New Website Notice for Edinburgh Bicycle

Please note that the Edinburgh Bicycle Co-Operative now has a new website. To visit the new website, please follow this link.

If you have bookmarked a page from the old website, please update your bookmarked page so that you can go straight to our new website. Thank you.

The Edinburgh Bicycle website team.

From WhatMountainBike? MagazineTHE JUDGE'S RIDE, OXFORDSHIRE

Distance: 28.5km (17.8 miles) Time: 3-3.5 hours Rating: Moderate Map: OS Explorer 171, Chiltern Hills West.

Essential Info

Best time to go: Spring through to late autumn is best for dry fast tracks, the trails get regular use so they don't get too overgrown in the summer. Winter can cause localised deep mud in places but generally just makes things slippy and slow going.

Getting there: From Reading head north along the A4074 towards Wallingford, turn right off this main country road at the sign to Stoke Row and Checkendon. There are two turnings which lead onto the same road, so don't worry if you miss the first turning. Follow this road through Checkendon village and just as you leave the village take the road on the left (opposite a Bridleway). You'll find the Black Horse Public House on the left and there is a car park close by. From Oxford take the A4074 south towards Reading and Wallingford. The road bypasses Wallingford so continue following for Reading. You'll see signs to Checkendon and Stoke Row on the left, once at Checkendon village follow the directions as above.

Food and where to stay: There are quite a few B&Bs in the area. The B&Bs are moderately priced at about £30 per person, try Little Gables in Wallingford on 01491 837834. There are pubs along the route, The Black Horse in Checkendon is at the start/finish of the ride, the King William at Hailey has great views and lots of garden space, and in Stoke Row try the Crooked Billet or The Farmer pub, lunches and evening meals are available but check on opening times to be certain you'll get a meal. There is a Post Office and shop in Stoke Row but opening times can vary. Wallingford is about 10km away from the start/finish and has a supermarket, bakeries, cafe and pizza joint as well as more pubs than you can shake a stick at - head for the town centre and main square.

Tourist Info: Tourist Info: Wallingford Tourist Information, Town Hall, Market Place, Wallingford 01491 826972. Opening hours are 9.30-5.00 Monday to Saturday.

YHA: Streatley, near Goring is approximately 10km from the start of the ride. Call 0870 7706054 for more information, grid reference: 5920, 8067.

What to take: Usual tools and puncture repair kit, plus some food and water is a good idea as the pubs are all located on the south side of the circuit. OS map Explorer 171 is useful as there are tons of adjoining bridlepaths that may inspire you to add some extra miles to the route.

Bike shops: Rides on Air is the main bike shop in Wallingford and has an excellent range of bikes, spares and accessories plus a good mechanic. They are only too pleased to help. Rides On Air, 45 St Mary's Street, Wallingford 01491 836289.

Other Info: The website www.oxfordshire.gov.uk has information about rides in Oxfordshire and you can order a route map for the Judge's Ride from the Countryside section of the site. Or call the Countryside Service on 01865 810226.

Wallingford is a pretty market town nestled between the River Thames and the edge of the Chiltern Hills. The surrounding hills are riddled with footpaths and bridleways and the area contains some of the oldest known tracks and byways in the UK. The Ridgeway is an ancient track that has been a highway since Neolithic times, it runs 85 miles from Avebury in Wiltshire to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire and forms part of this circular ride.

Another ancient track featured in this ride is the Swan's Way, also part of the Icknield Way which is thought to be the oldest track in Britain. The Judge's Ride follows these ancient tracks in part and winds through rolling hills and woodland as well as skirting the River Thames on the western side of the route. It's thought to be derived from the route used by a local judge between courts.

The route is quite well marked. Look for the blue Circular Ride waymark arrows. Other bridleways are also marked, but with just a blue arrow. We would recommend taking the OS Explorer 171 map along with your pullout map, mainly because the possibility of adding smaller routes is enormous.

Most riders will be able to ride the route, there's nothing too technical or troublesome for novices, technical sections are quite short and could easily be walked or avoided.

From the Black Horse pub the first section is along quiet lanes and has a gentle gradient to get you warmed up before hitting the descent though the woods at Ipsden Heath and across the rutted tracks down to Wellplace Zoo.

A steep climb gives way to another descent, this time onto the road section and via the King William pub. Then picking up the Icknield and Swan's Way it's back off-road for a mixture of terrain leading to the western section of the route which runs parallel to the River Thames through the grounds of Carmel College, and back to the Ridgeway section known as Grim's (the Devil's) Ditch. This is our favourite section of the ride, a raised track thought to be a territorial boundary between two Iron Age tribal kingdoms. History aside, it's a great piece of twisty singletrack.

