June 2026

Our flight home from Bangkok was direct into London Heathrow.

A bonus last leg along the beautiful Jurassic Coast beckoned ...

Charlie was confused by the sudden absence of rice and noodles

The Journey

From London Heathrow to Exeter via the New Forest, South Downs and Jurassic Coast. 
A=Arundel, B=Petersfield, C=Winchester, D=Christchurch, E=Weymouth, F=Sidmouth

Starting with a debacle at Terminal 2.
We had hoped to pedal out to our hotel (less than 2 miles away), but airport staff told us this would be impossible due to a restricted tunnel. 🤦🏻🤦‍♀️

Heathrow's black cabs couldn't accommodate our boxed bikes, and we didn't fancy risking £50 (!!) on the unknowns of an Uber XXL.

Our saviour was the "Hotel Hoppa" bus (pictured above), which serves all airport hotels and will transport boxed bikes (at the driver's discretion) for the regular fare of £6.25 per person 👌

The bus route out looked perfectly rideable to us, no tunnel involved 🤷‍♀️🤷🏻‍♂️
Next time: we'll ignore the naysayers and build our bikes at the airport.

After Heathrow, we soon got onto a nice riverside section in Staines upon Thames (above and below).

From the riverside town of Arundel with its impressive castle,
we jumped onto the South Downs Way at Cocking, heading west.

Sadly, this section of the trail was too lumpy for anything less than a mountain bike. 
We had to abort after a few boneshaking miles.

Above: Deceptively rough section of the South Downs Way. Not one for loaded touring bikes🤦🏻🤦‍♀️

We regrouped overnight in Petersfield and came back for more, rejoining the trail at Exton.
As hoped: the section from here to Winchester was much more manageable👌

Above & below: Smoother riding on the South Downs Way approaching Winchester

Below: Smack bang on the South Downs Way at Alresford, Holden Farm does great coffee

Both the weather and the Google cycle route through Southampton were atrocious. 
Our least enjoyable pedalling day in ages.

It was a relief to reach the New Forest.

Although its A-roads were fast and furious, there were some great traffic-free cycle trails between Lyndhurst and the coast.

Above: A traffic-free section of National Cycle Route 2 between Brockenhurst and Christchurch

We emerged onto a very blustery seafront at Christchurch (below) ...

... and proceeded to get a good sandblasting all the way into Bournemouth.

And so on to our first-ever chain-driven ferry, from Sandbanks to Shell Bay. 

Above: Charlie breaks yet another rule 🤦‍♀️

Below :- Molly being a very 'good girl' pushing her steed off the 'no cycling' ferry! 

We disembarked onto a stunning ride across the Studland peninsula.

Time for a "rest" day:

Hike 11 miles from Lulworth Cove to Weymouth, on the craggy South West Coast Path.

(Top tip: the X53 bus gets you from Weymouth to the start point in about 30 minutes 👌)

Above: Lulworth Cove demanded a quick roly-poly

Keep marching up those steep sections, as you've still got a 13-mile pedal on to your next lodgings ...

... concluding with a long push/carry of your loaded bike along the deep shingle beach at West Bexington (above).

We were pretty much destroyed on arrival at our room in Swyre village.

Above & below: The hot baths and breakfasts at Bridport's excellent Bridge Inn were restorative.

Next stop: the genteel seaside town of Lyme Regis. We were surrounded by vertical hills and predatory seagulls 🤦🏻🤦‍♀️

Above: Commodore Charles Cartlidge assesses the seagull threat.

Below: A "pedal or push" out of Lyme Regis

Onwards into Devon, to the pretty fishing village of Beer (named from Old English for its wooded hills, not its 3 pubs!).

What a lovely spot.

"We've had a beer, in Beer, at the Barrel of Beer !"

Below: Beer's friendly postie

At the ancient Beer Quarry Caves, quarrymen toiled underground in dire conditions on a daily quota of 12 pints of cider !

Prized Beer Stone was used in the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey, amongst others.

Above: The guided tour with Gill at Beer Quarry Caves was superb.

Above & below: Steep lanes and pretty thatches aplenty around Branscombe

Sweeping views down to the coast from Peak Hill Road near Sidmouth

Our final stopover was in East Budleigh, the birthplace of Sir Walter Raleigh.
The old village pub, run by local volunteers, is a must-visit.

The otters and beavers of the nearby River Otter proved elusive, despite a special early evening trek.

Then just a few miles to cycle-friendly Exeter (below), where we bundled ourselves onto a northbound train, ready to rest our legs for a few months ... possibly.