Why this ride
355 km from Sidmouth to Sidmouth, about 6 h 12 of riding. It goes by way of Portland Harbour Shore, City of Bath and back through Portland Harbour Shore. It follows river valleys.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
River Sid and City of Bath
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 355 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 12
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
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. River Sid
The river Sid is short, quick and small, rising in the hills of east Devon and running down the green valley past Sidbury and Sidford to the sea at Sidmouth, where it makes the shingle beach that the town grew around.
Read the complete River Sid write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
River Sid is where the day begins. Next is Portland Harbour Shore.
2. Portland Harbour Shore
Portland Harbour is one of the largest man made harbours in the world, enclosed by breakwaters built in the nineteenth century, partly by convict labour, from Portland stone quarried on the island above. For over a century it was a major Royal Navy base, and today it is a centre for sailing, windsurfing and kite surfing; the sailing events of the 2012 London Olympics were held here. The shore between Weymouth and Portland, with Chesil Beach stretching away to the west, is a fascinating place to explore.
Read the complete Portland Harbour Shore write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Portland Harbour Shore comes up about 66 km into the recorded legs. Next is City of Bath.
3. City of Bath
Bath is one of the few whole cities on the UNESCO list, and it earns it twice over. Underneath lie the Roman baths of Aquae Sulis, built around the only natural hot springs in Britain, where water still comes up at around forty-six degrees and the great pool, with its later colonnade above, steams in the cold. On top sits the Georgian city that eighteenth-century society built when Bath became the place to see and be seen, in honey-coloured local limestone: the Circus, the sweep of the Royal Crescent, the shops on Pulteney Bridge over the Avon and the long elegant terraces climbing the hills.
Read the complete City of Bath write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 177 km into the recorded legs you reach City of Bath. Next is back through Portland Harbour Shore.
4. back through Portland Harbour Shore
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Portland Harbour Shore write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Portland Harbour Shore, late in the day. Next is River Sid.
5. River Sid
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete River Sid write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at River Sid. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
River Sid to Portland Harbour Shore
River Sid → Portland Harbour Shore is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Portland Harbour Shore to City of Bath
Portland Harbour Shore → City of Bath is 111 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
City of Bath to back through Portland Harbour Shore
City of Bath → back through Portland Harbour Shore is 111 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Portland Harbour Shore to River Sid
back through Portland Harbour Shore → River Sid is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.