A friend of mine asked me for advice about riding this as I'm the only bikepacker he knows

https://www.walkandcycle.co.uk/wessexwaycyclingholiday

I had to admit I'd never heard of it He plans to add on the South Downs Way to go coats to coast. I can give him some advice abut kit and biving but has anyone got any experience of the route? Or a gpx for it?

I'm actually quite interested myself, it looks to go through some nice areas and it's a change for it to be down my end of the country.

Tell they that its an overgrown MESS pal. I tried it from the start got about 25miles into it and sacked it off! So over grown. I was riding through fields of saddle high crops. And the horse flies were shits!

Oh i take all that back I got confused with the one in Dorset pal so no i haven't... speak to dave barter i think he's done that one!!

I did this http://phased.co.uk/the-wessex-ridgeway/

Not sure it is the same thing

I have done part of a route called the Wessex MTB from Weston Super Mare to Pewsey.

Pretty sure it goes all the way to the South Coast (via Basingstoke?) Currently on the bike in the Cambrian Mountains, will e mail the gpx I have when home on Thursday.

Cheers all. I've ridden some of the Wessex Ridgeway and that was as described, overgrown mess

I think this might be a different route. Hopefully I'll get some more time at work tomorrow to Google it, I had to work for a living today which eats into my route research time

Luckily my mate will be riding it first so I could just let him crack on and ask him after, but that seems a bit mean, like not sharing my haribo

Hi Sean,

You can get the route here if you have a viewranger account (even a free one): https://my.viewranger.com/route/details/MTk5MzM= Or if that doesn't work just google 'wessex way viewranger' and it'll come up.

Quick look and the portion between Westbury and Newbury uses a lot of byways on the edge of salisbury plain and the area south of Marlborough, all very rideable i'd have thought (i.e. not that overgrown). It then joins the Wayfarer's walk which has it's rutted/overgrown bits but is generally OK. South of Kingsclere area I'm not that familiar with but then it's not too far to Winch and the start of the SDW. No idea what it's like from Weston to Westbury though.

Be interested to see if you do do it, i practically live on the route so would be interested to know it's ride-ability.

Cheers for that

I've overlaid it with the Wessex Ridgeway and although they share some trails between Warminster and Market Lavington they are different routes.

This means my friend will be spared the shocking excuse for bridleways that Dave (and myself) have experienced on the Wessex Ridgeway. It's a shame they have such similar names

I think my friend is planning on riding it at the end of the month so once he reports back I'll post up the verdict. I'm interested as Winchester is easy to ride to from my house so I could get to that end of the route with relatively little road riding

I still think it’ll be a route for long trousers at this time of year. My guess would be that it’s an April or October route.
Very kind of your friend to find out for us!
GD if it’s good route anyone?