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there has to be some nicer b roads out there A4 must be pretty nasty to ride 60+ mph traffic whipping past your elbows
we barely touched the A roads heading to stonehenge apart from the last drag down the absolutely horrible A303 and that could have been avoided if we had done an extra 10 mile loop north and downThe A4 isn't that bad from Theale onwards as most traffic uses the M4 instead.
A more scenic route would be to go to Goring/Streatley on the Thames, then up Streatley Hill and follow that road all the way to Newbury. Then go via Hampstead Marshall and Kintbury to Hungerford, then go through Chilton Foliat, Ramsbury and Axford to get to Marlborough.
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^ You are Robbie Coltrane and I claim my 5 pand
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Getting beyong the M25 without using main roads can be pretty slow and tedious. If you wait until about 8.30-9pm, when the other Rolling to the Stones ride leaves then you'll miss the worst of the traffic. Afterall, this is a Sunday start. The roll through Slough and Maidenhead isn't too bad and the road is pretty wide.
From what I remember, the Goring Streatley option is pretty lumpy to say the least. A turn to the South may be better keeping just to the north of Bracknell and Wokingham, through Grazely and rejoining the A4 around Theale, at which time the road will be pretty dead and you keep the benefits of sticking to the A4/M4 corridor. From there you carry on to Newbury, turn off onto the B4000 to Membury Services and take the nice drop off to Ramsbury and on to Avebury.
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Swindon is much closer to Avebury so will be better for trains. Also First Great Western still run guards carriages on most trains to London which is a far better option for bikes. The trains are more frequent and, I think, a little faster. You can leave at 5.23 and be in Paddington by 6.24. Plenty of time to ride across London to Waterloo before the Salisbury train arrives.
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have bought tickets from swindon to london paddington for departure at 0523.
only £20 a ticket. £40 on the next train.sunrise is 0443, avebury to swindon is 11 miles.
sun up and then leg it to the train.Forty minutes will be close. You've got a bit of a climb out of Avebury, a couple of lumps, a short sharp descent, a dragging climb out of Wroughton and another steep descent into town. Once you're over the top of that climb that road makes a sharp left then hits a roundabout. Go right onto Victoria Road to descend into town. None of the corners on this decent are that sharp so let rip if it's clear. At the end of this road you hit a one way system that splits. Bear right but keep to the left. Go into the bus stop lane and blast through (this will avoid an evil speed hump, particularly nasty on fixed). Carry on down the hill, go straight on at the big roundabout and the next little on. Bear left in the filter lane into Mancehster Road. As soon as you pass the bus station get over to the right, and turn right against the one way up Wellington Street to the station.
At this time of the morning you should be fine to ride right up to the doors. There are ticket barriers so have your ticket out and ready before dismounting. Don't arse about looking for which platform at this point. Go straight along the corridor all the way to the end, up the stairs to the left and out the doors to the left. If there's a train there it will amost certainly be yours. Turn right and rush to the end of the platform where the guard carriage is.
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Hm, that is cutting it close indeed. TSK's photographic memory of his old pedal-stomping grounds is impressive.
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I've never had a problem putting bikes on London trains in Swindon rush hour before. As there will be the guards carriage it doesn't affect room for passengers.
Alternatively, can't you skive work for Monday morning and turn up after lunch? pun handed to me on a plate.
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I'm doing this ride (except completely differently) and am interested in meeting up at Avebury when you all get there...
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I might be up for this.
RE: leaving London I've left via a route something like this before
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=hyde+park+corner&daddr=High+St%2FA4020+to:The+Broadway%2FA4020+to:51.504068,-0.500007&hl=en&geocode=FajeEQMdU6v9_ylbo1_LOgV2SDG9m161nPJ7Og%3BFZ7tEQMdovP7_w%3BFTQCEgMd5Cv6_w%3B&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=3&sz=15&via=1,2&dirflg=h&sll=51.500568,-0.494814&sspn=0.017926,0.038581&ie=UTF8&z=15 -
Does anyone have a route worked out?
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If you have Tommy along, I'm sure you can indulge in a spot of rather more precise astronomy. :)
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I've just ben looking and because it's so built up west of London along the M4 corridor it's hard not having to just bang out along main roads running through Maidenhead and Reading without going on big diversions.
I've come up with this however it is a bit tough on the navigational side as it is taking a lot of small roads into use.
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TSK will be along in a moment with a road-by-road and turn-by-turn commentary on that proposal. ;)
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coming out of Malborough we can go up to Preshute and follow the ridge way to avoid the A4 for a little adventure, but the A4 is not to bad out that way. Cycleway 4 go to http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php and put the box over the road less gap between Preshute and Avelesbury and the path comes up on the O/S side (green hollow circles).
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the last few rides we had to do a bit of main road action until we got out of london and across the m25 then as evening draws in the cars get less the main roads don't seem anywhere near as bad then as night falls we get into proper countryside and owls hoot badgers dart foxes skulk
and the ride becomes very pleasant indeed
then thge last section to stonehenge has to be negotiated a303 dual carriageway at 2am
very unpleasant
andyp
shootthebreeze
The_Seldom_Killer
skive
hippy
Oliver Schick
deleted
TheBrick(Tommy)-
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About
2010-06-20 Rolling to the Stones 2010 ( Avebury? )
Posted by
@dicki
i would be keen for a ride...also after oxford. John, you'll put a group up for the night won't you...?