Hampshire highlights: five autumn bike rides

The summer bustle has eased but there is still comfortable warmth in the sunshine with lighter days lingering on a little longer, making autumn a superb time of year to explore Hampshire by bike.

From challenging off-road rides to scenic countryside roads, these autumn cycle routes will have you wheeling under golden canopies of leaves, and most can be shortened into smaller and more leisurely route segments for easier adventures.

Queen Elizabeth Country Park

Best for: Mountain biking
Terrain: Off-road
Distance: From 3.7miles
Refreshment stop: The Beechwood Kitchen Café at Queen Elizabeth Country Park visitor centre or Butser Roundhouse Café at the top of Butser Hill
Nearest train station: Petersfield, with an easy tarmac cycleway directly from the station to the Queen Elizabeth Country Park (4 miles)

A great place to test your mountain bike skills, prepare to get muddy through some seriously fun tree rides on Queen Elizabeth Country Park’s two dedicated mountain bike trails: a 3.7-mile intermediate trail (blue route) and a 4.6-mile advanced trail (red route).

Queen Elizabeth Country Park is also a connecting point for sections of the longer-distance bike rides of the South Downs Way and King Alfred’s Way which can be followed west towards Winchester (24 miles), and the Shipwrights Way which can be followed north via Petersfield to Alice Holt Forest (24.5 miles) or south via Staunton Country Park towards Portsmouth (22.5 miles).

Find out more about Queen Elizabeth Country Park

King Alfred’s Way

Best for: Historic sites
Terrain: Off-road
Distance: Up to 218 miles
Refreshment stop: The Grey Hound, Broughton (if riding Winchester to Salisbury) or The Shoe Inn, Exton (if riding Winchester to Queen Elizabeth Country Park)
Nearest train station: Winchester

Named after Alfred the Great, who ruled the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex, the King Alfred’s Way is a 350km circular off-road cycle route starting and finishing at King Alfred’s statue in Winchester.

The route connects some of England’s most iconic ancient sites spanning 10,000 years of history.  

The route can be broken down into a series of smaller scenic rides. Try Winchester to Salisbury (25 miles) through the rolling downs of the Test Valley taking in the ancient hill forts at Danebury and Old Sarum, or Queen Elizabeth Country Park to Winchester along the breathtaking South Downs Way ridgelines (24 miles). Get the train back to Winchester from Salisbury or Petersfield and park up your two wheels at one of the ancient capital’s excellent pubs for some hard-earned post-ride refreshments.

Find out more about King Alfred’s Way

The Writers’ Connection and Meon Valley

Best for: South Downs villages and literary history
Terrain: Road
Distance: 40 miles
Refreshment stop: Gilbert White’s House, Selborne; The Thomas Lord, West Meon; Nosh Café Bar, Four Marks
Nearest train station: Alton

This pretty cycle loop rides through the picturesque villages and countryside of the western South Downs National Park.

From Alton, the route heads to the quaint village of Chawton and Jane Austen’s House then on to the home of the natural history pioneer Gilbert White’s House in Selborne. The ride then meanders south to the Meon Valley before looping back to Alton via Ropley (where you can also hop on the Watercress Line to take the train back to Alton to shorten the route). 

For a shorter family-friendly route exploring the Meon Valley, try the Meon Valley Trail, a 10-mile disused railway connecting West Meon with Wickham.  

Find out more about the Writers’ Connection and Meon Valley cycle route

New Forest Road Loop Cycling Route

Best for: Autumn trees
Terrain: Road
Distance: 45 miles
Refreshment stop: noohn, Burley; Framptons, Ringwood; The Royal Oak, Fritham; Hockeys Farm Shop;
Nearest train station: Brockenhurst

Cycling through the New Forest National Park in autumn is hard to beat and this 45-mile loop takes in the stunning sights and sounds of the Forest in fall.

The route can be started at any point, but Brockenhurst is well connected by train and makes for a great beginning place for many New Forest bike rides. From Brockenhurst, the route heads west towards the village of Burley, famed for its witchcraft connections, before travelling alongside the Blashford Lakes nature reserve and then through the pretty heathlands in the north of the National Park.

For a shorter New Forest bike ride that is great for families, try the Brockenhurst to Rhinefield Arboretum Cycle Route to see the giant redwood trees near the Rhinefield Ornamental Drive and Blackwater Arboretum in all their autumnal glory.

Find out more about the New Forest Road Loop Cycling Route

Test Valley Circular

Best for: Riverside riding
Terrain: Road
Distance: 34 miles
Refreshment stop: The Mayfly, Fullerton; Thyme and Tides Deli, Stockbridge; Houghton Lodge Gardens, Houghton; The Peat Spade Inn, Longstock; Longstock Farm Shop & Café, Leckford Estate
Nearest train station: Whitchurch

Meandering alongside the River Test, this riverside bike ride takes in chalk streams, water meadows, thatched cottages, and Test Valley towns and villages.

From Whitchurch, home to the heritage water mill Whitchurch Silk Mill, the route heads south along the banks of the River Test; through Leckford, the location of the Waitrose & Partners Farm; and then on to Stockbridge before continuing south via Houghton Lodge Gardens. The ride returns along the opposite bank of the river via equally beautiful landscape.

The route is primarily flat and easily divided into smaller sections for shorter rides.

Find out more about the Test Valley Circular cycle ride

Cycling & mountain biking in Hampshire

Family cycling in Hampshire

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