Drover's Roads & Vale Tracks. Event Details| Audax UK - The Long Distance Cyclists' Association

Drover's Roads & Vale Tracks. Tewkesbury Mark Rigby

200Km

Summary

212Km cycling event starting from Tewkesbury.

Controls at

Royal Hop Pole.
Mitchell Troy GC
Sebastopol, Open Hearth.
Shepherd's Patch
Tewkesbury
Plus 3 information controls

Description

Spend a summer day exploring a mixture of roads and tracks (all public rights of way). The roads undulate, the tracks are on the flat. Dust-off your gravel bike for an adventure to places & vias not often travelled
Originally a new event for 2023. Back for another running. An eclectic mix of rolling roads (one good climb) and nine off-road tracks (all by-passable - though extra distance incured). The controls are well experienced with audax events, hot & cold food & drink available at each. The first stage follows a drovers route west from Tewkesbury. Following a road stretch, you cross numerous river vallies, following quiet lanes to the second control at Usk. after a warm-up, the ride's major climb over Wentwood before dropping down to the Caldicot levels and some off-roading. Following some more roads and paths you cross the M48 Severn Bridge, quickly picking-up lanes and tracks (highlight cyan on map) on the way to The Black Shed at Shepherd's Patch. Continuing on Tow paths, lanes and traffic-free cycle routes you make your way to Gloucester Cathedral. Leaving the City centre on more traffic-free tracks, and lanes following the ancient droving route all the way back to the arrivee at Tewkesbury. A gravel bike would be ideal for the optimal progress, a hard tail MTB (with lockable forks for road) might make for easier track passage, but possibly slower progress when not on tracks. In either case, road tyres rather than out & out off-road rubber would be recommended.