Travellers’ tales: King Alfred’s singlespeed Way
Where: South-East England
Who: Ben Waterfall
When: September 2025
The 2025 Singlespeed UK Championships were held at Queen Elizabeth Country Park in Hampshire. I had entered but wanted to find a way to improve my travel/activity ratio. Conveniently, the venue was on the route of King Alfred’s Way so I settled on the idea of doing both.
My apprehension about riding the route on a singlespeed loaded with camping gear was diminished by chat in the route’s Facebook group. I planned two days of riding each way, which meant I only needed two overnight stops while travelling.
I joined King Alfred’s Way on the Ridgeway near Swindon, and later saw Green Woodpeckers in Reading. I detoured via Odiham Castle to spend a night camping in the beer garden of the Fox & Goose at Greywell. The pitch was free with the evening meal I ordered at the bar.
The experience of singlespeed bikepacking on my Stooge Mk4 29er (32/20 gearing) was surprisingly great. I’ll do it again Ben Waterfall
The second day, riding through the heaths and commons, was my favourite, with great singletrack and views. I was proud to ride onto the event site at the end of the day.
Singlespeed UK was exactly as I expected: fun, friendly and a bit daft. Without the luggage, my bike felt suddenly sprightly. The course in Queen Elizabeth Country Park was all rideable, with steady climbs and spirited descents. The slippery chalk trails were a novelty that kept my attention.
With post-race tired legs, Butser Hill was my longest push of the trip but I was soon rolling again. My last night was spent in the luxury of the Salisbury Camping and Caravanning Club site. On my last day I made sure to stay on the correct side of the flags on the military ranges. Later I spotted chalk white horses.
The experience of singlespeed bikepacking on my Stooge Mk4 29er (32/20 gearing) was surprisingly great. I’ll do it again.
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