Weekender: Chalk Way taster
Route name: Chalk Way taster
Start/finish: Axminster station/Salisbury station
Maps: OS Landrangers 193 Taunton & Lyme Regis, 194 Dorchester & Weymouth, 183 Yeovil & Frome, 184 Salisbury & The Plain
Ride length: 142km (88 miles)
Climbing: 2,050m (6,725 ft)
Bike type: Gravel bike or hardtail mountain bike
Ride level: Regular
This ride makes for a great escape into some of the quieter corners of busy southern England. Part of the Old Chalk Way, a 576km gravel biking trail put together by cycling duo Ben Wormald and Chris Hunt, it follows the rocky spine of chalk running south-west to north-east from the Dorset coast to the Norfolk coast.
Since you’re riding on chalk, you’ll find that the route has the advantage of draining well, even after heavy rain. Indeed, when I rode it we’d endured a number of days of intense downpours prior to setting off but, other than a couple of short wet and muddy sections that were easily negotiable, the ride was dry and totally rideable.
In some places the route has been in use for millennia, following a mix of well-graded gravel trails, farm tracks, bridleways and minor country roads.
This particular stretch starts on the spectacular Jurassic Coast and takes in some short but steep climbs, including Shaftesbury’s infamous cobbled Gold Hill, where you needn’t be ashamed if you end up pushing like the boy in the old Hovis advert!
The fact that you’re having to make a few steep climbs also means you’ll enjoy some great panoramas from the high points you attain, including fine views across the Dorset coast.
When you get up onto the Ridgeway proper, just after Shaftesbury (another stiff – but short – climb) you’ll enjoy a glorious high level, off-road blast that’s often enhanced by having the prevailing south-westerly wind at your back. This is, in fact, one of the best sections of the Old Chalk Way.
Keen riders could complete this 88-mile section in a day, although it’s probably more enjoyable and certainly less rushed if spread across two days as that gives you more time to enjoy the sights along the way (as well as the cake and coffee stops).
Since you’re never far from civilisation, it’s no problem to find accommodation, whether under a roof or under canvas.
This leg of the Old Chalk Way starts in Lyme Regis and finishes in historic Salisbury. It can be accessed by from the train station at Axminster (six miles from Lyme Regis), which has good rail links to Salisbury.
1. The Jurassic Coast
Take a dip in the sea at pretty Lyme Regis before setting off. You may even have time to wander along the coast in search of fossils – the Jurassic Coast is famous as one of the best fossil-hunting grounds in Britain.
2. Cerne Abbas Giant
The route passes close to this 55m-high chalk hill figure whose most prominent feature, to quote Wikipedia, is “a notably vertical erection, some 11 metres (36 feet) long”. The figure appears ancient but may only date back as far as the 17th century.
3. The Ridgeway
Used by travellers for at least 5,000 years, the Ridgeway is often called ‘Britain’s oldest road’. The high, dry ground isn’t just ideal for bikes but in the past provided a reliable trading route between the Dorset coast and the Wash in Norfolk, giving travellers commanding views from which they could spot potential attackers.
4. Gold Hill, Shaftesbury
Readers of a certain age may remember the famous Hovis bread advert, which was shot on the cobbled Gold Hill. It’s been named as Britain’s favourite ever TV advert, a fact you’ll probably forget when riding (or pushing) up its punishingly steep incline, which reaches 25% at its worst.
5. Red kites
You’ll almost certainly see red kites soaring gracefully overhead as you’re riding along; they’re easily identified by their forked tail.
This magnificent raptor was almost driven to extinction in Britain but, thanks to various incredibly successful reintroduction projects, numbers increased by 2,464% between 1995 and 2023. The UK is now home to about 17% of the world’s population.
