Of course, I try to avoid the highways as much as possible.
The route is roughly fixed and I would like to take about 6 or 7 days.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

Wicky

(...and of course, keep an eye out for the wife of Bath - gat-tothed, likerous, and full of lecherye.)

That 3 hour, 100 mile trip from Rye will provide a lot of time to think about such things

Wessie,

Thank you very much for the information.
The links are also much appreciated and I can get back to planning the route.
I was not aware of the traffic on the coastal road and will be avoiding it quite a bit and driving more inland.
Visiting the White Horse at Uffington has been added to the to do list.
It is very nice of you to want to take me through the Cotswolds but for me that will also depend on the number of available days I can spend in England. (If possible I will most certainly contact you by then)

Ray B,

I was not familiar with The Wife of Bath's Tale but thanks to Wikipedia I was able to delve into this story.

kind regards Wicky

It is very busy in the South East, but if you get off the trunk roads, it should be pleasant riding to get through the South East. I agree what Wessie said about not trying to stick to the south coast as much as possible and doing Stonehenge on the way out, and Salisbury nearby has an impressive cathedral. That would be a good destination for day 1 and do Stonehenge the next morning. If you are interested in Stonehenge, I would also recommend Avebury stone circle. Winchester is definitely worth a stop. Also, have you thought about heading into Wales? If you are planning 6 or 7 days in south of England heading towards Bath (recommend a stop in Wells, and a ride through the Mendip hills) you could easily head over the Bristol channel to the Wye Valley or Brecon.

I had a look in one of my route books, and "Bikers' Britain - The Tours" has a 5 day tour mapped out from Dover going as far as Snowdonia based on days of about 180-200 miles. You could easily add another day or two to this with a full day in Snowdonia, or a day in the Cotswolds (which likely has the highest concentration of quaint villages in the country). If you want I can take photos of the relevant pages.

Hello

If I could recommend anything it would be to loop through Exmoor and visit the north coast of Devon. Cornwall is also good but it is more distance and a lot more crowded.

I always recommend Castle Combe as the best preserved Cotswold villages and can be tied in with a visit to Stonehenge Avebury and Cotswolds. I live near Weisie so also happy to help advise and guide if your in this area Cotswolds North of Bristol. The best coast road near here is north Devon on the A39 to Porlock combined with a spin through Exmoor with the added benefit hardly any cops or cameras 😃

I would recommend visiting Poole Harbour and the Isle of Purbeck, Old Harry Rocks, Corte Castle, Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove if you want to stay near the coast. Stunning on a good day.

Thank you guys

Great to receive all this advice.
I am going to completely modify my created itinerary and use as much as possible the places and roads you recommend.

@Becksy
I look forward to seeing the pictures of the relevant pages, the quaint villages appeal to me greatly anyway.

A great source of routes is ridemagazine/routes. These are free and cover all of UK.
John.

Here you go @Wicky Suggest you add a day in the Cotswolds if quaint villages are your thing, you can overdose on them there.
The route suggests returning to Dover via the north and east of London, I wouldn't do that, I'd return via the south on an alternative cross country route.
With all the suggestions, think you have the makings of a great tour.


post edited by Janitorial Services as we do not want to wreak the wrath of Simon Weir - see the link above to Ride magazine where many of the routes were created by Simon and can be accessed for free. Please do not publish copyrighted material without the permission of the author

I know it's in the opposite direction but, there's lots of quaint villages in Devon & Cornwall

I stayed here; The Lugger Hotel A tiny little bolt hole of a harbor. The road leading to it is just wide enough for one car.

In Devon, Clovelly is a lovely, quaint village with a steep path down to the harbor.

I posted the trips on my blog here which might give you some ideas; The West Country

Hi Orson,

I have read your blog and I think you have it very nice and well-organised on your site.
I will definitely read your other blogs too👍

I have spent loads of time in the Dorset area when I had the Ducati. Bournemouth and Poole on the coast, then head north through some of the most stunning villages to Shaftesbury, on towards Bath from there. You will miss loads of great places. Was in Shaftesbury and Bath over Christmas.
Having spent too many years riding in congested rubbish strewn southern England now ride around southern France. We have empty road, better weather, considerate drivers, parking is free food is better and cheaper, I could go on but I know that I am upsetting people.