Checking out another easy route for the ex-Somer Valley Wheels refugees bike riders I thought that a nice flat towpath ride along the Kennet and Avon Canal was worth a look.I can't believe I'm saying this, but the K&A towpath is really a complete no-no for cycling. That's in spite of "officially" being part of the so-called "National Cycle Network" - it's part of Sustrans' NCN4.
The path has that cheap and easy compromise surface - rolled dust. Trouble is, of course, is that it needs a lot of maintenance to keep it good and it's getting very little of that. Vegetation is quick to encroach so that in places the path is down to around 18 inches wide; in many places the top surface is worn down to the railway ballast type stone base layer which makes for a very rough ride. The up side of that is, I suppose, that it keeps speeds down - 10 mph is, I reckon, the safe maximum given the other hazards. On the inclines up over some of the bridges the surface is little better than scree.
All good if I was leading a bunch of youngsters on mountain bikes but for the less steady older folk it would be quite hazardous.
So, no. The K&A path is great on foot, but hard work on a bike. It just goes to demonstrate how fortunate we are in the Radstock/Midsomer Norton area when it comes to decent standard off-highway cycle routes.
Oh yes. The steps. I found out later that I should have avoided them by heading off the path and crossing over the road and back down onto the path but I must have missed the signs heading in the easterly direction.
And Devizes? Well, at the wharf by the canal there was little to keep me there. No toilets. No cafe. The K&A Trust does its best with a coffee machine in the gift shop but it's not up to coping with the 10 or so hungry folk on bikes. I was directed to the "town square" 5 minutes walk away for the 20p attended toilets. The nearest I could find to a tea rooms was a branch of a national coffee shop chain - not what my discerning group of riders would particularly appreciate. So, sorry Devizes, you're missing a trick not having decent facilities by the canal.
So, the hunt continues for a variety of new routes for my gang of bike riders. As most of them are aged between 50 to 70+ years old I have to try to avoid excessive climbs and unpleasant levels of motor traffic. It's a hell of a job, but someone's got to do it...
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Difficult, isn't it? I've tried thinking about this over the past few days, but the problem is that you probably know the local area better than me, and what I do think of always has some form of sharp hill in it.
Even today's route had a climb that would have caused problems to some of the gang - the towpath up Caen Hill is a 2 mile bottom gear grind.
"As most of them are aged 50 to 70+ years old I have to try to avoid excessive climbs and unpleasant levels of motor traffic"
I have to say that you make it sound as if a persons age is what dictates their climbing ability and that just isn't so....
I am 63 yrs of age and will climb any hill and beat youngsters in their twentys and I know other riders older than myself that are quicker climbers than me.
I'm just off to cycle back from Gibraltar and I'm pretty sure there will be quite a few huge climbs as well as heavy traffic in places.
Still enjoying reading your posts....
-Trevor
I've ridden it twice from Thatcham to Bath on my 25mm shod road bike. Yes it is rough surface, it's a multi use path used by many people so it is left looking "natural." If I wasn't so lazy I'd probably reshod to a pair of old cross tyres happily perishing in the cupboard to do it but having done it twice I don't bother. The parts of it used regularly for travel/commuting from a good way out of Bath to Bristol are tarmac and I for one would be disappointed if they anaesthetised the surface. It is just a worn walked path further east where the vast majority of the traffic is pedestrian but it is what I expect of an extremely rural shared route.
Very good point, Trevor. What I should have made clear was that several of the group have health issues that prevent them from from being as active as you or I (I'm the same age as you). For instance we have a very keen lady rider who suffers from MS which means she has a very weak leg and cannot walk very well. Another has hip and back problems which makes walking painful but cycling is pain free. They'll never have the strength for serious hill climbing and pushing a bike up hill can be uncomfortable for them.
As you say, not strictly an age thing but more of a health issue. Sadly, they tend to be age related health issues.
You and I should count our blessings.
Enjoy your Gibraltar trip. Post photos!
Agree with your comments. I did that route earlier in the year. It was actuualy very pleasent, but that was before the vegetation had overgrown the path. We stopped off at a delightful tea place at Semington Bridge.
The bikes were covered in gritty dust afterwards (must have put six months wear on my chain).
The track needs to be both wider and better surfaced. In the summer it's too crowded with walkers and in the winter it's full of muddy puddles!
Peter
I have to take issue with your generalisation that the K&A is a complete no-no for cycling. I agree it may not suit your group and I'm sure that was what you meant to convey.
I recently had a pleasant couple of hours along it from Bath and have to day that compared with canal towpaths locally here in Lancashire it is significantly better. The surface does have the drawback of being dusty but my old bike with it's chain guard only needed a quick wash down on return. Compared with the rutted and broken tarmac, cobbles, cinders and waterlogged muddy towpaths of the Leeds Liverpool, the K&A is a luxury.
I have to agree on the obstacles as some of those haven't been resolved adequately for cyclists. Riders shouldn't be expected to haul bikes up flights of steps - the one I encountered near Bath I cheated on and went through a boat yard.
I like to pretend that I'm a fairly experienced rider and as such I think that the whole route from Bath to Devizes really isn't suitable for cycling on anything other than a mountain bike or at all. For reasons previously given I believe that it should be left to the boaters and walkers.
I've never ridden or walked beyond Devizes along the canal so cannot comment on the conditions there.
This is a problem here as well: we've got 11% hills on three sides of the village, and then more hills on the other side of the valleys: in any direction, if you ride more than a few kilometres you'll have to deal with two hills, and it puts people off cycling.
Of course the bridge over tha valley is closed to cyclists. Otherwise they may use it.
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