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Directions & GPX etc
Route directions PDF (right click to download)
GPX file (right click to download)
TCX file (right click to download)
Glorious Bike Rides
Glorious Bike Rides
Route directions PDF (right click to download)
GPX file (right click to download)
TCX file (right click to download)
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Has anyone done this? How did you find the surfaces and would you do it on a road bike?
I did it on a Dawes Galaxy Plus touring bike today (Sunday 12th June 2022) and also a variant of the route on Friday 10th. Most is on road but it does include parts of the Dorset railway trail beyond Blandford Forum. Easy on a touring bike – typical surface quality for off road disused rail routes. Today I incorporated some of the Dorset Railway route into Blandford Forum from Spetisbury (NCR 250) as an alternative to the back lane into Blandford used by the book (in fact I have done both). I thought not including this was a bit of a mistake by the author of the book to miss out such a nice off road alternative but I think the reason is that trail comes out on a short section of very busy main road into Blandford Forum and the book tries to avoid any main road at all. The rail trail is picked up in the book once in Blandford Forum having arrived via quiet back lanes. I have no doubt it is a deliberate choice by the author to skip but it is worth knowing about as an alternative. It is an outstandingly beautiful route but as with all suggested routes might be worth adapting. It is a long way – on Friday I shortened by lopping off the Gillingham segment. Today I did the lot including incorporating a detour from Tarrant Crawford via Shapwick to Badbury Rings. It is a long route at 102km! I made it longer at 110 km – which is doable at my slow pace in June.
If you go straight across the road at the junction at Witchhampton and use the bridleway at the end of the that road you come out by Bradbury rings. Dropped pin
https://maps.app.goo.gl/MbU5bWNY8g4Rmgwj7 It’s a big open gavel road.
Road bike with 28mm tyres.
I Would have routed down the disused railway line at spetisbury heading towards Blandford. There is a stunning bridge and hill fort, busy roundabout back into blandford tho, so can see why.