Update (January 2019): Please note that the Ministry of Defence has ‘resurfaced’ the northern end of the track across Salisbury Plain firing area with large loose chippings. This has mades it harder to ride, so allow extra time and consider using wider tyres. Also, ongoing building work around Larkhill barracks means some byways are no longer accessible. I have amended the route so that it follows the tarmac road as far as Bustard Inn, where you join the unsurfaced track heading north across the Plain. I have updated the map, route sheet and GPX files to reflect this.
Update (April 2024): The track across the Plain looks better as of this photo from October 2021:
Map (zoom in for more detail):
Route directions PDF (right click to download)
GPX file (right click to download)
TCX file (right click to download)
We did this ride last Saturday and it was stunningly beautiful, where else can you go cycling in the UK in an area with a virtually flat horizon and not see a house or a farm? Ok there is sundry military debris but the views and the wildlife are spectacular.
However the last 3-4 km of the off road to the vedette at Redhorn hill were not “fine hardpacked gravel” as indicated in the description. The track is surfaced with granite chippings some of which are 4 -6 inches in size , really making the surface only suitable for mountain bikes (and actually very difficult to walk pushing a bike) . We had selected touring bikes so had to walk for quite a while, please be aware of this when you choose to do this ride.
Also on the off road approach to Larkhill there is a significant diversion around the construction of a new housing development, it is signposted.
We can recommend the baguettes from the Premier shop in Larkhill, reasonably freshly made and heated up to order.
Hi Andy
Thanks for your comments on the ride. I am puzzled by your report on the track south o Redhorn Hill. I rode it last in October 2017, and I rode it all, at speed, in the failing light, on a touring bike with lightweight 35mm tyres. It was all perfectly rideable. See the photo below. There were some potholes, and some of them were huge, but it was always possible to find a smoothish way around. I am wondering if the track has been resurfaced with the chippings since last October. What do you think? Do you happen to have a photo or two of the bad bits? Many thanks, Jack
Hi Jack,
I have photo’s but can’t find away of adding them to this post, please advise of the best way to send them to you.
Andy
Hopefully photos can be seen on my blog http://www.mylostlanes.blogspot.com
Hi Andy, thanks for the photos, very helpful. Yes it definitely does look as though it’s been “resurfaced” since I rode it. How very unhelpful. I guess they wanted to fill the pot holes for the benefit of army vehicles. The route is theoretically part of the Sustrans National Cycle Route, so it’s a great shame they didn’t do it in a more cycle-friendly way. It appears that motor vehicles are at least making a pair of smoother tracks beneath their tyres. Fingers crossed that over time these will widen and the chippings will settle down. But definitely worth taking some bigger tyres for this ride at moment, as there’s no real alternative to this section.
Jack
Hi I have tried to download the GPX of this route and it is only seams to have the first few miles of the route and ends at everleigh road. Hopefoully it is not my inexperience as I have downloaded your other Pewesy route into my Garmin just fine
Hi Diane, Sorry to hear about that. I can’t detect a problem with the GPX file. Have you tried the TCX file instead?
Jack
Hello Jack, I have the same problem. The route when downloaded onto Garmin Connect covers only from the south end of Pewsey to the north end.
Should be ok now – it’s a Garmin bug that affects files with more than one segment. But I’ve tweaked the file which should mean Garmin can manage it now.
Many thanks. I’ll give it a go in June when I’m next in the area. Tom
I can’t download the gpx or tcx – I get a page telling me the link is faulty. PDF link seems OK.
Now fixed – thanks for the heads up, William
Got it – many thanks for the quick fix!
Is the route now cycle friendly as it’s six yrs since resurfaced ???
I’d say so. Here’s a photo from October 2021:
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6999555
Really enjoyed this Lost Lanes ride. Your legs get pumping with a climb first up followed by some fast flowing rolling lanes. Worth a stop at the Bustard Inn halfway for a refuel.
