Day 1 - Brighton to StainesMore of a summer jaunt this one, rather than a full blown tour. I was looking for an easy ride, traffic free and flat. A bit of nature and also a bit of England. So, I packed up my bike with all the toys and gizmos essential for the trip and headed off from Brighton to Shoreham and onto the Down's Link.The Down's Link is the lazy rider's paradise - a fairly flat disused railway track running (more or less) from Shoreham on the south coast up to Guildford in Surrey. It was a hot day, I was in good mood, so things couldn't have been better. I got to Guildford early afternoon and dropped down onto the towpath on the River Wey, heading to Weybridge. The river is beautiful - trees, bushes, flowers, Japanese Knot Weed, all lining its edges, narrowboats mooching about on the river, the odd walker hindering my progress. The towpath is narrow, not really designed for the cyclist. More specifically, not really designed for the cyclist riding a 20 inch wheeled, suspension free, panniered bike and simultaneously wearing in a new Brookes saddle.  The Down's Link at West Grinstead
By the end of the River Wey, my front tyre had exploded
(literally) and
my arse was in bits. Then I arrived in Staines, or almost. It was
getting late and I was getting tired. There's a campsite on the
outskirts of Staines - just off the Thames Path, between Chertsey and
Staines to be more precise. Not the best time of year to be visiting, it seemed.... Booze cruises on the Thames kicking out Abba, noisy families and boy racers pulling up outside the perimiter of the campsite fence belting out europop through their open windows. I climbed into the tent and drifted off the sleep playing Patti Smith on my mp3 player.  Narrowboat on the River Wey
Day 2 - Staines to HurleyDay 2 was spent on the Thames Path. I walked into Staines first and got a new tyre - a chunky 1.75 bmx affair to replace my expensive but humiliated Schwalbe Marathon. Then down onto the Thames path heading off towards Windsor and beyond.I'm writing this in retrospect, so Day 2 is hazy. I remember it was hot, I also remember thinking how clean the Thames looked. There were Canada Geese everywhere. I've ridden the Thames Path in London, around the Greenwich area. There it's a concrete mass lined with expensive flats and even more expensive restaurants. Going north west from Staines, it's alot more serene and green. I couldn't make out the right of way on a lot of this area. Some of it is marked as Public Footpath, some of it definitely has cycle access. I rode both and, generally speaking, quite happily. I passed some big stately homes which had obviously claimed the riverbank rights along with a good chunk of the land surrounding it. Big imposing places with 'Keep Out' signs. I found these places intimidating and, it has to be said, annoying. I don't like rich people, quite probably because I've always been poor. Speaking of rich, Windsor was minted, but I liked it. A very attractive place full of quaint period buildings, not sure what period, but definitely from a period some time in a wealthy past. Down on the river the Canada Geese were out in force. As were the swans, the boats and the posh accents.  The Thames Path in Maidenhead
Anyway, according to my map, there was a campsite in Little Marlow so this is where I was heading. To cut a long ride short, I rode down several blind alleys, before arriving at a riverside farm with a few caravans only to be told 'Caravan Club members only'. I explained that my map said tents were accepted, that I was hot, had cycled miles, had only a small tent and wanted to stay only 1 night.... To no avail. Why are people so inhospitable? I don't like this camping elitism, where the caravan is king. What's the problem with pitching a piece of teflon coated nylon in a field for the night?  Old Paddle Steamer on the Thames
|  Start and finish points of the Down's Link So, back along the busy
road and onto the Thames Path again. After a few miles, I arrived in
Hurley and one the best campsites I've stayed on. Owned by the
Environment Agency, it's a little site on it's own island right on the
Thames. You get a key from the lock keeper, open the gate, over the
bridge and you're there. I pitched the tent, made a coffee, rolled a fag and sat back
with the kind of smug self-satisfaction that only a man with his own
private island can get.  The Kennet and Avon Canal Day 3 - Hurley to NewburyThe following morning, I packed up my tent and headed for the Kennet and Avon Canal. I followed the Thames Path, winding my way down to Reading through some very pleasant countryside hugging the river all the way.I arrived on the Kennet and Avon canal. The riding here is very good; Sustrans have one of their routes leading from Reading to Newbury along the canal, before it veers off. The towpath is wide and smooth, there are a couple of nice pubs just off the towpath and there are a good variety of narrowboats all along the canal.  The campsite at Hurley I arrived on the outskirts
