Wolverton and West bike ride (off road)
5 people attending
2 places left
Our journey takes us around the west side of Milton Keynes and across country. We begin with an easy cruise along the paths of the Ouse Valley Way from Old Wolverton to Stony Stratford, and then out to the village of Middle Weald along a short country lane. We then take the bridle path to Beachampton and pause for our first break.
All being well we will depart the village along Watery Lane, crashing through the ford and up onto the dirt track that takes us past the woods. Once past the wood the route becomes a concreted road, which takes us all the way to join the North Bucks Way at Hazeley.
The next section through Oakhill Wood is quite boggy in places, so expect your tyres to kick up the mud. We will branch off towards Whaddon part way through the wood if going remains fair. Once through the village of Whaddon there is another dirt track to the edge of some fields and then a grass route up to Thrift Wood and out the other side. From this point until crossing the road again you are on a stud farm, so we will need to be careful of horses. We will then make our way back down the Emerson Valley on firm paths and through parkland.
At Watling Street we will negiotate the redways through Bletchley to join the Grand Union Canal tow path near Pink Punters (sorry it will be closed). For those ready to head home, you can catch a train from Bletchley and cut out the last 10 miles.
The rest of us will follow the canal and probably make our two-thirds stop at a wharfside pub. The remainder of the route follows a narrow grit track along the canal, back to Old Wolverton.
What to bring
Winter has come! Prepare against the cold, wet and mud; so you remain warm and dry. You must wear a cycle helmet for this event.
Bring safety glasses, unshaded for winter cycling to protect against the mud flicking off your tyres.
Bring a spare inner tube, tyre levers, bike pump and any specialist gear your bike needs for repairs.
Bring a small rucksack for your lunch and kit.
Wear some outdoor walking shoes, old trainers or trainer boots and expect it to be muddy underfoot.
Bring some dry socks and trainers to change into at the end.
Expect the potential for rain and wear quick drying clothes.
Bring a waterproof jacket that you can fold down into your daypack.
It is likely to be cold and the wind can be bitter, so wear layers of lightweight clothes over a base layer.
Bring plenty of water, a packed lunch and some energy food (chocolate, sweets etc.).
Carry some money for the pub.
If you carry important medicines, please let me know privately.
Food & drink
Bring a packed lunch, there are no shops along the way, however, we will have a couple of pub stops to warm people up and decide how we feel.