Let's start
off with the South Downs; they are the lumpy bits in the South of England near
the coast below London. More accurately
they stretch between Eastbourne and Winchester forming one of England's
National Parks.
 |
| The South Downs Way |
The South
Downs Way is the longest bridleway completely within a National Park, covering
100 miles between Eastbourne and Winchester.
It is virtually all off road going over the tops of the South Downs and
into the valleys to cross the rivers.
The amount of hill climbing is around 10,000 - 12,000 feet. (That's a
lot for 100 miles)
The
National Trust says it is possible to cycle the length of the South Downs Way
in 2 or 3 days. They also say "It
is possible to do it in a day but that’s an extreme challenge!"
The South
Downs Double is the challenge of starting at one end, riding to the other, and
then riding all the way back. Only 24
people have been able to complete this with just 16 riders achieving a sub 24
hour time. In 2011 there was less than a
30% success rate.
The South
Downs Triple is the next stage of covering the distance 3 times, totalling 300
miles. That's a very long way for a
single ride.
The journey of the South Downs Triple is described in the book "Stay Away from the Buttercups" available on Amazon.
The journey of the South Downs Triple is described in the book "Stay Away from the Buttercups" available on Amazon.