of Newbury early evening on the lookout for that all important
campsite. The search for a site can add miles onto my days. Today
was no exception. After a lot of riding (mainly) up blind alleys, I found the campsite and on the gate it said, 'Caravan Club Members Only'. The woman at the door was alot more polite than the man in Little Marlow and told me there was a site 'just around the corner' that took tents. I thanked her and pedalled round the corner, then up the hill for about 5 miles before I got to the campsite, knackered. Day 4 - Newbury to HurleyThe following morning, I headed back to the canal. I'd been debating cycling on towards Bath and Bristol. But, I didn't have a huge amount of time and fancied seeing at least some of the Grand Union Canal, before I had to head back to Brighton. I pedalled across Greenham Common, before dropping back down onto the Kennet and Avon via a never-ending country lane. Day 4 was basically Day 3 in reverse. I pedalled back along the Kennet and Avon, through Reading and back to Hurley.Day 5 - Hurley to Chalfont St GilesDay 5 found me heading more or less north east. I had to come off the Thames Path and onto country lanes and A roads. I pedalled to Beaconsfield where I tried to fill up my multi-fuel bottle with unleaded petrol. The attendant turned off the pump after I'd put 12 pence worth in. Cheers mate. I then wound my way up towards Chalfont St Giles to another campsite. I think I paid £14 for the privilege of pitching my one man tent on a patch of mown lawn. I really need to start wild camping. A very uneventful and boring day.Day 6 - Chalfont St Giles to TringThe next day I arrived on the Grand Union Canal. Again, it was a beautiful day. Some people were racing canoes when I got there, the atmosphere was good and there was cheap coffee and biscuits for sale on a narrowboat. I pedalled along the Grand Union through Rickmansworth and Watford, heading up to Hemel Hempstead. One of my mates works on a Buddhist Retreat near there, so I'd arranged to meet her. The Grand Union is a fine canal, at least along the stretches that I rode. Very busy, quite industrial in parts, pretty in others. Narrowboats, houseboats, barges, it's all there. I wasted an enjoyable morning watching the world from my saddle along the Grand Union before arriving in Hemel Hempstead. I bought a couple of litres of juice and some liquorice and headed back to the canal and on to Berkhamsted to meet my mate.After Berkhamsted, I headed off towards Tring. I had the choice of either a campsite or a Youth Hostel, according to my map. (Incidentally, the map in question is the Ordnance Survey Tour range. These maps are excellent for working out an approximate cycle route, because they include major cycle networks on them, but the camping is worth checking out in advance of leaving home.) The ride from Berkamsted to Tring took a bit longer than I'd anticipated and it was getting darker. When I came off the canal, I turned right and up the hill into pitch darkness. No streetlights, narrow roads and boy racers out for their evening jaunt, just what I wanted to end my day with. I pedalled for a few miles and it started to drizzle. No campsite anywhere. I arrived in Ivinghoe, the home of the Youth Hostel. It was shut. A woman told me the campsite was back the way I'd come about a mile and half. So, I pedalled back, tired and irritable. Just me and the boy racers. The campsite was also shut. So, I pedalled back to the canal, thinking I'd have to wild camp. I got to the Grand Junction pub, went inside, ordered a drink and asked the landlord if I could pitch my tent in his beer garden. Nice guy and, thankfully, he agreed. Day 7 - Tring to LondonThe last day of my trip and I was heading back south again towards London and Brighton. The weather was amazing yet again and I made some good progress. I pedalled back along the Grand Union, down through Watford, Rickmansworth, Uxbridge, West Drayton and into Hayes. I wanted to get south of London, but it wasn't happening. I ended up taking a branch canal towards Paddington, going through Southall. The ride to Paddington was very good - the towpath is pretty cycle friendly and very busy with commuters. I came out somewhere near Little Venice (according to the signs). I then found my way to Paddington Station and got directions to Victoria via Hyde Park and the train back to BrightonSo, not really a tour in any meaningful sense, but the waterways have got to be a good option if you want to see the prettier and more peaceful side of life in England. There's a great network out there and you can cover a lot of distance fairly easily. Some waterways need the permission of British Waterways or the Environment Agency before you ride them, so it's worth visiting their websites. One thing I would say is, it's worth riding a bike with some kind of suspension if you're doing the waterways and avoid using a brand new Brookes saddle. I've now recovered, but it's been a long process. |
|
|
|
Home >
Waterways of England Cycle Tour
Subpages (1):
Germany Rhine and Mosel Tour 2009
|