When you get to the first road crossing named 'Cart Gap' on the OS map, turn around and ride Grim's Ditch in the opposite direction, the gradient will make for a fun section and well worth the extra 2-3km.

The climb from the end of Grim's Ditch up to Upper Cottage is a nice workout for the legs, and the constantly changing landscape makes for interesting views across farmland and the chalk hills while the woodland is peaceful and well drained. Past Upper Cottages the track turns into a farm lane, and then an undulating narrow road until Whitcalls Farm where the Bridlepath resumes.

Sections can be a bit boggy here but not unrideable as you pass through to Oakingham Bottom and a short section of road to pick up the Bridleway descent into Stoke Row. A slight detour to see Maharajah's Well (it's signposted) is an unexpected find and named after an Indian Maharajah who funded it.

It's a short ride back to the start/finish via Busgrove Lane and the Judge's Lane through Ipsden Wood.
There are so many interlinked byways and bridlepaths you could easily spend a few days in the area. The Ridgeway heads over to Watlington too, where there are more hills and technical descents. You won't be short of options, that's for sure.

Route Info

The start Car park by Black Horse pub, near Scot's common, Checkendon. Map reference OS Explorer 171, GR6660,8410.

1. 0.00km (0.00 mile) From the car park turn left up lane to crossroads,
   turn right, SP Nuffield and Nettlebed.
2. 0.85km (0.53 mile) Straight on at next crossroads, past Ipsden Heath Farm, then left at the next junction along the road through the woods. (At this point you could continue straight on and pick up the circuit from 11.)
3. 1.75km (1.09 miles) Turn left down Urquart Lane. Track drops downhill and splits into two, take right-hand track and descend rapidly though trees in a gently banked gulley. Flattens out as you exit the woods and cross chalk farmland with rutted tracks and wide vistas. The track drops again past Handsmooth Farm, beware the deep boggy section as you approach the farm. Past Wellplace Farm to join the metalled road. At junction turn right SP Wellplace Zoo.
4. 3.5km (2.18 miles) Pass zoo, on right is a bridlepath leading up the hill beside a field and fence. Follow to top of the field where it meets a lane, turn left and follow lane down the hill past the King William pub at Hailey. Continue until you reach junction.
5. 5.5km (3.43 miles) Right at junction and continue along road (passing Poors Farm) till you reach Swan's Way/Icknield Way bridlepath on left. Follow along and cross the main A4074 road. Continue on bridlepath and cross the field.
6. 9.25km (5.75 miles) At the crossing point of two tracks turn R and up hill passing Middle Barn. The track turns to a road and leads into Littlestoke Manor.
7. 11.75km (7.34 miles) Follow the road round to the right and take the stone track off to the left towards North Stoke, this is the Ridgeway Path and it will take you on to Carmel College.
8. 14.82km (9.26 miles) Through the grounds of Carmel College, follow the Ridgeway signs and turn right along the main college driveway leading to the A4074. Cross with care and turn left along the wide grass verge until you pick up the Ridgeway on your right.
9. 15.75km (9.84 miles) Singletrack section along a raised bank. The track is twisty and rooted, with dips and bends for some fun singletrack action. After 1.3km the path dips steeply and crosses a road, continue straight across along the Ridgeway, it is well signposted.
10. 17.75km (11.09 miles) At the end of the Ridgeway singletrack the path drops down to another road and cyclists have to turn right to avoid the footpath. Take next left up bridleway, before the cottages and up past Woodhouse farm. Continue up track, following alongside the hedge and up the field. This continues up through Mongewell Woods. Stay on the main track, it will bring you out at the top of the hill beside Upper Cottages where it turns into a lane, carry on till you meet crossroads.
11. 22km (13.75 miles) At this junction you could take a shortcut back to the start by turning right along the more major road, this would bring you out at point 3, where you'd continue straight on and do the route in reverse back to Black Horse Pub and the start. If you fancy an extra loop and the full Judge's Ride, carry on across the road, following the lane which joins the bridleway at Whitcalls Farm. Carry on this bridleway to Oakingham Bottom until you reach a road junction where you'll turn right.
12. 23.87km (14.91 miles) Continue on road until you reach a bridleway on R, this brings you out onto Northwood Lane. Follow road to junction, then
    turn right into Stoke Row village.
13. 24.69km (15.43 miles) Look for Busgrove Lane on L and follow down the hill until you reach the Judge's Ride on you right. This bridlepath takes you through Ipsden Wood back towards the start. At the road junction continue straight on towards Black Horse Pub.

Total Distance: 28.5km (17.81 miles)

This route was provided by WhatMountainBike? magazine.

Buy online and save money. Click here to subscribe to WhatMountainbike? magazine.