Moving out of London

Plus if you are a cyclist in Frome, there is a high chance of ending up in a GCN video

Only if you’re white.

Its Frome

Frome suffered a bit

He'd never have won any Tours otherwise, right?

#hereallweek

I’m in Bath, which is cool. If I had any real say in the matter I would now chose Bradford on Avon over Frome.
Frome is OK but it always seems to be damp when I ride through, like the town never really gets dry.

Very good

I've just landed in Bath for a short time. Have you got any good hourish / 25/30k routes that are away from traffic been for a couple of walks but still sussing out the area.

BoA was on our secondary list along with other more-immediate Bath-bits (Combe Down) but we weren't as enamoured with it. Went to view a hilarious cottage in Conkwell with a downstairs ceiling so low I couldn't stand up straight (not that I do that anyway).

We've spent a fair bit of time in Frome over the last few years (2020 excluded) and at least some of it has been dry, so I can say with limited experience that it does get there eventually. Car's always filthy by the time we come home though, no matter the season.

There's the Collier's Way – no idea on the quality of it, but it goes past our future front door and is something I'm looking to explore once we get there. Based on past experience of NCN routes it's likely impassable at all times of the year bar peak-heatwave.

I don't mind a bit of traffic but when I was in frome even some of the smaller A roads would have fuck off massive actuliated lorrys flying down them bath seams to have less from my 2 days of walking about. There are some steep bits too which I'm looking forward to trying.

Search out Gay Lane in bath iirc it’s about 25% incline

Ooof will check. My knee is getting better so hoping to put some time going up hill soon 👍

There are some steep bits in Bath.

Prospect Place needs to be on your ride list. Weston Hill is listed No.2 in Simon Warren’s top 100 climbs book. Save plenty for the last few hundred metres

Having relocated to Weston, I can vouch for Weston Hill being a horror.

For a 27km mostly off busy road route try

Two tunnels path > wellow> down to and across the Ford then up hassage hill round to faulkland, then across the little Ford back through stoney Littleton past the WW2 defence line & longbarrow to wellow then back on the two tunnels home.

DM me and I’ll see if I can work out how to get you a gpx

As for hills, Rosemount is a jolly punch of a consistent 27 % , there’s a beauty up from St Catherine to marshfield. Obviously there’s the more well known Weston Lane, Brassknocker, Shaft, Summer Lane, North Rd, Bannerdown , kingsdown loads more.

Colliers way is fine, it makes up part of a 50k loop from Bath

Do it once, cross it off the list

thanks all ill look forward to discovering and trying to get up them hills

Bruton is strange. More a nice place to visit than live imo. Hardly going to be eating at the chapel , the new 1 star restaurant or the art gallery every week. She move there 5 years ago before it went a bit more ott. Seems to know everyone there good and bad as you’d imagine you could In place of its size.
She has two kids under three and she thinks she might move into frome when they get older.
She has three friends two from London and one from Brighton who have moved their in last year. Does seem many of the new shops are specifically suited to the newcomers though

Sorry it’s Gays Hill you need to search out. I was going to see Robin Mather out near box and road my fix swill biek, only just managed to grind up that slope.

I used to regularly park a RWD Beetle with skinny tyres on Gays Hill all through the winter. 20 years later and i park at the back of Sydenham Sainsburys as i'm scared 4 parking spaces won't be enough for me to not fuck it up.

We're doing this (moving out of London, not the VW parking thing) with a move to Chesham - not exactly a long way out of London but the best compromise for us when the good lady wife has the more important career and wanted to stay. Hopefully being still on the Met line so technically connected but also out in the Chilterns is going to be what we both need, I've not really actively enjoyed being in London for quite a while, but now with Covid and a small child its really made me pine for the great outdoors. Hopefully this move also allows me to get my business up and running as our outgoings are reduced too, not something that would have happened quickly if we stayed. We've not really ended up buying anything much bigger than we would in London, but its got much nicer light, a bigger garden and a double garage, for quite a lot less borrowing. Looking forward to exploring the local bridleways...

What side of the city are you on?

If you're on the east side you can head up to Box then head for Neston-Lacock-Bowden Hill, some lovely quiet lanes out there. Sadly Neston farm shop/cafe is closed atm but i think the garden centre cafe is still serving.

I should go check out Frome but having mates that are from round those parts i've been safely assured it's "full of twats from London" and you now can't race your car through the centre on the weekend thanks to a humous market.

Overlooked but i really rate a few spots in Batheaston. My sister moved back there and has an amazing house just of Bannerdown. That said her new neighbour is a graphic designer who is working on the same project as me in Covent Garden...