Kid friendly Routes Around Brighton?

[Ham]

I'll be dragging the caravan to a site close to Ely at the end of April and given there are a few people who know the area, I was wondering about suggestions for short rides. I don't think I'll be able to escape for more than two hours at a time which limits me to something like Huntingdon/Cambridge/Ely etc and back, unless I pop it on the car, but then the more time I spend driving the less I will have for riding.

[sparklyfish]

Hmm, how about some interesting places to cycle to/through?
- Towards Welney and RSPB places
- Through Wicken is very lovely (NT cafes at Wicken and Lode)
- The intriguing three-way bridge at Crowland, plus bonus abbey
- The pair of lighthouses north of Sutton Bridge, with connections to Sir Peter Scott
- Admire the vastness that is the Wash from Gedney Drove End or similar
- If windy, super speedy fun tailwind out and train back to Littleport or March...? (Bikes on Cambridge/London-King's Lynn [Littleport] line are fine and easy, bikes on Ely-Peterborough [March] line are headachey depending on the train operating company)

Hopefully that helps a bit...? Happy to help with routes if there is somewhere in particular you'd like to go.

[Ham]

Yes, that helps, thanks. My options are limited through the time available, it is good to have some ideas to aim for aside from the towns.

[sparklyfish]

Goodio!

Ely is also good for various cafe stops - there's lots of places where you can sit with your bike and a cuppa around the market square.

Ooh, if off-road fits your definition of fun, then the Aldreth Causeway may be worth looking up. It's a great time of year for doing it, before all the grass gets too high. It's the only place I've ever seen a cuckoo, and plenty of kingfishers round there too. I've done it on touring bike with 28mm tyres. Lovely route this time of year. It's a great time of year to be in that area generally - the flooding has (usually) gone down, roads are dried out after last year's harvest, blossom's out, swallows are on their way... 🙂

[Canardly]

Prickwillow engine museum well worth a visit (if it is open) btw.

[ElyDave]

Goodio!

Ely is also good for various cafe stops - there's lots of places where you can sit with your bike and a cuppa around the market square.

Ooh, if off-road fits your definition of fun, then the Aldreth Causeway may be worth looking up. It's a great time of year for doing it, before all the grass gets too high. It's the only place I've ever seen a cuckoo, and plenty of kingfishers round there too. I've done it on touring bike with 28mm tyres. Lovely route this time of year. It's a great time of year to be in that area generally - the flooding has (usually) gone down, roads are dried out after last year's harvest, blossom's out, swallows are on their way... 🙂

Aldreth causeway - do tell.  I've only ever got to Haddenham and turned the other way towards Grunty Fen.

@Ham - from that vantage point, head across the A141 towards Manea, Through Welney over towards Little Downham (Chez moi) to Ely, and/or circle back through Coveney-Haddenham - Earith - Somersham back up to Chatteris, or a route through Manea, down to Chatteris, just out the other side a nice back lane route through Sutton Gault to Sutton, hop over the A 142 into Mepal an you can follow a nice off road route back all the way up to Welney

[ElyDave]

another route from there could also be to head through Ramsey 40ft to Ramsey, Warboys, Pidley and down to the Raptor foundation for a coffee stop. You've then got options down towards St Ives, and out towards / past Raf Wyton (canberra), The Riptons and then back up towards Ramsey. 

[Ham]

Thanks, noted 

Given the time available to me off the leash*, I can't see cake stops featuring much.....

* That makes it sound a bit shitty. I'll be leaving Mrs Ham on the campsite with nobody to push the wheelchair, so actually I wouldn't enjoy staying out longer. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to a short excursion.

[sparklyfish]

Aldreth causeway - do tell.  I've only ever got to Haddenham and turned the other way towards Grunty Fen.

Grunty Fen is special in its own way, isn't it... Aldreth Causeway: there's a byway from near Rampton to Aldreth. The section from north of the river (there's a bridge!) to Aldreth is labelled on the OS map as "Aldreth Causeway", but the bit from near Willingham is fun. It doesn't look particularly special from my photos, but I like it:


and there's a climb into Aldreth! Which is quite exciting in its own way. You can see the wind turbines at Balsham clear as anything - suddenly becomes clear why they're there, catching all that lovely wind off the Fens.
There's a lovely description here: https://ericwark.com/2020/11/29/the-aldreth-causeway/

I am loosely planning on leading a CTC ride along it this year - hopefully a Thursday sometime in May, before the grass gets too high, but I haven't got anything in the diary yet. Will update here nearer the time in case anyone is interested in joining us!

