NCN 23 - Reading to Southampton

151.5 km 1134 m climbing About 3 days 23% off road Road cycling Cotswolds & Chilterns

The route runs south from Reading through the Hampshire chalk, climbing steadily through Bramley, Chineham and Ellisfield Green before the land tips you down toward the Itchen valley at Itchen Stoke and Chilland.

The surface is mostly road, with roughly a quarter off road, concentrated in the middle section. From Winchester the route threads through Compton, Otterbourne and Swaythling into Southampton, then crosses to the Isle of Wight for the final stretch through Godshill and Whiteley Bank to Shanklin.

The figures

Distance	151.5 km
Climbing	1134 m
Off road	34 km, about 23% of the route
Riding time	about 15 hours, roughly 3 days at a moderate pace
Region	Cotswolds & Chilterns
Route from	Sustrans

Worth knowing before you go

The section between Ellisfield Green and Itchen Stoke is the most remote part of the route, and resupply points are sparse through that stretch. Cowes marks the ferry crossing to the Isle of Wight, so check sailings before you reach Southampton. Medstead and Nodehill are the last places of any size before the island's final run to Shanklin.

Put your own dates on this and TourTrax splits it into days at your pace, finds somewhere to sleep at the end of each one, estimates what it will cost and gets you to the start without flying.

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Other route guides

NCN 23 - Reading to Southampton is an official route from Sustrans (their website).