Off Root

King Alfreds Way

by

The King
Alfred's
Way

We live directly “on root” by The Devil’s Punchbowl

Ride leisurely in bite sizes of the almighty King Alfred’s Way where the Surrey Hills meet Hampshire and West Sussex 

The King
Alfred's
Way

We live directly “on root” by The Devil’s Punchbowl

Ride leisurely in bite sizes of the almighty King Alfred’s Way where the Surrey Hills meet Hampshire and West Sussex 

Ride leisurely in bite sizes of the almighty King Alfred’s Way where the Surrey Hills meet Hampshire and West Sussex 

The King
Alfred's
Way

We live directly “on root” by The Devil’s Punchbowl

We also offer gravel rides  and, with the new “The King Alfred’s Way” (KAW) route passing our doors we can offer guided rides along this trail together with other local trails off it.

Our self-catering accommodation – The Old Cook’s House in Hindhead where you reach the top of the Devil’s Punchbowl in the Surrey Hills is literally on its route.

The route was launched in the summer of 2020 by Cycling UK as a new off-road adventure route that takes cyclists through 10,000 years’ worth of history in the south of England, creating a loop of gravel tracks and off-road trails through the heart of Surrey, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Berkshire countryside.

King Alfred’s Way, named after the Anglo-Saxon ruler of the ancient kingdom of Wessex, runs for 350 km (220 miles) passing iconic locations including World Heritage Sites at Stonehenge and Avebury and Iron Age hill forts at Old Sarum and Barbury Castle, while also riding straight through the heart of quintessential England.

The charity spent three years working on the route, which connects four of England’s National Trails: North Downs Way, South Downs Way, Ridgeway and Thames Path. The route was developed by upgrading certain sections of footpath to allow cycling, and also includes existing bridleways, byways, and quiet country lanes.

If the entire route seems a bit daunting but you’d like to sample some of it then we offer our KAW mini break. Where you are able to ride bite sizes sections of it all from one location so not having to move your luggage as you go.

KAW Mini Break

  • Stay 2/3 nights or more at The Old Cook’s House and get to ride part of the KAW and other parts of local areas (Surrey Hills, Blackdown – the highest point in West Sussex).

An example itinary….

DAY 1 Arrive at The Old Cook’s House

Arrive, or we can pick you up from Haslemere station and welcome you to The Old Cook’s House where you can tinker with your bike or just put it away in our secure bike storage.  Then relax and get ready for a comfortable night’s stay before starting your ride the following morning. 

  • DAY 2 Choose your starting point

We can drive you to a starting point on the route of your choice where you think you can get back to us in a day. It could be somewhere between Reading and Farnham depending on how much you want to stretch yourselves. 

Ride for the day back to The Old Cook’s House where all your own home comforts will be just where you left them and ready for you. 

Bike Cleaning service – if you’re tired or simply just want to put your feet up ready for your next day riding, we are happy to do that job for you.

  • Day 3 Continue the KAW directly from the house towards Winchester where we will meet you with your baggage at Winchester station. You can either get the train home or, if you wanted to return back to The Old Cooks house, we can pick you up and bring you back for a 3rd night 
  • Optional DAY 4 – A guided ride to the Wessex Distillery to grab yourselves a souvenir of their Alfred the Great Gin (Advance booking required week days only).

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