The Royal Chilterns Way is a new, multi-day gravel cycling route in the southeast of England, launched by Cycling UK. The 176-mile (284km) route is split into three sections - the Southern, Central and Northern loops - “so it can be started from wherever suits,” route designer Max Darkins told the Much Better Adventure Magazine.
The official starting point is in Reading - a town accessible on the Elizabeth Line of the London Underground - in the Victorian Forbury Gardens. “We wanted to make it more accessible to a wider range of people,” says Max. “The route also passes through Chesham, which is on another line on the Underground.”
This is a route of chalky ridgelines, tangled woodlands, and historic, storied ancient tracks.
From Reading, the Royal Chilterns Way weaves and winds through the rolling Chiltern Hills, below beautiful, swooping red kites. It runs into ancient woodland, leads you along chalk streams and passes by historic National Trust properties, vineyards and charming towns on the banks of the Thames, providing plenty of opportunities to stop at coffee shops or country pubs along the way.
The ‘Royal’ nod in the route’s name comes from the royal connections. Reading was once a royal borough, home to Henry I’s abbey. The trail runs through Buckinghamshire (the county which leant its name to the palace) and includes the picturesque Henley-on-Thames, which is famed for its Royal Regatta.
This is a route of chalky ridgelines, tangled woodlands, and historic, storied ancient tracks. And it's the latest part of Cycling UK’s new Adventure Route Series, which also includes the Rebellion Way in Norfolk, the Cantii Way in Kent, the West Kernow Way in Cornwall and the popular King Alfred’s Way, which is an off-road route through southern England.
You can download the GPX on the Cycling UK page for the Royal Chilterns Way.
The Royal Chilterns Way: The Basics
- Start/Finish: Reading (loop)
- Distance: 176 miles (283km)
- Bike type: gravel bike or hardtail mountain bike
- Duration: 3-6 days
- Ascent: 3,512m (11,525ft)
- Descent: 3,512m (11,525ft)
Route-creator Max Darkins grew up in the Chilterns and prior to designing the Royal Chilterns Way, he had worked with Cycling UK on the Great North Trail, the North Downs Way Riders' Route and the Cantii Way.
You could do each of the three loops and take three weekends to do it. Or you could combine the southern and the central loop together...
This route was designed with beginners and those new to bikepacking in mind.
“One of the things with a long-distance route is that they have to make sense when you ride them,” he says. “You can't wiggle around too much. By having three loops which intersect, we hope that people look at the route and understand how they’re going to ride it. You could do each of the three loops and take three weekends to do it. Or you could combine the southern and the central loop together, for example. There are all sorts of combinations. We know that it can seem daunting to spend three or four or five days riding back to back.”
Each loop can also be broken down into two sections. When broken up in those six stages, the route looks like this:
- Part one: Reading to Nettled (Southern Loop)
- Part two: Nettlebed to Great Missenden (Central Loop)
- Part three: Great Missenden to Dunstable Downs (Northern Loop)
- Part four: Dunstable Downs to Great Missenden (Northern Loop)
- Part five: Great Missenden to Nettlebed (Central Loop)
- Part six: Nettlebed to Reading (Southern Loop)
Loop 1: The Southern Loop
- Start/Finish: Reading (loop)
- Distance: 42 miles (68km)
- Elevation: 880m (2,887ft)
“The main start of the route is in Reading,” says Max. “I like to make the ride nice and easy to follow at the start, so we have the route following the canal and the river out of Reading.
“Then it goes up into the hills. The first big town it comes to is Henley-on-Thames, which is famous for the Royal Regatta and is just a nice place. It then goes up through the woods to a place called Nettlebed, where the route splits.”
Riders then have the option of whether to circle back to Reading on the second half of the Southern Loop, or to continue on the trail on the Central Loop.
It's a nice, easy introductory loop - and it's quintessential Chiltern hills, really
“If you wanted to just do the Southern Loop - it's a bit of an introductory loop, about 74km - then that winds its way back through small villages and the lovely old woodland in this area,” Max explains. “There are country pubs and we've seen a lot of farm cafes and shops open up during and after the pandemic. So there's lots of really nice places to eat and views along the way."
The route then winds its way towards The Ridgeway, another famous trackway often described as Britain’s oldest road. “And then it comes back running parallel with the Thames.” It passes Whitchurch-on-Thames and Caversham on the way.
