Ridgeway Trails in Wiltshire

[OscarIndia]

Decided to head out today and explore some bits of the Ridgeway near me which have opened to "recreational vehicles" since May 1st, until September.
Thought I'd work my way along from Overton Hill in the bottom left of the map here to Foxhill.



I've been proper trail riding once, with Mav. Learnt loads, and I have the bug. Nonetheless, I was a bit nervous going alone and I had no idea what the trails would be like.

Packed a first aid kit, tools and the nearest thing I could assemble to lunch (mostly nicked from nipper's lunch supplies, so lunch for a 3 year old mostly) and set off.

These TKCs only went on last night too, so it would be a double first for me, the second being road riding on knobbies.



Nonetheless, I'd sunk a Red Bull and a Ginsters by this point, so no turning back...

 

[OscarIndia]

Found the trail head, and dismounted to check the rules and regs on the signs, and to walk the gap by the gate to see if I could ride through (and secretly check the trail against my ability/courage).

Was a lovely 23 degrees at this point, with a light breeze.

Turns out some travellers live by the trail head.





Two of their ponies were grazing on the trail through the gate so I walked up to the fire, where they aere sitting around the billowing woodsmoke, adding some some of their own...

I waited to be asked into the fire ring, which they appreciated, and then checked with them that the ponies would be okay with the bike (incl silly end can, which I glossed over...) and they appreciated that even more.

Had a chat, but I was keen to get away before I got high by accident...

Scenery behind the bike was already beginning to look lovely.

 

[OscarIndia]

The ground was bone dry, dusty, and made up of pretty big stones too. I hadn't factored in that this was a trail used by the 4x4 guys too, as late as September:




That meant there were what, to a novice like me, were some pretty deep ruts. I've only ridden baby ruts, some some of these were pretty intimidating, but I replayed Mav's advice ("toes in, grip with the legs, let the bike run") and got through them with only the odd hideous moment..



But the scenery, the views and the enveloping smell of the honeysuckle was making it worth it.

 

[thauma]

nice, keep it coming.

Never done any 'real off-road' so very interested in your take on things

 

[OscarIndia]

And then I ran into Jools. He looks like a Jools, I reckon, and he is. No off road experience, owned that GS 5 years, done 17k on it. He'd come up a different path, without the ruts, in his walking boots (laces dangling around his pegs - ).



Lovely bloke, knows lots about hi-fi, but even less than me about ruts. He took this. Note the expanded post-smoking waistline and chin - I understand I need to put on another 8lbs before being admitted to the Hogroast...



Mostly uphill sections here, which helps me, but also had a couple of nasty moments in which judicious use of throttle rather than any kind of skill helped.

You can see the rise in the ground from the views though. Lovely spot. I stopped often, mostly to ruminate and hydrate.

 

[MMC]

Keep it coming old chap. Some of us have been stuck in a bloody office all day and this is the nearest we'll get!

 

[OscarIndia]

Next section was really tough for me - no pix as I didn't dare stop, but soon afterwards the ground began to flatten and harden and I could relax a bit more as the ruts just disappeared.



Came to a junction with a road and checked my map against the signs.



Really nice going from here.





Suddenly I was reminded of a recent forum thread about someone backing out of a deal for a Shoei Hornet lid and endless moaning and over-reacting about it. It was this HORSE'S ARSE which reminded me of it for some reason.

 

[OscarIndia]

Final stretch was very fast (for me), close to 50mph in third in places. Then I discovered that my ambition had outweighed my talent once again when I hit a mile or so of freshly gravelled trail.



Less self-delusion after that.

Before I knew it I'd come to the end of the first trail head, Badbury Castle. Lovely hill fort.



Nice spot too.

 

[Mav]

Looking good chap - you'll be showing me around!

 

[OscarIndia]

I turned for the homeward stretch only to be confronted with this. I know Thames Valley Police is obsessed with speed and green laners, but I thought an AH-64 Apache gunship was over the top.




Further up the trail I started blatting the bike over the big piles of hard-packed road repair and getting little bits of air, as I believe the kids say. Obviously I looked like a fat bloke in a Twat Suit three inches off the ground, but I felt like a cross between Simon Pavey and Dougie Lampkin.

At the stop by the road back to Marlborough I met fellow Tosser Mighty, on his way back from George White's in Swindon on this lovely new GS Anniversary.



And that was me, really. WHizzed home on the knobbies, which move about a bit don't they?

Top few hours out, and again the bike saved me from myself on more than one occasion.

 

[muppix]

Hey, nice one! I'm headed out that way tomorrow morning, but on Tourances. Hope it doesn't rain!

 

[Bem]

Great pics and good to meet tossers out there too!
Looking forward to trying that rout out mesself.

 

[Rasher]

Any sections that are real easy i.e two-up site seeing and road tyres.

 

[OscarIndia]

Any sections that are real easy i.e two-up site seeing and road tyres.

If you're happy in deepish gravel, the last mile or so is lovely, to Barbury Castle, and you can come at it from a car park off the road up from Marlborough, rather than cvoming all the way up the trail I've shown here. Would be solid hard-pack dirt if it weren't for the regravelling. Other than that I think you could do it all on Tourances so long as it hadn't rained, just about. As for two-up, I certainly couldn't but then I'm new to this off-road lark.

 

[OscarIndia]

Hey, nice one! I'm headed out that way tomorrow morning, but on Tourances. Hope it doesn't rain!

You'll be fine so long as it's dry. Enjoy!

 

[GrinningGSer]

I can tell that you are really getting the bug for this sort of thing... its really addictive riding in areas that others cannot go (Power rangers)
This adds a completely new dimension to your riding and you'll find yourself exploring all sorts of tracks
I took this pic at The Sanctuary end (Overton) a couple of years ago:

As you have discovered it is rutted until you get to Hackpen Hill
I love that road from Hackpen to Marlbrough and look out for Barn Owls flying alongside you at dusk
Here are Many GS'ers , incl talented Pumpy on her 1150 on Clive's White Horse tour in May 2008 riding the section from Sanctuary:

Can you pick your bike up on your own in all circumstances... just asking, cos I can't and its worth having someone with you. I can do it in most circumstances, but you'll get beaten someday

 

[OscarIndia]

Great pictures!
Know exactly what you mean re O/R. I've spent years and years going very, very quickly on the road and tonight I came back taking in the scenery, overtaking here and there but never rushing and never going above 90. Just thinking about when next I can escape to another trail!
Oh, and picking the bike up: no idea how, never tried, don't know.
I kind of presumed I'd work it out, necessity being the mother of invention et cetera...

 

[OscarIndia]

Hey, nice one! I'm headed out that way tomorrow morning, but on Tourances. Hope it doesn't rain!

Ah.... bring a brolly. In fact, looking outside, bring two.

 

[Greger]

Cheers for the report, looks really nice and only down the road so I will have to give it a go. Shame I now have road tyres but hey it doesn't look that bad dry - coming from the inexperienced!

 

[muppix]

Ah.... bring a brolly. In fact, looking outside, bring two.

You were right - that was one seriously wet day out!


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