Beautiful roads just outside Birmingham – how to tackle Warwickshire by bike
Continuing our series on tackling the route of the 2018 Tour of Britain - at a more leisurely pace - Simon Parker offers a guide to cycling in Warwickshire.
The route
This is the second longest stage of this year’s tour at 114 miles – starting in Nuneaton and ending up in Leamington Spa.
Navigating a channel between Birmingham and Coventry means the first third of the ride isn’t particularly pretty, however once you make it south of Kenilworth and Warwick you reach the northeast corner of the Cotswolds. The pros are predicted to complete the stage in around four hours, but I made it in ten.
The highlights
After heading northwards out of Nuneaton, the route curves south at Atherstone and continues under the M6, via the sleepy villages of Fillongley and then Meriden – the former home of Triumph Motorcycles and also known as the centre of England.
Although not geographically correct, this title has made the village something of a local cycling pilgrimage, with clubs in Birmingham and Coventry rounding the village green on weekend rides.
The roads to the west of Coventry are predictably, rather busy, but once you’ve manoeuvred south you enter castle territory – first in Kenilworth and then onto Warwick. If you don’t have the time to wander around their grounds, you can steal a glance from surprisingly close, without having to part with the entrance fees.
The second half of the route is certainly the more interesting portion of the stage as it passes Leamington Spa and drops down among rambling wheat fields and across the Fosse Way – the Roman road running between Exeter and Lincoln.
Just where the course crosses the M40 you can also take a mile or so detour to Chesterton Windmill, perched on a hilltop overlooking southern Warwickshire.
From here you’re rewarded with expansive views of the surrounding farmland, where tractors and combines comb the landscape like ants swirling up dust on the horizon, meanwhile the M40 resembles a conveyor of tiny toy cars.
From here the road curves up and down over rolling hills, via Wellesbourne and the northwest corner of the Cotswolds, just brushing the county boundary with Oxfordshire.
Rest and refuel
Mallory Court (01926 330214; mallory.co.uk) is a 43-room manor house hotel set in 10 acres of grounds, on the south side of Leamington Spa. There’s a spa, with a swimming pool, sauna and steam room, plus massage treatments for weary muscles. The food is also very good – from hearty full English breakfasts, to afternoon teas and fine dining in the evenings.
The pea veloute, goats curd, sourdough crutons and wild garlic oil is a particularly delicious starter, followed by either cod in a seaweed butter sauce or roast loin of Suffolk pork and fermented carrots. Doubles from £117.
Short cuts?
This is a stage that twists and turns through Warwickshire and there are several opportunities to shave off miles if you’re that way inclined. I would suggest taking the train to Warwick or Leamington Spa and completing the 83 miles from there.
Getting there & away
Trains for Nuneaton depart the capital from Marylebone and fares start at £41.35, with the journey taking around three hours. At the end of the stage, Leamington Spa is the nearest station and the one hour and 20 minute journey to London costs £30.40.
The verdict
Once you’ve navigated successfully south of Coventry and Birmingham this opens up into a beautiful ride – with rolling hills, but nothing too steep.
