Watford Cycle Hub: Best Bridleways: Langleybury, Flaunden & Sarratt: Sport Relief Special

One for the Mountain Bikers! This is a Challenging Route in terms of the amount of climbing, but we'll take it on at a Steady Pace, averaging 8-9 mph over the route. Cycling off-road is like running on sand - you'll need to have the fitness level of cycling a Challenging Road Route to take this one on.

So the route itself! We will cut through Whippendell Woods & enjoy a road descent to the Grand Union Canal. After a brief roll along the towpath we cut up through the public bridleways traversing the grounds of The Grove Hotel. At Langleybury we off-road it through some picturesque farmland where we then have our first real challenge with a descent on loose gravel. Following the valley we then take on a challenging off-road climb heading up & over via Penman's Green to Belsize. Then it's a lovely country lane section along to Flaunden where we cut off-road again and descend down to the Chess Valley - the descent through the woods is exhilarating and the last bit on chalk is a good challenge. We follow a bridleway along by the River Chess, climb to Chenies on road, then descend to Sarratt Bottom to the idyllic Crestyl Watercress Farm for ice cream! :) We then face the challenging Dawes Common Climb up to Sarratt Green before cutting back off-road down a gravel descent back to Chandlers Cross, Whippendell Woods and The Cha Cafe. All in all, hopefully an exhilarating ride with lovely scenery right on your doorstep! :)

Please bring two spare inner tubes with you & money for the Café/Pub if you want anything. Changing an inner tube is faster than getting out the rubber glue, should anyone suffer a puncture on the day & our Ride Leader team are happy to help fix it should you need it.

If your bike might need a little more TLC or hasn't been ridden for a while, you can always bring it in for a free assessment; we're Not-For-Profit and promise to give you an honest price if your bike needs fixing, fine tuning or a full service. :)

Watford Cycle Hub: 01923 223994

https://www.watfordcyclehub.org.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/WatfordCycleHub/