The Old Chalk Way is a 575km bikepacking route along Britain's oldest highway.
From English Channel to North Sea.
Following a chalk spine from Lyme Regis in Dorset to Holme-next-the-Sea in Norfolk, we’ve pieced together the best bits of the Greater Ridgeway to create a coast-to-coast all-road route which embodies the history of this ancient highway, its most iconic sites, best scenery and we think some of the best riding in Southern England.
Expect a mix of well-trodden bridleways, chalk double-track, forest fire roads, old drovers trails, back lanes and overgrown grassy desire lines. You'll find rolling green hills, ancient woodland, ancient market towns, Bronze Age round barrows, Iron Age hill forts, two seas and plenty of red kites.
The Route.
*OCW V.1 has only been ridden in full once and there’s been several routing changes since then, so if you ride the route, get in touch via Instagram and tag us in your photos. We’d love to hear from you and also see your photos.
how can i ride the old chalk way?
The route lends itself perfectly to touring from south to north over four to six days but how you ride OCW is totally down to you.
With train stations linking to major cities across the country close to the start and finish as well as several lines along the way, there’s no reason why it can’t be split into several chunks, there’s also no reason why it can’t be attempted in a oner.
We want to see FKT attempts and as well as people splitting the route into sections, attacking it one weekend at a time. We designed the route to provide accessible adventure by bike close to home so we’d love to see as many of you ride it as possible, in whatever format.
The plan is to organise a bare-bones group ride of OCW in 2022, keep an eye here and on our Instagram for details.
Why ?
We love scoring lines across maps. In the south of England we‘re used to travelling far to ride established bikepacking routes following those kinds of lines. Inspired by our experiences on Second City Divide and The Badger Divide, we thought the South of England deserved something just as fun!
We wanted to create a longer distance linear route with an authentic sense of journey and historical significance across the landscapes familiar to us. The route roughly follows four ancient trails making up the Greater Ridgeway which today are marked as established footpaths: The Wessex Ridgeway, The Ridgeway, The Icknield Way and The Peddars Way.
But much of the existing official trail systems don’t lend themselves to bike riding and in many cases it’s forbidden. So we linked up what we could, and skipped what we didn’t like. Rather than squeezing in every bridleway we could find, we opted for route flow, including enough tarmac to keep the KMs ticking over.
The coast-to-coast highway was the first cross-country trading route, connecting the Dorset coastline to the Wash in Norfolk. Elevated along the chalk vein, the dry terrain made for a more dependable route year round, capable of transporting livestock and carriages alike whilst its height provided the perfect advantage against potential attack. Archaeological evidence suggests that this ancient route lad the foundations for the trading of cultures and goods, not only within the country but across the Channel and the Irish Sea too.
Testament to the highway’s significance, is the number of historical and cultural sites and monuments. The route is littered with hill forts and round barrows, while passing through the famed sites of Cerne Giant, Gold Hill, Stonehenge, Avebury stone circles, Thetford Abbey and Castle Acre, all of which we highly recommend checking out.
FAQs:
What bike should i ride?
This is prime gravel bike territory, but anything packing substantial rubber will do the trick. The route is non-technical with minimal hike-a-bike and plenty of tarmac. We’ve ridden on ~45mm tyres and reckon you’ll be alright on anything upwards of 35mm. If it’s wet you’ll want lots of grip and plenty of spare clearance for mud.
What time of year is best?
There’s a lot of chalk and a lot of mud on the route, so if it has rained, you’ll know about it. With that in mind, we think it’s best ridden in summer when the chalk is dry and rolls best. That said, much of the route is elevated and so it does dry pretty quickly.
Where should i sleep?
The route never strays too far from civilisation so a B&B, pub or Premier Inn is rarely far away. There’s also lots of wide open spaces and forest and even two beaches along the way so if you do want to sleep out there’s ample opportunity for tent or bivvy. The usual goes for being responsible for checking land permissions and a general ‘don’t be a dickhead’ ethos.
Is this Just The same as the Greater Ridgeway?
The concept of OCW is of course to make a rideable version of Britain’s oldest highway, so much of this route is already well-established. The direction of travel is identical to the Greater Ridgeway, as well as start and end points and several sites and paths along the way. It shares about 40% of the same tracks which are made up of mostly ‘The Ridgeway’ section between Avebury-Goring (also shared with King Alfred’s Way), and The Peddars Way in Norfolk.
OCW works out to be about 100km shorter with less elevation than the existing mtb and walking routes. We’ve prioritised prime gravel sections and sealed lanes over circumnavigating grassy fields in order to create a route with maximum flow that makes sense by a range of bikes bike and is fun to ride.
Can I ride across Salisbury Plain?
Be aware that OCW passes through ‘Larkhill site’, part of the MOD training ground at Salisbury Plain, it’s only passable on certain days. Find info about firing days here: gov.uk/government/publications/salisbury-plain-training-area-spta-firing-times. Generally speaking every other weekend and bank holiday weekends are more likely to be possible, although some weekdays too, but please check well in advance.
This is very important for the purposes of not getting shot or arrested. We don’t need that on our hands. We would say that if you are planning to ride the OCW in 4-7 days then you’ll probably be crossing the site on day 2. If firing is in progress and the red flags are flying, don’t stress, we have a red flag option here.
Is this a Race?
No, this isn’t even a group ride at the moment, just a bikepacking route for you to do on your own. If you’d be interested in riding OCW as an event, let us know.
How do I get to and from the Start and Finish?
With train stations near either end of the ride as well as dotted along the route, we’d like to encourage everyone to reach OCW by public transport where possible.
Axminster is the closest station to the south-western end and makes for a nice relaxed roll down into Lyme Regis before starting. If you’ve got some extra time though and your legs are feeling good, why not follow the East Devon Trail from Exeter to the start of OCW at Lyme Regis?
At the other end, the nearest station is King’s Lynn. It’s a 30km ride on the road following the National Cycle Networks route 1 from the finish to the station via Sandringham Estate.
Along the route, Gillingham, Swindon, Princes Risborough, Luton, Royston and Thetford all have stations and you’ll find plenty more just off the route too.
We know travel on trains with a bike can be a pain in the ass, but most of the lines luckily serve bikes pretty well and bike reservations are not required on ThamesLink services from King’s Lynn, or SouthWestern services to Axminster. Note that if you’re travelling via GWR you’ll need a bike reservation even if the trains are empty.
Does it matter which way i ride it?
In theory no, the route would work both ways and if for whatever reason it makes sense logistically for you to ride north to south then great, we’d love to hear how you find it. That said, we designed it running from a south westerly direction for a few reasons:
- Prevailing wind: everyone loves a tailwind right?
- On the most part smooth climbs and less smooth descents.
- The terrain gets easier the further you go east, giving you a sense of flow.
What other routes should i check out?
Second City Divide - This has to be England’s best all road bikepacking route.
The Badger Divide - The best of the Scottish Highlands.
East Devon Trail - Great gravel riding in our backyard and a nice add on to OCW.