[ElyDave]

Aha, a bridge! Thats why I've never gone that way, I've looked on OS maps and satellite and not seen an obvious way over the river. Maybe on my offroad meanderings this year.

[Ham]

All turned out to be a bit aspirational, anyhow. Only one evening I managed to get out for anything and I just rode a bit that way, then a bit that way and then a bit that way for a loop.

This strategy whilst it worked did introduce me to the Fenland Hills (it was kinda breezy!) and also to those long straight two lane roads with shitty edges and drivers at or above the national limit, which was a little brown trouser until I settled into it, hold a straight line as far as you need to on the road and hope for the best.

[Ham]

For the same reasons, I'm around Battle for the next few days, any suggestions for rides welcome, Ideally circular around Battle for around/up to 30 miles to fit my time window

[Tim Hall]

For the same reasons, I'm around Battle for the next few days, any suggestions for rides welcome, Ideally circular around Battle for around/up to 30 miles to fit my time window

We both know a photographer, once of London, who lives down that way.

[perpetual dan]

Battle is the far end of where I go as a normal ride. It also has a bit of an awkward main road / river / railway network round there that constrains enjoyable riding choices. So I'll suggest Pevensey Levels and that bit of coast. Which can be a bit bleak, but I like that.

The observatory at Hurstmonceaux is worth a visit.

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[citoyen]

Ride up the hill to Brightling to see Mad Jack’s place, then back down through Dallington to Windmill Hill, through to Pevensey Bay, through Normans Bay to Bexhill then back up to Battle.

ETA: Like so: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/47412401

The Brightling-Pevensey-Bexhill section is part of the route of my audax event.

[Ham]

That's brilliant, thanks, hope to try tomorrow

[Ham]

The weather hasn't exactly helped, but I managed to get out for a little if that loop

For the same reasons, I'm around Battle for the next few days, any suggestions for rides welcome, Ideally circular around Battle for around/up to 30 miles to fit my time window

We both know a photographer, once of London, who lives down that way.

Until your comment I hadn't realised quite how close, but we've not managed to get near.

[Ham]

OK, Off to Brighton now, with Grandson Ham (soon to be 6). I know there's an offroad path into Brighton, I'm wondering if anyone could suggest anything in the surrounding area that could be a suitable mini adventure? I think he would be good for up to about 10 miles there, 10 back  and I have the car and bike rack to move about. Some mild off-roading might be fun, courtesy of Quisling otp I have an off road capable bike.

[perpetual dan]

Rottingdean to Brighton on the undercliff is pretty child friendly (big waves can be dramatic, lots of sun a bit bright). Ice cream, Volks railway, splash in the sea. Sounds plausible for a small.

[Ham]

Distance-wise he'd be fine, and he's very good around pedestrians. As I (vaguely) recall, there are some small climbs along the way, too?

Any thoughts about where I could find mild off-roading? I think Ditchling would be a wheel too far.

[Tim Hall]

As you have the means to take the bikes somewhere then ride, go up on top of the Downs then ride along, off road.

[Ham]

Yes, indeed, that's kind-of what I'm thinking about, but I only know the Downs from riding over. Ideally somewhere I could get a loop around  from a car park that would provide a fun challenge without too many opportunities for getting into trouble.

[perpetual dan]

With a car assist and desire to get off tarmac I say park at Ditchling Beacon and ride East. There's a dewpond and windmills as possible things to look at, the hills are gentle and the Ditchling car park has a pretty reliable ice cream van.

Devil's Dyke is the other obvious start, but it's not as flat round there.

In summer, the seafront between the piers is pretty busy. Good with pedestrians might get stretched into hard work.

The road route from Rottingdean is, umm, rolling. The undercliff is more or less flat. Getting onto the beach down there is a low tide thing.

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[Ham]

That sounds useful, thanks, I wouldn't have thought of Ditching, on account of thinking of the roads up and down to it.

[Ham]

The road route from Rottingdean is, umm, rolling. The undercliff is more or less flat. Getting onto the beach down there is a low tide thing.

We made it there and back along the road, the stop along the way back for chocolate flavoured sustenance was appreciated and, in my view, richly earned.