September 2024. My brother had 4 days free and the weather forecast looked good so we decided to go cycle camping together. We wanted to get off our local patches, but we didn’t have time to travel far so a train to Stevenage would set us up for a trip westward to Bristol. Alas, the weather forecast looked rather different when our start day arrived!
Cycle.travel planned a course following good cycle routes to the Thames and the Kennet and Avon Canal but our first campsite would have been noisy with planes and busy roads, and a lot of the cycle paths were in large towns. We adjusted it to traverse the Chilterns and cross the Thames at Pangbourne before entering the North Wessex Downs and following the Kennet and Avon from Thatcham to Bath. It was a good route that took us through lovely quiet green countryside and woodlands in and beyond the greenbelt. It also took us up a lot of hills – and some of them were steep!
Our first campsite at Orchard View Farm near Princes Risborough (£19 for us both) meant we dropped down from the hills to camp and climbed back up them next day. The second night was at Oakley Farm Caravan Park just South of Newborough (£12 for us both). I’d recommend both sites. I’d also very highly recommend the community cafe at Pewsey for its cakes and the friendly community atmosphere. Our 3rd night was in Bath Youth Hostel, where we partook of a hearty “unlimited” breakfast in the dry before we ventured out into moderate but persistent rain.
2 Comments
Very enjoyable, thanks for sharing. I've cycled in Ireland and Scotland, but not in England so far.
Really enjoyed following along…. Thanks for the time and effort to publish