We were far too lax with the firing times and so we’re unable to pass through Salisbury Plain Training Area. Luckily we stumbled on a nice detour that edged around the red flag perimeter. Would really recommend this route if the original isn’t possible.
https://www.komoot.com/tour/1585167528?ref=itd&share_token=aAJfjFSKHYcZEYtaKtM2v2UUKjY47x3ofyPH9b3o8hDothDQNc&ref=its
We did this ride on a very hot Sunday in August. Parts of it were ok, but we wouldn’t recommend it for anything other than a mountain bike. We were on gravel bikes with 42mm gravel tyres but still found it very hard going. There are a few problem areas. 1. the track between Figheldean and Durrington has a lot of loose gravel that is almost impossible to avoid. You have to be comfortable with allowing the back wheel to drift. 2. The Packway west of Larkhill was extremely busy on a Sunday afternoon with cars racing along a narrow dead-straight road at 60mph. It is probably quieter at other times, but it felt really unsafe. 3. The biggest issue was the 10km or so byway going back north over the plain. It was not compacted gravel but a path covered with sharp rocks each about 10cm in diameter providing a very unstable surface. Some of these had partially bedded in, but it just meant a very uneven surface that was impossible to ride on. We managed not to crash or to puncture but it was pretty grim even with 42mm tyres and suspension stems. We wouldn’t be keen to do it even on MTBs and hope that nobody tries on road or touring bikes. It’s worth noting that although Stonehenge was packed with people that day, we only saw one other cyclist on any of the SP gravel rides. Anyone doing it really has to make sure that they could deal with mechanicals or crashes.
Sorry to be so negative. We did do Ride #1 Travels in Strange Lands the next day and really enjoyed it. We’ve also done most of the Devon and Cornwall rides. Salisbury Plain was a big disappointment though.
I thoroughly enjoyed this ride. There is a bit of a quandary over which type of bike would be best. The first few miles are on tarmac roads, the road from Everley to Neveravon is, apart from a couple of small bumps, all down hill and very smooth. The next section into Larkhill is off road but fine for gravel bikes. The 9 mile track across the ranges after Stonehenge is for me the highlight, remote, bleak, windswept and beautiful. The track transitions from tarmac to very bumpy with a fiat few loose stones. I would say the last 5 miles are quite challenging and it was a lovely relief to get to the end, see the views north over the Vale of Pewsey and get back on a tarmac road again. We cycled the route on a 29″ wheel hardtail and a 26″ wheel full suspension mtb, which overall I think either would be the best option for the route. A previous commenter mentioned using a gravel bike and having a few issues on the 9 mile track section. I think you would really need something with at least front suspension. Alternatively if on a gravel bike maybe take a couple of stops and enjoy the scenery to break up the section (although stick close to the road , lots of signs around about unexploded shells etc.) The final point I would make is that we did this on Saturday 31st August and the road through Larkhill was extremely busy with traffic that probably Google had rerouted from the A303 around the Stonehenge section. However it’s only a 15 minute part of the ride. After all the bumping about on the ranges the final few miles cycling into Pewsey are a lovely quiet, smooth finale with some great views north to the Marlborough white horse and Downs.
I rode the section from Market Lavington to Chisenbury in a clockwise direction last week for the first time in a few months. The first thing to note is that the byways have clearly been resurfaced recently with very few potholes remaining on the entire stretch, so I no longer felt like I was about to lose my teeth throughout the whole ride…though to the displeasure of the offroader brigade judging by comments on other forums (“they’ve spoilt our fun etc”! Not having ridden the rest of the perimeter path recently or the IRPP section from Warminster to Gore X I wondered if any other sections had been recently improved?
I cycled the section from Larkhill to Redhorn hill on a laden touring bike with 35mm tyres on Saturday – it was fantastic. The final third was bumpy but manageable. The track that leads from the A360 to the A303 just south of Stonehenge was much worse – significant amount of big flinty stones that I thought might shred my tyres, but luckily didn’t (thank you Continental).
Adapted the route in the book to make a tour – thanks for the inspiration.
I did this a few weeks ago on my road bike! I feel like a champion even more than I did when I finished it, and am glad I read these comments afterwards!