Let's go to the Cotswolds for May Bank Holiday we decided. It sounded like a good idea until I took a look at the map. Getting to the Cotswolds in the course of a day's touring was going to be pushing it and finding a countrified route through the busy corridor to the north west of Woking wasn't going to be too easy.
The first stage was easy enough; head west over the heathlands of the army training area from Pirbright and Frimley, and from there to Farnborough. A busy stretch through Hawley and Blackwater was soon over and then we wound through Yateley, Finchampstead, and Barkham to get to Winnersh. A narrow road had caught my attention on the map, and it proved the perfect link to cut a rural way between Reading and Twyford. It was only when we got there that we found that the ford shown on the map had no footbridge, and we had to ride through. Fortunately the water wasn't too deep.
We headed up through Sonning Common and Stoke Row into the Chilterns, then, after a fast run down the beech-covered hillside, we were soon in Wallingford. From there we picked up the Oxfordshire Cycleway through to Culham, and shortly afterwards arrived in busy Abingdon. After a brief stop, we continued on our way, bypassing Oxford by taking the
road out to Cumnor, and then on to Eynsham, crossing the Thames on the ancient toll bridge at Swinford, sailing through toll free while the rest of the traffic queued up to pay for the privilege.
From Eynsham we headed on through Finstock and Charlbury, eventually arriving in Chipping Norton in the early evening, after a ride of 80 miles. The next morning we set of eastwaqrds through Great Tew and Duns Tew, and then turned south through the
Cherwell valley to Bletchington. The next stretch of ride was along the B4027 to Wheatley, the road proving to be a little busier than we'd anticipated, and we were glad to cross the A40 and get back onto quieter lanes.
The first few miles were across gently climbing countryside and were easy riding, but after Watlington we had to climb into the Chilterns at Christmas Common. Going down the other side was very welcome, particularly as we passed through the pretty village of Turville, where the Vicar of Dibley tv series was filmed. It was, of course, packed with tourists. From there we followed a very narrow road down a long hill into Marlow, crossed the River Thames, and had a couple of miles of dual carriageway cycling.
A final spell of riding on quiet roads came to an end with a stretch alongside the woods of Windsor Great Park. The we passed through the stockbroker belt of Sunningdale and over Chobham Common to return to Woking, covering a total of nearly 83 miles on this second day.
Updated: 7 January 2003
You can also display the Microsoft Autoroute maps and route details by clicking on the map opposite.
