Crowd-source me a route...

[Ian]

... from Chepstow to Egham, Surrey

I can get to the Severn Bridge no problem, but I've never been especially familiar with southern England.
Any advice on picking my way through England south of the M4, sticking to tarmac, avoid main A roads as much as possible and not going out of the way too much?
By rough measure on a straight-ish line, I get about 270 km from Brecon to Egham, which sounds like enough to me

Thanks!

[Dave Barter]

If you were on a CX bike I'd do NCN 4 which I personally love.

Failing that, I have two really nice routes from Severn Bridge to Swindon after which someone else could take over as I don'r ride my road bike east much

[Ian]

That would be good for starters, Dave, thanks.

I'll check out NCN 4 too, but the plan was to do it on one hit, which with unknown off road bits I thought may make it prohibitive difficult..?

[Dan_K]

I tend to use http://cycle.travel/map for this kind of planning. It tends to use Sustrans routes and minor roads.

[Matt]

Well I've done Egham to Aberdyfi

[Matt]

Get to Bristol, grab Taylor (Tuscany training) the use the Sustrans to Bath.

The Kennet & Avon canal Bath to Reading

Reading to Swinley

I'll meet you at Swinley

Then Windsor Great park to Eggland

[Taylor]

Some of us have pretend jobs you know Matt.

[Matt]

Some of us need some miles under our wheels.....

Only takes a day from yours to mine...

[Taylor]

What time is kick off?

[Taylor]

I need to be able to grip a bar first.

[Matt]

Kick off at ours or leaving Brizzle?

[Taylor]

Yours

[Bearbonesnorm]

I need to be able to grip a bar first.

RSI?

[Taylor]

Broken bones.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Broken bones.

Must have been one hell of a w*nk!

[Ian]

Soo... Back on track then;

If I fit the fast tyres to the Stoater, the canal thing could work. What's the path like generally - I ask only because the canal round here is like one long stretch of standing water as it's poorly draining.

[Taylor]

Fat bike to float there then.

[Matt]

From memory it was a lot like every other towpath

[Dave Barter]

Soo... Back on track then;

If I fit the fast tyres to the Stoater, the canal thing could work. What's the path like generally - I ask only because the canal round here is like one long stretch of standing water as it's poorly draining.

It's all fine apart from a dodgy stretch near Reading of about 1KM which is a bogfest. I've ridden all of it this month from the bridge to Reading. There are a few puddles so you will need guards but the most important thing is a bell!!

[Matt]

Don't think of them as mudguards

They are Hepatitis deflectors

[ianfitz]

I'm interested to know why you have chosen (or need) to go to surrey Ian?

I'm terribly south-east-ist and don't like to go to anywhere round those parts if I can help it!

[Ian]

By special invitation - wouldn't consider going if it weren't for that

[Dave Barter]

Someone Egham'ed him on to do it

<don't even need to get my coat, I'm shouting it through the window>

[Ian]

Right then, let's go...

[voodoo_simon]

Right then, let's go...

Any trackers to follow?