Laminated for foul-weather protection; Ideal scale for touring (2 miles to 1 inch); 12 circular routes overprinted on map; National Cycle Network routes including traffic-free Family Cycling Trails
Hampshire is a land of tree-tunnelled sunken lanes, thatched cottages with gardens full of flowers, hazel copses, clear chalk streams and rivers. Despite the ever expanding urbanisation of the south of England, inland Hampshire remains much as it always was with little obvious change to its villages and their network of single-track lanes. As the chalk of the South Downs has lost much of its height by the time it reaches Hampshire most of the ridiging is on the easy side with few climbs that could be classed as more than moderate. The New Forest is, understandably one of the most popular tourist destinations in Britain yet it is easy to escape the crowds on a bike on one of the many well-signed cycle trails that cross the area. The circular routes include: 1. The Bourne Valley 2. Overton-Hannington-Kingsclere-Watership Down-Laverstoke-Micheldever-Overton 3. Alresford-Itchen Stoke Downs-Preston Candover-Dummer-Bradley-Bighton-Alresford 4. Alresford-Preston Candover-Weston Patrick-South Wanborough-Bentworth-Old Alresford 5. West Meon-Ropley-Selborne-East Meon 6. Bishop's Waltham-Meonstoke-West Meon Woodlands-Bishop's Sutton-Alresford-Cheriton Beauworth-Upham-Bishop's Waltham 7. Hambledon-Chalton-Queen Elizabeth Country Park-East Meon-Soberton-Hambledon 8. Stockbridge-Houghton-Broughton-Nether Wallop-Grateley-Abbots Ann-Longstock-Stockbridge 9. Stockbridge-King's Somborne-Braishfield-Sparsholt-Crawley-Wherwell-Longstock-Stockbridge 10. King's Somborne-Horsebridge-Mottisfont-Butt's Green-East Wellow-Michelmersh-Braishfield-King's Somborne 11. Isle of Wight: Yarmouth-Freshwater-The Needles-Compton Down-Brook-Calbourne-Newtown-Shalfleet-Thorley Street-Yarmouth 12. Isle of Wight: Newport-Cowes-Porchfield-Five Houses-Brighstone-Chale-Rookley-Newport