Dust on our faces

King Alfred’s Way – Five Days of Dust, History and Brilliant Riding

King Alfred’s Way is one of the UK’s iconic bikepacking routes. Covering around 220 miles (350 km), it loops through the heart of historic Wessex, linking four National Trails – The Ridgeway, South Downs Way, North Downs Way and the Thames Path. Created by Cycling UK, the route takes you through landscapes packed with over 10,000 years of English history.

Route at a Glance

● Distance: 220 miles (353 km)

● Elevation: 11,585 ft (3,531 m)

● Terrain: Around 85% off-road, with a fantastic mix of gravel tracks, chalk ridgeways, woodland singletrack, bridleways, byways, towpaths and quiet country lanes

Our Ride

We tackled King Alfred’s Way from 26th–30th July, setting off on a Sunday afternoon after the drive down from Halifax. Rather than starting in Winchester, the official start point, we began at Chiltern, the most northerly point of the loop and a much more sensible option for us.

Over the next four and a half days we rode the entire route, and from the very first mile it was exactly what bikepacking should be. The route is made up mainly of byways, bridleways, woodland trails, cycleways, towpaths and field tracks, with thankfully very little road riding.

The weather couldn’t have been better. Blue skies, warm sunshine and bone-dry trails made for almost perfect riding conditions. After what had felt like a never-ending wet winter, it was a joy to be riding dusty trails instead of grinding through mud. If you enjoy mountain biking in fast, dry conditions, you’ll absolutely love this route when the weather plays ball.

Water Stops

One thing worth knowing if you’re planning this route — there are water taps along the way, but not as many as you might think.

We managed fine by topping up at cafés, campsites and pubs, but there are definitely a few longer stretches where you need to plan ahead. It’s not a deal-breaker, just something to be aware of, especially in hot weather like we had.

People We Met Along the Way

One of the best parts of this trip wasn’t just the riding — it was the people.

We bumped into some brilliant characters out on the trail. Two young lads on e-bikes absolutely buzzing about their MFlows, proudly showing us the “boost button” like it was the best thing in the world. That kind of enthusiasm is infectious and honestly made me smile.

We also met Nick, a roadie from Reigate, who we shared a good chat with about the route, bikes and the usual cycling nonsense who also knew a friend of mine (small world).

And then there was Kun and Lin from Malaysia, who we met along the Ridgeway friendly, curious and clearly loving their time exploring the UK. Encounters like that are what make these trips stick in your memory long after the miles are done.

Where We Stayed

Our overnight stops were:

● Premier Inn, Reading

● Punch Bowl Hotel, Mindhead

● Stockbridge Campsite, Stockbridge

● Barge Inn Campsite, Honey Street

Each stop worked well and broke the route into comfortable riding days, although Day 3 was the toughest — over 70 miles, 5,300 feet of climbing, and temperatures hitting 35°C.

Café Stops

One of the highlights of any bikepacking trip is the café hopping, and King Alfred’s Way certainly doesn’t disappoint.

Along the way we stopped at:

● Pierreponts Café, Goring

● Gail’s Bakery, Reading

● Gail’s Bakery, Farnham

● Coach House Café, Crookham

● Turtle Bean Café, Liss

● Queen Elizabeth Country Park Café

● Freshman’s Common Café

● Allan’s Coffee Van, South Downs near Petersfield

● Pret A Manger, Winchester

● Harvester, Salisbury

● The Baking Bee, Ashbury

There wasn’t a bad coffee or cake stop all week.

Evening Food

After long days in the saddle, these were well earned:

● Burritos opposite Gail’s Bakery in Reading

● Bayleaf Indian Restaurant, Grayshott

● The White Hart, Stockbridge

● The Barge Inn, Honey Street

The Bayleaf curry definitely hit the spot after a full day on the bike.

Bike & Setup

For this ride I used my Santa Cruz Blur CC, carrying all my gear in Aeroe bikepacking bags mounted on the Aeroe Spider Rear Rack. The setup was faultless throughout the trip and nothing came loose, nothing rubbed, and it handled the rough terrain brilliantly.

My friend rode a Salsa Cutthroat with chunky tyres and absolutely loved it.

If you’re thinking about riding King Alfred’s Way, I’d recommend either a hardtail mountain bike or a gravel bike with plenty of tyre clearance and chunky tyres. Both are well suited to the varied terrain.

Final Thoughts

Would I ride King Alfred’s Way again?

Absolutely.

The only thing I’d want is the same weather. I honestly wouldn’t fancy tackling much of this route in prolonged wet conditions — the chalk sections would become incredibly slippery and many of the trails would turn into heavy, energy-sapping mud.

In dry weather though, this is an outstanding bikepacking route. It has everything — great trails, fantastic scenery, plenty of history, excellent cafés and very little road riding.

For me, King Alfred’s Way earns a solid 9 out of 10.

Our total mileage was 255 miles with 16,300 feet of climbing.

It’s a route every UK bikepacker should have on their list.

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