Stoke Bishop BS9 to Sandon via Strawberry Line and Dolemoor Lane

Outing to the levels using the unsurfaced but rideable Dolemoor Lane to reach Puxton and Nye Lane for the Sandon access to the Strawberry Line. In dry conditions Dolemoor lane is gently rideable on 28-630 tyres taking you deeper into the moors and also gives access through Puxton to the Banwell area. 

Goes over the Failand Heights for variety, using Common Lane from St George's for its open views of leafy NW Bristol. Common Lane is not actually unsurfaced, it has tarmac apart from 20 m that have worn off, but the vegetation encroaches and in two or three places a smooth mud coating hides the tarmac. 

Dolemoor Lane avoids the A370, apart from the short distance from the Strawberry Line exit to Dolemoor Lane, which can be done walking on the pavement to the garage. 

Return uses the bridle path from the Strawberry Line to Mendip Way in south Yatton, which is marked as an access route. The nearby footpath is slightly better, the bridleway is a track with perpetual large puddles.

The somewhat convoluted loops keep the return and outgoing routes separate.

Common Lane Easton-in-Gordano-a smooth road between encroaching nettles.

Leafy NW Bristol from Common Lane Easton-in-Gordano 

Dolemoor Lane bullocks

And more cattle drinking by Nailsea Wall lane.

Nailsea Wall lane, a hot summer day with a swan in the shade of a bridge.

Stoke Bishop BS9 to Staunton Drew, circular, returning over Dundry

Pleasant excursion into the lanes east of the A38 and overlooking Chew Valley lake, passing through Nempnett Thrubwell, then steeply down and past the obelisk of undetermined provenance to the cycle track north almost to Chew Stoke. Return over the dam and along the north side of the reservoir to Staunton Drew and up over Dundry through Norton Hawkfield. Interesting mixture of shade lanes, secluded stream bottoms, and sudden views through gateways across open pasture and arable. Climbs back over Dundry using the south east ridge from North Wick.

Coffee and cake in the garden of the Dundry Inn.

Generally minor roads, apart from the short stretch on the A39, where walking up the west side pavement to the second modern centre island is recommended, it having dropped kerbs and reasonable sightlines, then walk up the left pavement to the Felton turn.  Return from Dundry down Highridge, the along the cycle path on the new bypass, smelly and noisy by a busy road, but reasonable width and in the downhill direction, fast, improvement on walking down the A38 to Yanley Lane.

Shady stream crossing on Strode Road

Nempnett Thrubwell church

Lake view from below the obelisk.

Dundry over pasture from the south.

Norton Hawkfield Model Farm, approaching North Wick and the climb over Dundry

Dundry Inn garden 

Stoke Bishop BS9 to Tickenham Church via Gordano valley avoiding B3128

A longer but lower traffic way to Tickenham Church using the Gordano Valley, then south over the levels to turn along the Land Yeo and through minor lanes to reach the road across Tickenham Moor from western Nailsea.

Early autumn on the Blind Yeo from Manmoor Lane bridge.

Tickenham Church across the moor.

Stoke Bishop BS9 to Oldbury on Severn via Mumbleys

Uses the Hallen- Spaniorum road to reach the countryside quickly. Then by Cattybrook along a very quiet lane and so through Tockington and over the Old Down ridge down Kyneton Hill into Thornbury Vale, for Oldbury on Severn, at the river edge of the marshlands beneath St. Arilda's church. Refreshments at the community shop cafe or The Anchor.

View down Kyneton Hill

Oldbury Community Cafe

New statue of St Arilda.

Stoke Bishop-Gordano Valley - Claverham Drove circular

Circular route down the Gordano Valley, out onto the North Somerset levels nearly to Yatton and back through rhine-crossed moorland pasture of Claverham Drove, level route through Backwell, then through Long Ashton to Ashton Court park and over the suspension bridge to cross the Downs.

Walk 20 m through the no entry at the end of Westfield and over the pedestrian crossing in Station Road.

Short section of the A370 within the Backwell 30 mph limit. The derestricted road to Yatton has some very fast traffic.

Claverham Drove near Lilypool Drove

Claverham Drove near Lilypool Drove