[Closed] Gravel Trails near Pompey

Shipwright's Way will take you from Hayling Island to QECP and on to Bentley.

@dovebiker thanks for that - I will look at this one.

There must be some closer to you, but there's some climbs north of Lower Upham.

https://www.strava.com/segments/18157112
https://www.strava.com/segments/704637

Gets you to very close to Cheesefoot Head.

Harvesting Lane on the side of Butser is more like a gravel climb than a road bike climb these days, the road quality has really dropped in the last few years until the nasty top ~0.6 mile section near the summit https://www.strava.com/segments/19436909

https://www.strava.com/segments/19436909 is supposedly "gravel-lite" as a fairly flat way to get to/from Butser, but I've still yet to try it.

Stock's Lane is another road than seemed to have got more like a gravel climb in recent years https://www.strava.com/segments/24177482

Old Winchester Hill lane has become pothole city in recent years and is probably a lot more suited to wider gravel tyres these days https://www.strava.com/segments/673598

And last but not least, having just entered my woolly head, Meon Valley Trail from Wickham to the base of Old Winchester Hill Lane! ~10,5 miles if you do the short bit south of Wickham, which I've yet to ride. https://www.strava.com/segments/18732566

I've only been riding in the above since 2017 and a vast amount of the lanes between Owlesbury and Butser Hill are still rideable by road bike, but they do seem to be increasingly in a state of neglect, becoming more suitable for gravel tyres than sub 30mm road slicks.

What I do from where I live, near Portsmouth and Waterlooville (how do you live near Portsmouth and Emsworth? In Warblington? Havant?) is get on my bike and ride somewhere! Thats the thing about gravel bikes, there's everywhere to ride. 😀

Thanks chaps - I regularly ride Old Winch Hill etc on road @N0b0dy and I will look at the links - thank you.

@DezB - thanks really helpful......... where do you ride to that’s decent in terms of gravel trails? I live on Hayling Island which is near Portsmouth and Emsworth - I can see both places from the bridge.

At low tide you can ride from Havant (via budd's farm) all the way to Emsworth harbour along the beach, its a well trodden path especially from Langstone onwards, then you can head north and hit Kingley Vale

Then you have the gravel path that runs from Purbrook to Denmead which takes you behind all the new housing estates, you can extend this and cut across Billy's lake and some fields to take you out to Lovedean

Also there is the Meon valley train line which runs from Wickham to West Meon

Being on Hayling i presume you use the Hayling Billy line to come in and off the Island

From Hayling it’s not too far to Havant (near where I live in Drayton), then via Rowlands Castle, through Finchdean or over Forestside or through Stanstead over to the Mardens and onto Kingley Vale, West Dean, Harting area of the South Downs. It’s circa 7 miles from Havant to West Marden.
There are loads of small, rough surfaces single track roads, gravel tracks and of course the South Downs Way that are easy to string together into a nice gravel bike loop over that way although some of the more ‘off road’ bits get pretty grim this time of year especially around Kingley Vale.

Thanks chaps I really appreciate it - I’m going to look all of these up and do a recce.

Meon valley trail gets a bit samey but loop in 100 acres and old winch hill can make it a bit interesting.

You obviously know the SDW but as previously stated there are some good long tracks that converge on cheesefoot head.

I was bikepacking on the isle of wight between lockdowns and was quite impressed how easy it was to jump on the ferry over there.

It doesn't differentiate between gravel and mud, but experiment with the "dirt" setting in the Strava route builder.

It's only in the last few years I've found the tunnel under the A27 takes you from Langstone to Havant off the Billy Line. (By the Way, the Billy Line is almost unrideable at the mo, due to the crazy number of walkers. Not even been like it in a normal summer previously!)
Then you can head to Denmead, Petersfield way. Most routes are probably 50% road, which is why gravel bikes work well round these parts. Here's one from my area, not far north of you

https://www.relive.cc/view/v7O9w9wzpLq (not sure if that shares it)
The old Hants CC routes are all ideal for gravel rides if you can track them down

This is one of the Hants ones, its a decent loop, quite a variety of tracks
[img] [/img]
https://www.relive.cc/view/vMq5dKedw86

Ferry to the IOW?

Ride out to Charlton just above Goodwood and into the woods on the south side of the SDW - loads of real gravel and more deer than people. Lots of different gradients and loops.

Thanks again fellas.

Looks like I may need a gravel bike after all....... Well two as Four jnr also wants one.

I moved away from my home town, Waterlooville, 15 years ago so I have nothing to add to this thread except to say that it has been a nice trip down memory lane reading place names I had almost forgotten like Rowlands Castle, Finchdean and Kingley Vale...
Cheers!

I moved away from my home town, Waterlooville

But he didn't say where he moved to, could be Southampton!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I live on Southwood Road
Can't really help with tje gravel thing though, sorry
Some double tracks up behind Staunton country park that would suit
All along the e sdw there are bridleway link sections also suitable

There are loads of trails all around this area. The benefit of the 'gravel bike' is that you just don't have to stick to the roads. I've got a 650bx47 bike which I use for everything that isn't full on mountain biking. It's remarkably capable and you can take on almost everything on it. Just head out for a genre free bike ride and see where you end up?! (it's even better in Spring/Summer/Autumn in fairness, as you're less likely to ride into a swamp when you head off the beaten path).

Get yourself an OS map, highlight all of the bridleways, byways etc, pick a destination and then see how many you can link up to get there.

I live in Widley, and although there aren't really any 'gravel routes' around, it's possible to add a lot of interest to an otherwise dull road ride.

I live in Widley

You might know my brother! 🙂
I work(ed - pre covid) on the hill and used to ride home on my "gravel" bike (bought before they were called that) on offroad footpaths most of the way home.

I'm in Chichester and took the new Fairlight for its shakedown ride this weekend. Loads of good bridleways and dreadful lanes around here, although some of its a bit sloppy right now!

Theres a lot of bridleways that are slightly underwhelming on the MTB that have massive potential I think and also just don't always link up well.
44mm WTBG Raddlers seemed to handle everything well and I was pleasantly surprised on the road.