Max continues: “It's a nice introduction. It's not too hilly. There are some great places to see along the way too - like Goring, a town that you come back through on the way back to Reading. It's a nice, easy introductory loop - and it's quintessential Chiltern Hills, really.”
Loop 2: The Central Loop
- Start/Finish: Nettlebed (loop)
- Distance: 169 miles (105km)
- Elevation: 1,850m (6,069ft)
The Central Loop continues from Nettlebed, a parish in southeast Oxfordshire with a famous windmill and long-established folk music club.
“There are some lovely views along the way as you wind your way to Ewelme, which is near where I grew up,” says Max. “They've got the oldest primary school in the country there and it's just a really lovely little village. And again, there is a really nice community shop and cafe there.
“One of the main things, when I first started designing routes around the Chilterns was to link up these eateries and vineyards now. I do like my food! I like my coffee stops and this is one big ride with lots and lots of coffee shops and food and farm shops along the way.”
After Ewelme, the route joins The Swan’s Way, another long-distance bridle route, and then connects again to The Ridgeway. “We don't like to use too much of the Ridgeway at any one time,” says Max, “but having these well-used and signposted trails allows a bit of a break when you're doing these long rides. You can disengage the brain and enjoy the surroundings a bit more. There is then quite a steep north escarpment to Chiltern Hills. You've got some great views when you climb up.”
There are a number of punchy hill climbs on this section. “They're not huge but they are short and steep. It's quite a physical challenge in places. But with more people on e-bikes, it's still very accessible and it provides that challenge.”
Darkins continues: “We head in-land a bit after Watlington, go past Chinnor and Princes Risborough. And then you have another very popular viewpoint - Whiteleaf Hill, which is a steep climb or a push. It's a lovely viewpoint. You can look out over fields and forest to nearby towns.
“Then it's through the woods to the next split, which is Prestwood near Great Missenden. Again, there's a train station, but if you continue on the Central Loop you then begin to head south. You pass High Wycombe, where there are great National Trust properties to visit and West Wycombe - a lot of which is owned by the National Trust. There's great history there.”
The route then goes past High Wycombe to Marlow, another popular town on the River Thames, and then winds its way through Frieth and the Stonor Valley
One of the most famous attractions in West Wycombe is The Hellfire Caves, a network of man-made chalk and flint caverns beneath the Chiltern Hills.
The route then continues on to Marlow, another popular town on the River Thames, and winds its way through Frieth and the Stonor Valley. Stonor House, close to the village centre of Stonor, has been the home of the Stonor family for more than eight centuries. It has a private chapel built of flint and stone, and the remnants of a prehistoric stone circle are on site.
“You have lovely country pubs, woodland views and it's a really quiet, pretty area,” says Max.
Loop 3: The Northern Loop
- Start/Finish: Great Missenden (loop)
- Distance: 63 miles (102km)
- Elevation: 1,845m (6,053ft)
The Northern Loop continues from Great Missenden. “You follow that to Chesham, which is on the London Underground, so that's another place that the ride can start from,” Max says.
“It takes you down the Chess Valley; round Amersham to Chenies and then it heads north, through Berkhamsted; to Berkhamsted Common and Ashridge. There is a really nice, large woodland there. Again, various views and National Trust properties if people want to visit.”
Ashridge Estate is one of those properties; home to ancient beech and oak trees, rolling chalk downland and lush meadows. It’s a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). In spring, you can see carpets of bluebells, while summer brings rare butterflies and you can often spot deer.
The route continues around the outside of Whipsnade Zoo. “You can actually stay over in the zoo,” Max notes. “One of the really nice things about this is that even though it feels like you are quite remote, there are lots of places to stay; whether it's pubs or campsites. There are lots of virtually wild campsites. There are churches there which do 'champing' - camping inside.”
The chalk grasslands of Dunstable Downs follow next. “You get fantastic views of paragliders, and there's always lots of things to see up there.” The Northern Loop then continues south, heading back to Great Missenden via Ivinghoe (which recently welcomed Ariana Grande and Jeff Goldblum, as it was a filming site for the film Wicked) and Tring, a picturesque market town.
The Northern Loop concludes by heading back to Great Missenden via Wendover Woods, where you’ll find a mix of coniferous and broad-leaved trees, and Coombe Hill, which is topped by a monument to the Second Boer War and is part of a nearby Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), home to chalk grassland, orchids and Britain’s full population of fringed gentian.
Inspired? Check out our intro to bikepacking in the Chilterns!