Why this ride
201 km one way from Stansted Mountfitchet - plan on about 3 h 04 of riding. Much of it runs through woodland.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Hampshire Test Valley Roads · part 2
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 201 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 04
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Scenic stretch near Stansted Mountfitchet
Most people know Stansted as an airport, but the village of Stansted Mountfitchet, just to the west of the runways, is much older and more interesting. Its brick tower windmill, built in the late eighteenth century, is one of the best-preserved in Essex, and on the hill above the village, a Norman motte-and-bailey castle has been reconstructed with wooden palisades and buildings, giving a vivid impression of what a castle looked like soon after the Conquest.
Read the complete Scenic stretch near Stansted Mountfitchet write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Scenic stretch near Stansted Mountfitchet is where the day begins. Next is London motorcycle escapes return.
2. Near Towcester, on the way back
Silverstone is six kilometres away, and on Grand Prix weekend you will know it: the roads around Towcester clog with traffic, the sky fills with helicopters and the whole district hums with engines. On other days, this is quiet south Northamptonshire, a landscape of rolling fields, stone villages and woods, with the old Roman road of Watling Street running straight through Towcester.
Read the complete Near Towcester, on the way back write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
London motorcycle escapes return comes up about 105 km into the recorded legs. Next is Photo stop near Blewbury.
3. Photo stop near Blewbury
Blewbury is a village of thatched cottages, chalk streams and old cob walls at the foot of the Berkshire Downs, south of Didcot. It has the slightly enchanted feel of a place that has been left alone, and it is no surprise that Kenneth Grahame chose to live here in the years after he wrote The Wind in the Willows. Wander the lanes and you could easily imagine Ratty and Mole somewhere among the willows by the stream.
Read the complete Photo stop near Blewbury write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 201 km.
Leg by leg
Scenic stretch near Stansted Mountfitchet to Near Towcester, on the way back
Scenic stretch near Stansted Mountfitchet → Near Towcester, on the way back is 105 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.