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Which parts would you reroute to avoid the worst bushwhacking? @MrBaklava and I are heading over that way this weekend for an overnighter.
moog-
Using the Rat Run route, tail end of this section is where it got hairy
https://www.komoot.com/tour/1797696568#previewMap
There were plenty of other bits where nettles/gorse/bramble are about but it was here that I lost the will to keep to the gpx...
https://www.komoot.com/tour/1797696568
It was near Hambledon Hill that I found myself slightly off course and finding myself doing battle with a particularly nasty section of nettles
Day one, Petersfield to Wallingford, via Henley. Lovely route through Borden etc on the tracks, and the lovely country roads. Reading was shit. Absolutely terrible place to go through. Henley was nice, sat by the river in The Angel and had a sandwich and beer, watching the rowers. Wallingford is sleepy and lovely. Good campsite (Bridge Villa), easy to walk over the bridge into town and nice burgers (veggie options available) in the Town Arms, and a beer on the river edge in less nice pub The Boat Ho
Gustav
Rat Run was the right ride of fun. Would have taken it slightly differently if I'd taken the recommended three days rather than two.
Train out to Salisbury on Friday after work and got an hour up the road. Camped out on an isolated gravel path (no mobile phone reception going on) with military helicopters flying overhead for a while whilst I was bedded down.
Up at 5:30 to catch dawn and on the road by about 6. Kept a pretty steady pace on to New Forest > Bournemouth > Isle of Purbeck. It's a real shame you're not allowed to ride along the Bournemouth waterfront as going over the hill is a PITA. There were some pretty challenging stretches for a loaded gravel bike although nothing that felt too OTT.
Camped out just the other side of Wareham where there were mosquitos aplenty. Fortunately I had my Smidge with me that did the trick. Whilst Purbeck Isles saw me get plenty familiar with the joys of nettles, it was in this stretch that it got really quite painful, not helped by going accidentally off track at one point. I eventually reached a point where track was v overgrown and tracks really rough due to horse riding so decided to hit the road for the final 40k.
Would recommend.