Somerset by bike – how to tackle England's answer to the Dolomites
Continuing our series on tackling the route of the 2018 Tour of Britain - at a more leisurely pace - Simon Parker offers a guide to bucolic Somerset.
The route
This is a circular stage that weaves southwest through Bristol’s hilly suburbs, before heading into North Somerset, the Mendip Hills and over Cheddar Gorge. The race will come to its exciting conclusion in Clifton, with a sprint finish over the city’s greatest landmark - Brunel’s 331-foot high suspension bridge. The pros are expected to complete the 80-mile loop in just three hours, but amateurs with panniers should set aside at least double that.
The highlights
Busy Bristol sprawls beyond the villages of Tickenham and Yatton, but the latter has coffee shops and a small supermarket for caffeine and food supplies. From Yatton you’ll head south on the A38 towards Cheddar and the first of this stage’s “king of the mountain” climbs – up and over Cheddar Gorge. This is one of Britain’s best-known natural landmarks, formed of craggy limestone fissures in the Mendip Hills – and this calf-cramping climb is the real highlight of this stage. It’s certainly not for the feint hearted and the challenge, at times, feels akin to struggling through Italy’s Dolomites. With aerial television coverage and spectators strewn all over the gorge’s cliff faces, this will certainly be one of the tour’s most arresting spectacles.
Once you’re up and over the gorge, the terrain flattens out into emerald livestock pasture beyond the quaint little hamlets of Priddy and Emborough, before the town of Midsomer Norton – the resting place of the Midsomer Norton Knight, a rare 14th-century effigy found at St John the Baptist Church. From here you wind back west towards East Harptree and Chew Stoke, where you can join the Sustrans 3 bicycle network that skirts between Chew Valley and Blagdon lakes – two of the largest in southwest England. When you finally make it back to Bristol, make sure you approach Clifton from the east. Don’t do what I did and follow the River Avon. The 331 feet from river to bridge was one final climb too much and I confess to getting off and pushing my bike up.
Short cuts?
If you’re starting this ride first thing in the morning then you might want to consider hopping on a train at Temple Meads and avoiding the frantic, and potentially dangerous, rush hour. A single fare to Nailsea costs just £4.70 and for the cost of a coffee and a croissant you’ll spare yourself a lot of stress.
Rest and refuel
Clifton will be absolutely bouncing on the day of Stage Three and last-minute hotel reservations close to the start and finish line will be like hens’ teeth. However when you return to tackle this ride yourself, check in to Number Thirty Eight (01179 466905; number38clifton.com) - a new boutique townhouse hotel offering 11 rooms and expansive views over Bristol and the River Avon. The freestanding baths are a particularly welcome sight for those with weary legs. Doubles from £130.
For dinner, Clifton has dozens of great restaurants, but Wellbourne (01172 390683; wellbourne.restaurant) opened in August 2017 and serves exclusively seasonal dishes, boasting Devonshire crab with wild camomile, Cornish ray and Somerset ricotta. There are also a couple of British sparkling wines available but the Lost and Grounded brewery based in nearby Bedminster does an awesome hoppy lager called Keller pills.
Getting there and away
This is the easiest stage in regards to travel, as the start and finish are both in Bristol. A return train fare between London and Bristol Temple Meads costs £59.50 and Clifton is a three-mile cycle away.
The verdict
Cycling through Cheddar Gorge and the Mendip Hills are the real highlights, but the route is hard to follow at times. Avoid the A38 and you’ll have a significantly more pleasurable experience.
Difficulty rating: 3/5
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