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Cycle trails
So.. this past weekend myself and a couple of mates cycled to Swansea from our homes in Leamington Spa. I've ridden the the route before and was fully aware of the 'dire' NCN routes around Evesham and Tewksbury.
However the purpose of this post is two fold:
To celebrate that there's newly upgraded little bit of an old railway line / trail which has had some money spent on it just opened, near my house - huzzah!!
https://www.warwickshireworld.com/news/people/new-ps5-million-walking-an...
..AND to applaud the Welsh NCN routes which have been improved since my last trip. They are in the main absolutley stunning and probably completed 60% of the Welsh leg away from motor vehicle traffic. What a wonderful place to ride a bike, it's night and day from the close passes of day to day cycling that I'm used to. Lovely to see so many local people making use of the trails also. We passed a park-run taking place at one point 
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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4 comments
That's great news. Our club is in the process of experimenting with gravel rides and we have decided we need to grade tracks according to their Nettle Rating, where a 5 is neck-high nettles and brambles which require a full expeditionary force to plough your way through together with numerous overturned tortoise impersonations.
Would you care to share your route - suitably trimmed?
Here you go Ian - https://cycle.travel/by/peted76/2_day_leamington_to_swansea_route
Thanks.
There is a glitch in the link - a couple of trailing characters, but shows how far you can go without getting involved in truck roads.
I'd probably have avoided Stratford and gone the lovely quiet roads round Lower Quinton, but that's our stomping ground and we know the area well.
The route from Warwick to Evesham is pretty straight forward, (and flat which is harder to achieve than you might think getting out that way..) however between Evesham and Tewksbury is frankly awful. Past Tewsbury is fine and roady.. but from Chepstow it's fire roads then roads through Newport, then from there it's all amazing traffic free!