King Alfred Way Adventure
Planning
The key to any adventure is in the planning. When Nigel suggested to me in early spring, he fancied riding the newly created King Alfred Way whilst he was enjoying a sabbatical from work I was intrigued. Alas I didn’t have the leave to join him for the whole route but enquired if he changed the days, I could join him for the final leg on a Saturday he was up for it. He roped in another good friend, Ray who was able to ride the whole route, we had a quorum.
The King Alfred Way is a 350km off-road adventure route opened in 2020. The official start/finish is in Winchester where Alfred the Great was buried and it takes in much of his Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It takes in the iconic monuments like Stonehenge, Avebury stone circle, Iron Age hill forts, cathedrals at Winchester and Salisbury. Plenty to break up your ride and because it is a circular route you can determine your own start and finish point.
We talked, discussed and agreed on a plan and set a date. However, as the designated time approached the forecast took a severe turn for the worse. The prospect of three days of riding off-road in pouring rain and train strikes making it harder to get over there for the start didn’t appeal so we put a pin in it and re-arranged the trip for September. Thankfully the weather looked better, marginally but there was still a train strike to contend with. Nigel and Ray, were planning to ride over to Petersfield, closest point on the route to Sussex where they’d be heading from on the Wednesday before beginning their 3-day KAW adventure. I was joining them for the Saturday leg but my original plan of getting the train over to join them in Pangbourne for the Friday night was out of the window.
That left the option to ride over after work rather than bail. After some additional route planning, I could leave work and get over there covering 100kms. With a road ride there and back sandwiching a big day out, 132km of off-road riding mixed with some quaint and quiet back roads the choice of bike was key. I plumped for the Kinesis G2, with 38c Schwalbe gravel tyres. I used my Ortlieb bike packing bags, handlebar, saddle and top tube to carry what I needed. I rode in on the Friday, with a full compliment of bags and luggage, despite the load the G2 handled well and still felt spritely.
With plenty of sunshine on our backs, I was accompanied by Kinesis Ambassador, Rupert Robinson for the first part of my Friday journey, we headed north from Partridge Green. Along quiet lanes we chatted adventures, old and new before reaching our split point.
Heading north through Sussex into Surrey was a pleasure, leafy lanes were soon replaced by busier sections as I approached Guildford and the first busy city on my journey. Navigating any large built-up area can be challenging, I was using Komoot as I find the route planning to be comprehensive and versatile but even this struggled to provide turn by turn instructions in time. Once I was out the other side it was back onto quieter roads before hitting the outskirts of Reading. Here the route zig-zagged and busy junctions and onto cycle paths but the kms were flying by. Before long I had to don lights as the darkness descended with indecent haste. Approaching 9pm I was well on the way past Reading and began to see signs for Pangbourne, always a good tonic for any ride is the confirmation of your destination on the horizon.
Entering the town, I found the hotel and was soon in touch with Nigel and Ray who had found a restaurant for dinner. I soon unloaded and washed up to join them before they stopped serving. With plenty to catch-up on from their first two days and the final day ahead there was plenty of chat before turning in for an early start.
Day 1 Summary: 101km Partridge Green to Pangbourne (road)
The Saturday morning dawned bright and warm. Sleep had been sporadic, staying in a pub/hotel was determined by availability but the cliental obviously didn’t have an early start. Not to worry, after some pre-ride faff we were off. Within moments we were on tracks and trails and in the heart of the countryside. This proved to be a continual theme of the day and what a joy it was. The other two had been through three seasons at least over the opening days of the KAW, plenty of rain had made some sections more challenging and the mud accumulated on their bikes was testimony to this. Coupled with several punctures and tubeless saves, we were hoping for a problem free last day.
Whilst day 3 produced some wet sections, puddles etc, most of the riding conditions were just right. We stopped for an early breakfast in Caversham on the outskirts of Reading. Replenished we then had an enjoyable ride through the city via back lanes and cycle routes and were soon deposited back onto the smaller lanes for some easy mileage.
The beauty of the KAW is the variety. One moment you can be in a metropolis admiring the buildings and architecture before you replace the bricks and mortar for trees and trails. The other massive plus is you wouldn’t find many of these trails. The scenery is stunning, riding beneath the trees, along bridleways and up on Rushmoor Common, the variety of surfaces you cover is huge and provides plenty to keep you occupied.
The first part proved to be quite challenging in terms of finding suitable refreshment options. The KAW passes through enough towns and villages but perhaps not at points when you need them of you may have to venture off route to discover what you need. After this we did start to come across plenty of options and chose to put in some miles before halting for lunch. Farnham offered plenty of choice before tackling the toughest section of the day’s ride. The climbing and descending became more pronounced on sandy and rocky sections, very doable on a gravel or cross bike but without suspension your body does start to feel it.
This is off set by the views. On a warm, sunny day you had cracking views across the various commons we were traversing. Rounding Hindhead meant we were around 20km from the finish. What I liked about the G2 is that it took whatever I pointed it at in its stride. It was competent and handled well. The 1x setup provided plenty of gearing options and the SRAM setup handled the numerous changes well. I never felt that I had run out of gears, which given the variety of terrain was reassuring. We had an enforced stop as Nigel’s derailleur decided to discharge its power so we stopped to re-charge it and thankfully it behaved for the rest of the journey.
A welcome pit-stop at a garage to top up bottles and have a quick snack, allowed us to gather thoughts before the final push.
The biggest concern at this stage of the day was the fading light. This was starting to cause problems riding on and off-road under the trees. With the light waning quickly, it added impetus to our pace. Thankfully we had brought some lights for this reason, after a quick stop to attach the Lezyne front and rear lights we were back underway and speeding (relatively) towards the finish. The section where Nigel and Ray had begun their adventure three days previously, soon appeared. After some celebratory pictures to commemorate their achievement, we headed off to find our Airbnb for the night, aware that food replenishment options would fade as quickly as the light if we weren’t organised.
Washed and changed we wandered across the road to the pub for a hearty meal, only to be told the kitchen had closed early. Disaster was avoided when they confirmed they could provide three plates of pie, mash and veg.
This was wolfed down with aplomb whilst dissecting the day.
Day 2 Summary: 132km/1,374m/8 hrs 32 mins Pangbourne to Stroud (KAW)
After a better night’s sleep, Sunday dawned a little misty and cooler. Breakfast was taken at a well-known local service station food stop before heading off on the final leg. Skirting any larger towns, we stuck to quiet lanes for the peace and ability to chat and ride when convenient. We found a local village store that sold pastries and coffee so took advantage of this before continuing. After a long day of riding perhaps 40-50% off-road it was nice to speed along tarmac. The roads were in good nick and whilst progress wasn’t rapid it was smooth. A lunch stop near the Sussex village of Henfield provided enough fuel for the final push. It wouldn’t have been right to finish the ride without some off-road trails in homage to the KAW.
If you are looking for an adventure, then the KAW must be up there. Whether you camp, B&B or hotel, take in the scenery. If time allows maybe spread the journey over 4 days. It is certainly doable in 3 but punctures and the odd mechanical can eat into your schedule.
A great weekend of riding complimented by terrific weather with top company.
Day 3 Summary: 103km Stroud to home