Just Off to Whitchurch is now available on the AUK website. A route inspired by well-known petrol head DJ Chris Evans? Well - my wife was listening to the breakfast show and he was talking about his car based festival at Laverstoke Park (owned incidentally by Jody Scheckter, 1979 Formula 1 champion) between Overton and Whitchurch. Chris Evans was pondering how many different places there are called Whitchurch. We started discussing this and whether it would be possible to cycle to all of them.
The answer is that there are 11 or 12 if you count Eglwyswen (Whitchurch in Cymraeg), and it makes a pretty good cycling route. Starting from my local Whitchurch (Hampshire) the route heads into darkest Wessex (Shawn Shaw - Hardboiled, Porkers, and Brimstone territory) to Whitchurch Canonicorum, and then through the southern part of the Blackdown Hills (the last bit of the Kernow & SW) before a double crossing of Dartmoor to visit Whitchurch (Devon), which brings back my memories of my first hard Audax rides organised by Mike Hunting & Linda Johnston out of Tavistock. There's an overnight flat section through the Somerset levels (with the opportunity for a Travelodge stop) and mostly main roads to reach Whitchurch (Somerset).
I've done my best to pick a route through Bristol and over the Severn Bridge (crossing in the opposite direction to the Dean and Severn Across, more Audax memories) to reach Whitchurch (Cardiff), home of Tour de France winner and writer of a great autobiography, Geraint Thomas.
Then it is into Cambrian Series territory out to Whitchurch (Pembrokeshire), a stunning route through the Presceli Hills to Eglwyswen and then bits of the A40 (sorry) to seek out Whitchurch (Herefordshire). There's a convenient Premier Inn on route in Haverfordwest North which you can stop at before Whitchurch (Pembrokeshire). The route then picks up the A49, the trunk route for end-to-end attempts for the next night section, with a selection of Travelodges for faster riders' comfort.
The next connection is Whitchurch (Shropshire), using some of the roads used by the Mersey 24hr time trial, before turning south to Stourport and then onto the hamlet of Whitchurch (Warwickshire) and then (hopefully) empty roads to Whitchurch (Buckinghamshire). From here its roads that I've ridden many times on rides from home to Whitchurch-on-Thames, the famous Streatley Hill (hosting this year's National Hill Climb TT) back to Whitchurch Hampshire. There's a Premier Inn just north of Aylesbury, or the brave might head on through the last night.
1361km 14500m ascent (mostly in the first half), 5 days and 4 nights, with all the best of my cycling memories (Local roads, Wessex, Dartmoor, Somerset Levels, Cambrian Perms, end-to-end, Mersey Roads, and more local roads). Inspired by a petrol head and a cycling widow, realised by a Super-Randonneur. If we are still struggling to run big events next year, this could be the epic for you.
And if anyone asks, you're just off to Whitchurch....
... all of them