Fosse way Bath Cirencester

[Neil F]

I am planning a route from Bath to Cirencester and was looking at the Fosse way. Some parts are marked on the OS maps as bridle ways. I particular from Fosse gate( by M 4 ) to just south of the Cotswolds Airport. Does anybody know what state these lanes are in and are they passable for a touring bike (Galaxy). I should be going early May.

[irc]

I am planning a route from Bath to Cirencester and was looking at the Fosse way. Some parts are marked on the OS maps as bridle ways. I particular from Fosse gate( by M 4 ) to just south of the Cotswolds Airport. Does anybody know what state these lanes are in and are they passable for a touring bike (Galaxy). I should be going early May.

One of my favourite cycling books was a tour along the length of the Fosse way southeast to northwest. Done on a tourer.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fat-Man-Roman-R ... 0006368212

I've always fancied riding it. I'd be interested to hear how you get on. Or has anyone else here done it?

[cycleruk]

You can check out most of the route using Google maps or something like Bikehike
http://www.bikehike.co.uk/
(Also uses Google for it's base mapping).

I think you might have a problem trying to cross Cotswold Airport but you never know.

[irc]

Someone has already plotted the line of the Fosse Way on google maps. The southern end looks like it might be worth doing. Between Leicester and Lincoln it is mainly the A46 though which looks from streetview that it is a high traffic two lane A road which is unlikely to be nice cycling.


http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF ... f2860b62a3

[andrew_s]

From Batheaston as far as the road just south of Kemble airfield is worthwhile. From what I can make out, the tracks have been improved since I last saw them, and look mostly OK.

Whilst the A road(s) between there and the river Stour aren't terribly busy, what traffic there is is often fast moving, so I've always avoided them, though the odd mile or so to link up minor roads is OK.

[Richard Fairhurst]

There's a Sustrans route that broadly follows the route - NCN 48, aka Fosse2. Only parts of it are open but you can trace the proposed parts on the Sustrans online mapping (and, in a few places, on opencyclemap.org).

[Dob]

I cycled the Fosse Way from Kemble to Bath in August 2014 with my 10 year old son on mountain bikes. I would not like to cycle the reverse route (the hill out of Batheaston is formidable). Kemble is easy to get to from where we live (Wokingham) by train to Reading-Swindon-Kemble. It would be better if access to the Fosse Way did not involve using the A429 (clear the old Kemble-Tetbury railway?). The surface of the track was generally good, though there were some rough stretches where SW Water were working near Easton Grey. The road sections were also quiet except on the approach to Bath. The Salutation pub, at the Gibb, is the only pub directly on the route and the kitchen closes at 14:00! While we were in Bath, we took the opportunity to use the newly opened Two Tunnels Way, along the old Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway route.