London to Brighton bike race 2024 – Episode 4 my favourite ride

I’m in the race! The draw was done today and places confirmed. Now I need to do some training.
I recently did a ride and posted the map from my tracking app on facebook. It got me thinking. All you could see was a map with numbers – nothing to show why I love the ride! This film shows my favourite route, with gravel riding over Canford heath, disused railway lines, a Roman road and a trip round the bay! 15 odd miles of glorious biking 🙂

My trainings progressing for the London to Brighton ride. The other day I did my favourite ride, and put a screenshot from my bike app on Facebook. I got to thinking that it was simply a map with numbers. Nothing to explain why I love the ride so much. So this time I made a film instead! The ride starts with a tedious slog up Pound Lane. Great when your muscles are cold! Then a quick blast along Dorset way and up to Alderney roundabout. Then up Belben road to the start of Canford Heath. 3.65 miles of mostly going uphill, and on roads. One of the reasons I love this route is I hate riding on roads. So most of this is on the heath. Not too sure about cattle grids though. Here’s a good viewpoint – that’s the Dual carriageway we’ve just come up. Onwards and upwards. This route used to be Lady Wimborne’s private road between her house in Canford Magna and Bournemouth. I covered that in one of my other films. Glorious day today! The heather’s out. All you see out here are a few joggers and a few dog walkers. And the odd cyclist. You might see the odd horse too. Oh I hate these things – the last thing I want to see! I’ve actually got a phobia of cows. At least it not a bull. The only blot on the landscape is this ghastly recycling centre in the middle of the heath for no apparent reason. Thankfully we can bypass it Now this path goes two ways. Left hand goes down what’s called Longfleet drive to Poole, right hand goes to Wimborne Now a couple of years back they actually cut this lot back, but it’s overgrown to how it used to be again. Actually, it’s not as bad. Okay – that wasn’t meant to happen ! Guess that’s one reason I don’t like going too fast. it’s undignified, rather than injury causing. From Belben Road it’s over Canford Heath on 2.18 miles of glorious trails, past the cows and landfill site to where I fell off, and onto Magna Road. So we’ve reached Magna Road. And those are the gates of Lady Wimborne’s private drive to her house which is now Canford School. And this is the village of Canford Magna. I always visualise Miss Marple living here. Something to do with thatched cottages I think. And this is Canford School. Canford Manor was the home of Lady Wimborne. Over the years the family had to sell off chunks of the estate, and eventually the house itself. Which became Canford School. And the bit we’re going along is one of her other private estate roads to Wimborne. She had money! And here’s where the road runs out. It looks a bit railway-like, but this was never a railway. It was always a road I’ve never actually ridden it the other way. I’ve always come this direction. Don’t know why. And this bridge here is the Wimborne bypass. Now this was a Railway Bridge. It carried the Castleman Corkscrew from Southampton through to Dorchester. And the reason it’s so ornate is that they didn’t want anything too common. Whole long story That’s one of the gate houses they built, and that used to be the route through to Canford School. From Magna Road, it’s hang a right into Miss Marpleville, past Lady Wimborne’s Gaff, under the Wimborne bypass and ornamental bridge, past the Willett Arms and onto the Castleman Trailway. 1.87 miles of mostly level Trail. We’re actually on the Castleman Trailway. What this used to be was the main railway between Southampton and Dorchester, taking in all sorts of towns and villages on the way. Named the Castleman Corkscrew because of the man who planned it, and the circuitous route it took. That’s the road to Wimborne from Poole. And its dark…… And the other nice bit is, it’s on a very gentle downward incline towards Poole. On my right is Broadstone golf course. This was actually one of the golf courses owned by the Canford Estate. The other one was down in Sandbanks, which they also used to own. Okay, so we’re now on another railway line. This one used to go off to Blandford and the west of England So where this Leisure Centre is, used to be Broadstone station. The only remaining part is the station hotel, which is just over the other side of the road. And at this point the railway line splits into two. On my left is the Broadstone relief road which follows the track of the old line between Broadstone and Poole, and this is still the this Castleman. Now you can go a little bit further along the line which takes you in towards Upton and Hamworthy, but we’re not going that way today. Gonna go down here, and on to Roman Road. Never yet fallen off here. So we’re now on Roman road that goes between Upton and Broadstone. I’ve never yet discovered where that section goes. Let’s go this way though. So this is the A35 Upton bypass. So it’s under the Dual carriageway, and a quick trip through Upton Country Park. The Castleman trail from the Willett Arms to Upton Country Park via Broadstone is a glorious four miles of disused railway with a slightly downwards incline. Whoa – I forgot I’ve got to turn right! And we’re now onto Holes Bay So this is the bridge over the London to Dorchester and Weymouth line, and it’s downhill now – yay!! And this is the other bit I like riding – the Holes Bay cycle path. But as you can probably hear, most of the time I ride it, the wind’s straight in my face! Another of my favourite rides is actually right around Holes Bay. The bit to Asda along Holes Bay is 2.47 miles. Although it’s flat, there’s usually a strong headwind. So it’s under the railway line and Towngate Bridge, across the taxi rank by Poole station heading towards Barclays house or whatever it’s going to be, and a quick spurt up wimborne road to home.