Beautiful cycling route

Winchester is great for cycling around whether that’s just around the city getting from A to B or going for an adventure on the tracks and cycle routes in and around Winchester.

One of the routes starting in Winchester has recently been voted in the top 20 most instagrammable cycling routes in Europe.

The King Alfred’s Way is a 350km circular off-road route through 10,000 years of history but don’t worry, you don’t have to do all 350km!

Despite being easily accessible from Winchester, you’ll feel like you’ve escaped from everything where real life is now white horses on chalk hillsides and wide-open views across the rolling countryside.

The name of the trail is inspired by Alfred the Great, who ruled the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex. The trail starts and ends at King Alfred’s statue in Winchester, where he is buried.

Using parts of the Ridgeway and South Downs Way, the trail is ideal for gravel bikes. The route can be ridden as a bikepacking adventure over a few days combined with multiple routes into a longer ride. You can also ride a linear route between train stations and only ride the distance you’re comfortable with before getting the train back to Winchester, or you could connect with nearby rights of way and cycle routes to create your own shorter loop back to Winchester.

King Alfred’s Way is a perfect route for gravel bikes, especially in the summer months. In the wetter seasons when there is more mud and some slippery chalk sections, a mountain bike could be a better option if you have one available.

If you are thinking of riding a longer route on an e-bike, please be aware that there are extended sections of the route where you will be away from charging points. Therefore planning/rationing battery use is advised.

For any bike you decide to ride you’ll be pleased to know there are no points where you have to physically lift a bike over obstacles.

So get your bike ready, book your accommodation and join in on the adventure!