NCN 41 - Severn Avon Vale

227.7 km 971 m climbing About 3 days 18% off road Road cycling Cotswolds & Chilterns

The route leaves Bristol's waterfront at Redcliffe and runs north along the Severn estuary before turning inland through the Vale of Gloucester, flat and often exposed, with the off-road sections concentrated in the earlier stages. The line passes through Slimbridge and along the Gloucester and Sharpness canal corridor before rising gradually through the Cotswold fringe toward Cheltenham and beyond. From Stratford-upon-Avon the route follows the Avon valley northeast through Warwick and Royal Leamington Spa, then crosses quieter farming ground to finish at Rugby.

The figures

Distance	227.7 km
Climbing	971 m
Off road	41 km, about 18% of the route
Riding time	about 16 hours, roughly 3 days at a moderate pace
Region	Cotswolds & Chilterns
Route from	Sustrans

Worth knowing before you go

The stretch between New Passage and Slimbridge is thinly settled, so carry food and water out of Avonmouth. Honeybourne and Stratford-upon-Avon are the most reliable resupply points in the middle section. Navigation wants attention through Cheltenham, where the line threads through several named suburbs in quick succession.

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 41 - Severn Avon Vale is an official route from Sustrans (their website).