[Closed] Ridgeway advice

Tring Station is pretty near Ivinghoe Beacon and goes into Euston.

Are you intending to leave a car at the start or are you going out and back by train?

I could leave a car at the start but then how do I get from Ivinghoe to Overton hill?

I thought train might be easier, why?

No point in going to Aylesbury or Luton, particularly as that end of the Ridgeway takes you within a gnat's whisker of Tring and Wendover stations. Bear in mind it's not all bridleway at that end, and people will get upset with you if use the footpaths especially in the SSSI.

I wont ride through the footpaths as its not allowed, my idea is to follow this track http://ridgewaydouble.net but do only one way.

why?

i was asking because I was thinking about the easiest route out and back.

If you're point of origin is London and you're happy to start in Swindon then it's pretty easy.
London Paddington to Swindon. Then Tring - London Euston for the return trip. By the time you've caned it down Ivinghoe Beacon you're halfway to Tring Station.

You can get a coach from London Victoria to Marlborough which puts you in spitting distance of the start proper assuming that the coach can take a bike, worth enquiring if doing the whole thing is important to you.

Oh ok.
Thanks for the advice, doing the whole route is not important really, I just want to enjoy 2 days of riding.
Will follow your advice about swindon and Tring, thanks again.

One last question, what would be a nice village to stay for the night on saturday that is around half way?

So an easy drop down to Tring station at the end, which can also be mostly done on bridleways if you've still got the energy!

One last question, what would be a nice village to stay for the night on saturday that is around half way?

Around halfway looks like somewhere between Goring and Wallingford. Goring is a pretty small village, and you're going to be limited for choice of food and accommodation, there's not a great deal there. Wallingford's a fair bit bigger (more town than village) and probably offers you more options. Can't offer an actual recommendation as I've not stayed in either but I expect there'll be options in or around either.

if I had to pick I'd probably go for Wallingford.

If it were any other weekend i'd have said you can come kip in my place, i'm <1 mile from your route and about in the middle too, but i have the mother in law over for the weekend taking up the spare room i'm afraid.

there's a YMCA type place in Streatley, just 100m from your route near Goring.. that would work well for you. Everywhere else is going to be £70+ per night.

I'd second Streatley for over night - it's a YHA rather than a YMCA, so popular with walkers doing the ridgeway and the thames path.
Wallingford has it's annual folk and music festival on so accommodation in town is likely to be all booked out.

The great thing about the Ridgeway is it passes near a lot of places, but not through them...so you have to come off route to find towns/villages.
Did Wallingford to Avebury last friday and for four hours didn't see a single other person..

You can't really go wrong with most of the route - it's pretty well signed, but take a map as well as there's a few confusing bits. eg crossing A34 at East/West Ilsley.
Camping might be good option - plenty of places to wild camp.
There's detail online somewhere about where water taps are on the route which is definitely worth noting.

Enjoy!

Water taps are on the Ridgeway double GPX

Not sure how an underpass beneath the A34 is confusing 😉

Bunkfest on this weekend in Wallingford so won't be anywhere to stay or camp there

There's a youth hostel right on the route, near Wantage.

You could always just bivvy or take a tent.

ggrrr...there's always one!

If you're heading West then you can stay above East Ilsley on Several Down, go under the A34 further north and along Bury Down...rather than dropping through East Isley which takes you much further south then back up...i assume anyway, can't work it out on OS map.
Anyway, unlikely to be a problem for OP travelling East - just had to try and vindicate myself!!

In neither direction do you head within 500m of East Ilsley, although of course you can see it. but in no way shape or form is it confusing or indeed can be interpreted any other way than the clearly obvious way.

If you mean at the crossroads at the continuation of Churn road, where you can go striaght on down to East Ilsley, then yes i guess, but there's a map on that junction along with being very very clearly sign posted at the junction too, that's about 1/2 a mile from the A34 crossing/tunnel though.

I'd have to agree with weeksy. I've done it westward and although i had a map, from Goring to Avebury it was just following the big signs 🙂

YHA at Streatley a good option for a cheap and comfortable overnight. If you do start at Swindon then you'll have to go through a fair bit of amorphous suburbia to get to the ridgeway, check out the sustrans map to get a decent cycle route.

What i'd do personally is Chippenham to Goring if you want train stations.

The section from Goring > Aylesbury really isn't as nice or as scenic as the Chippenham side.

From Chippenham station it's only 500m to the start of the abandoned railway which starts you off to Avebury, then once you get off the Ridgeway at Streatley golf course it's only 1/2 a mile up to Goring station.

I think the overall section is 55-60 miles.

Thanks for all the great suggestions!

I think I'll follow weeksy's advice and just do the Chippenham to Goring section and go back home the same day.

Later on I might try the double with bivy etc.