Charlbury - cycle-hostile?

Wed 1 Feb 2006, 21:40

To get back to the earlier posts on this subject, I think previous correspondents have been a bit negative on the subject of cycling in Charlbury. My experience is quite the opposite.

Having moved here 15 months ago from Headington, I find cycling in the Charlbury area to be an absolute joy in comparison. The roads are much quieter; motorists seem to drive more slowly and with more consideration for cyclists; and with the exception of the very minor roads the surfaces of the roads seem to be pretty good. Yes it is hilly (or at least undulating) but we are in The Cotswolds and so one has to expect that and the situation is not as bad as it seems. I have cycled extensively since living here and have yet to find any really steep hills. Most of the hills, whilst admittedly quite long, are fairly gentle drags which should be manageable for any reasonably fit cyclist whose bike is equipped with a decent range of gears. Mountain bikes are useless (too heavy and cumbersome); get yourself a lightweight road bike and the hills will seem much easier! Alternatively, the B4437 towards Woodstock is fairly flat for the most part.

I also don't agree that the roads around here are too busy for amateur cyclists; so long as one avoids the rush hours I think that they are perfectly OK. With the exception of the A44, which I found a bit hairy when I ventured on to it last summer, none of the local roads seem to have that much traffic on them. I regularly cycle on the A361 and never fail to be amazed at how little traffic there is on it (less than most of the B-roads I used to cycle on when I lived in Oxford!). The B4437 and B4027 also tend to have little traffic on them. If you are able to get out at lunchtime on a weekday I think, like me, you will find that the roads are quite safe for cycling. If not, then Sunday mornings are very quiet and Saturdays are not too bad either.

With the exception of one derogatory comment from a local which led to a minor altercation I have had no negative experiences whilst cycling in the Charlbury area and I would encourage others to get out into the countryside on their bikes and see what they are missing.

Finally, I can provide brief details of 10-12 circular routes from Charlbury of various distances and degrees of difficulty if anyone is interested.