The first time I cycled to Salisbury it was on the A31 to Winchester and then the A30 from there. It wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't the most enjoyable of rides. When we decided to make the trip as an Easter tour, I looked for a much more pleasant route, and the one I found gave us a superb couple of days riding.
After making our way from Woking to Farnham, we turned off the main roads onto a series of narrow country lanes running along the ridge of the North Downs, gentler hills here than further east, but no less beautiful. We passed a succession of peaceful hamlets and villages: Well, Long Sutton, and Upton Grey as we headed deeper into the Hampshire countryside. And then, for a short while, we followed a B-road down the valley of the Candover stream, through the villages of Preston Candover, Chilton Candover, and Brown Candover before cutting off across the downs again to Itchen Abbas. The downland here is criss-crossed by tracks which beg for exploration, but were a touch too rough for touring bikes, so we left that pleasure for later.
From Itchen Abbas you can avoid a part of the busy B-road to Winchester by taking a diversion along the lanes through Avington and Easton, but sadly the old direct route from Easton to Winchester was cut when the M3 was built. Our route lay through the heart of Winchester - as cities go, it's a very pleasant one and compact too, so before long we were climbing up out of the built-up area and onto the top of the downs once more, on our way to King's Sombourne.
From there we crossed the River Test at Horsebridge, a delightful little spot, with a pub which counted former Prime Minister Edward Heath among its regulars. The course of the old railway line through Horsebridge has now been converted into the Test Way cycle trail and is well worth exploring. The old station, with a railway carriage parked in the platform, has been superbly restored and is now hired out for functions.
From Horsebridge we wound our way through the wonderful countryide around the villages of West Tytherley, West Dean, and East Grimstead to Alderbury, for the final few miles into Salisbury, where we stopped for the night.
Next morning we headed north out of Salisbury up the valley of the River Avon. From below Old Sarum, the precursor of Salisbury, we followed the river up to Amesbury and on to Netheravon, where we branched off for miles over Salisbury Plain, through Everleigh and Collingborne Ducis, before finally arriving at Great Bedwyn on the Kennet and Avon Canal, following part of the Wiltshire Cycleway.
We continued through Hungerford and Kintbury, and then by a decidedly cross-country route through Burghclere and Kingsclere, passing Watership Down, made famous by Richard Adams' book and the film made of it. From there we crossed the Basingstoke road and continued through Bramley and Sherfield-on-Loddon to get to Hook, where we ended our ride, using the train to take us the remaining 18 miles back to Woking.
Updated: 31 May 2004
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