A good training route with plenty of long climbs plus some sweet single track mixed in to keep things interesting. Directions start from the car park at Michael Herbert Hall in Wilton. Following the route from there is about 20 km with 400m elevation in total or you can repeat the main 12km loop to take your total distance closer to 20 miles or 32km.
Directions:
Turn left out of the car park, ride along the road to the crossroads where you turn left along the road and past the Bear Inn.
When the main road carries on left, turn off right onto a residential street, carry on under the railway bridge then turn left onto the track heading up the hill.
When the track forks keep right to head up to Grovely Woods where you’ll see a green gate at the top of the climb. Turn left onto the single track just past the gate.
As the singletrack ends you will meet another main track, turn left onto the track and turn out of the woods. Carry on down this track untill it meets the A30 near Burcombe.
Turn right onto the main road briefly before turning left taking the road to the next farmyard. Here ride past the yard and onto the steep climb.
When you reach the next set of tracks turn left into the trees and left again down a singletrack descent after about 400m. Turn right back up the hill when you meet the next track and keep on climbing straight up untill you hit the ox drove.
Turn right onto the drove for about 1km, turn right again at the next gate onto a grassy track. Keep left as you follow the track into some tree lined singletrack back down to the A30 near Barford St Martin.
At the road turn right heading towards Barford St Martin, turn off onto Grovely Road leading you past the pub and back up towards the woods.
Turn right at the next track onto a chalky double trail (which can be super slippy in the wet!) follow this trail untill you reach the next set of tracks.
When you hit the tracks you can turn right and complete another 12km loop taking your total distance to 32km / 20 miles. Alternatively you can cross straight over to head back towards Wilton.
Turn right at the end of the trail and follow the descent back down to the railway bridge. You can then follow the roads back to the start.
