London to Bristol via England’s Great West Way® (8 days, 7 nights)

Starting between Westminster and Kensington (subject to accommodation location) exit London to the west passing landmarks including the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben.

The path winds out of London skirting through the London regions of Chelsea and Fulham, crossing The Thames near Barnes. The route continues, becoming more and more rural towards Sidmouth Wood and Pen Ponds and crosses the river several times before passing through Kingston-on-Thames.

The route continues, passing near to Hampton Court (which it is easy to divert to), through Walton-on-Thames and Staines-upon-Thames before finishing the day in Windsor. Windsor is of course home to Windsor Castle which is a residence of the British Royal Family and the town offers a gorgeous, historic place to explore for the evening.

Stay overnight in Windsor. Luggage will be transferred.

Heading west out of Windsor, the cycle route runs mainly alongside the River Thames and local canals winding slightly north to the market town of Maidenhead. Maidenhead is the largest town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and there is evidence that the modern town was built on the site of a Roman settlement.

Continuing west from Maidenhead, the route stays largely on cycle tracks, winding through woodland by Bowsey Manor, with a climb up Bowsey Hill, before turning sharply south west to travel into Reading. The track again picks up the River Thames and much of the ride is alongside the water as the route enters the town of Reading.

Exiting Reading, the route picks up cycle paths alongside the River Kennett, continuing alongside the water as the River spills into the Kennett and Avon Canal system. Clients continue along a mixture of the river and the canal, through the small village of Tatcham before ending the day in Newbury.

Newbury is a lovely little market town with lots of independent shopping and eateries and history lovers can also visit nearby Highclere Castle which was made famous by TV Show Downton Abbey.

Stay overnight in Newbury. Luggage will be transferred.

Headng west out of Newbury, the route starts alongside the river and canals again for much of the day. Continuining mostly west, the route runs straight to Hungerford before curving southwest with the river.

The latter half of the route turns northwest and runs on cycle tracks alongside Totterdown Woods and through the Savernake Forest which is privately owned by the Earl of Cardigan, running all the way to Marlborough. Marlborough is a very pretty market town and is perhaps most famous for the ‘Merlin Mound’ - the reputed burial place of the wizard Merlin.

Exiting Marlborough, the route winds around the valleys and across the North Wessex Downs – a designated area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The route ends in Avebury, a designated World Heritage Site. Avebury has outstanding Neolithic and Bronze Age history including the Avebury Henge and Stone Circles. The stone circle is the largest in the world.

Stay overnight in Avebury. Luggage will be transferred.

Heading west out of Avebury, the route continues cross-country on traffic-free tracks. It quickly skirts the tiny village of Yatesbury, famous for the RAF training centre in World War II, continuing through a number of lightly forested areas and into Cherhill where clients can divert to see the Cherhill White Horse.

The route continues, winding through local countryside, all the way to the town of Calne - the only town on the small River Marden. Exiting Calne, the route continues mostly traffic free all the way to the town of Chippenham – clients stop for the night.

Chippenham has an extensive history and is believed to have been a designated Royal Village and hunting lodge under Alfred the Great. Today it is a thriving town with plenty going on.

Stay overnight in Chippenham. Luggage will be transferred.

Much of the day’s route is along managed cycleways, connecting Chippenham to Bath via Corsham. Using the Wiltshire Cycleway which runs through the South Wiltshire Downs, the route goes through countryside and is a lovely route.

At Bradford-on-Avon, the route turns west and north west to follow the route of the River Avon past Claverton and Bathhampton, all the way to Bath.

Bath is famous for its Roman Baths, thermal bath spa, Regency history, boutique shopping and great eateries. Clients will stay overnight in Bath and extra nights can be booked here.

Stay overnight in Bath. Luggage will be transferred.

Today is a very short cycle trip taking no more than two hours to enable clients to explore both Bath and Bristol at their leisure. The route mostly uses cycleways and enters Bristol from the north east.

Bristol is home to Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s famous Clifton Suspension Bridge and the town also has great shopping, an annual street art festival, a hot air balloon fiesta, a fantastic foodie scene and so much more.

Stay overnight in Bristol. Luggage will be transferred.