New Forest “Billy’ Ride | 62 Miles | Braggers, Burley and Brockenhurst | Active Retirement Ride #37

Join me on a solo 100km (62 miles) road ride around the stunning New Forest on what I’ve nicknamed the 3 BEEs ‘Billy No Mates’ loop around Braggers Lane, Burley, and Brockenhurst.

This mostly on-road adventure (about 90%) includes some well-chosen gravel shortcuts to dodge the busiest traffic routes. Despite the skinny tyres, the road bike handled the off-road sections surprisingly well, though extra effort was definitely needed!

After battling a punishing headwind stretch, I made a much-needed café stop in Brockenhurst to refuel before completing the loop. Whether you’re planning your own solo mission or just enjoy watching scenic UK rides, this one’s full of quiet roads, forest views, and a bit of grit.

🚴‍♂️ Active Retirement – Ride. REST. Refuel. Repeat.

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Ride Stats provided by @wahoofitness app…

Strava:
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Oh, there we go. Ryan Air just taking off on my left. Yep. 25 to 7. A little bit behind schedule. Not bad. A lot of um air traffic control restrictions at the moment. There’s things going on in the world, isn’t there, where you can’t can’t uh fly over certain areas, etc., etc. And uh, of course, that is slimming down the amount of slots available for planes to cross certain countries. And then, of course, there’s the French. Enough said. It’s the summer. They’re French. Happens every year. Anyway, it’s enough of that. Oh dear. Back off road on the road bike. I’m really, really, really going to try and take it a little bit easy today. Now, on Friday, I went down to Dorchester and back. You probably noticed on the video my average was 18 and a half miles an hour. It really wasn’t my intention, but sometimes, you know, rhythm and flow and it just works. And yeah, I must admit I was tired the next day, so I’d obviously, you know, put some effort in, but at the time I really didn’t, I don’t know, got carried away basically. So, let’s see if we can not do that today. It was really windy yesterday. I was going to go out yesterday morning, but yeah, it was really windy. And uh in the end, we went out in the evening. New forest, evening gravel, 20 odd miles. Just followed some locals around. It’s always useful when the locals just put a route up and say, “Hey, anybody fancy it?” Because takes all the pressure off. Basically, just turn up, follow them around. Wonderful. There was some nice roots actually, parts of the route that we hadn’t done for a while. Yeah, it was excellent. It was a good ride. A good ride. Caught up with MBH. Haven’t been out on a bike ride with him for a long time. Yeah, it’s good to catch up. And I thought, well, there is wind today, but it’s not too bad. It’s only 14 km 14 km an hour and um yeah, I can probably live with that. So, let’s go. Yesterday was very strong. Last night actually was very strong wind, but we were well sheltered for a lot of the ride. But that last uh yeah, that last mile down the runway into Cadman’s Pool. Woo! Yeah, that was tough. And for all of you who know about the runway, Yeah. you know how tough it is when the wind’s blowing. I guess that’s why it was a runway. Cuz one way was always into the wind, which is ideal for taking off and landing, obviously. All right, heading out into the forest. I have got a little bit of a route, but uh let’s just see where we end up. Well, despite the uh bright sunshine, a bit chilly start this morning. It is supposed to get up to the mid20s pretty quick though. 0% chance of rain, so expect showers at any time. That’s how the UK weather works. But uh Oh, it’s lovely. It’s lovely out actually. Cool. Fresh. Might not last much longer. All right. Braggers Lane. Take it easy. Lovely and peaceful. Just my drivetrain needs rewaxing. I think it is due a job for this afternoon. Maybe Wood’s Corner. Oh, actually the bike wants me to go up over the gravel. I did say actually that this ride was 90% road. So yeah, let’s go. Let’s do it. Come on, pllis. Don’t let me down. [Laughter] Apparently I am doing gravel today. All right. Pop Pop, pop, pop. Well, on the gravel, the effort level has definitely risen. I’m always surprised at the difference. Yeah, this is hard compared to on the road. Now, if you’re the sort of person who likes to train or just wants to be a little bit fitter when the summer comes around, get a gravel bike, get some decent lights, and just go out over the winter, rain or shine, in the dark, even traffic free, so you don’t have to worry about like that. Just need good lights and then you see how fit you are when the summer comes around. You’re back on the road bike. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Oh, and handling skills. It makes a huge difference being out on the uh on the loose stuff. Yeah, it really does. Especially when it starts to get wet and slippy, you start to learn that actually you’re not going to fall off when it slides a bit. It is going to feel a bit weird, but it doesn’t take long to get used to it. And again, it’s all down to speed, isn’t it? As you get more confident, you’ll get faster and everything improves again, doesn’t it? Hey, big stone. Right. Well, so far so good. I got to go all the way to the top. I better have I made these roots some time ago. And uh I think it’s Braggers Lane, Brockenhurst, can’t remember, something else. Anyway, it’s three B’s. And I think this way was um better than going along the A35, which is the main trunk road through the forest. So anyway, I went into Prime the other day. It’s where I got this bike from. They are a Marina dealer. All that new Reactto team edition. My goodness, does that look good. Anyway, it’s enough of that. It’s 40 mil too low at the front, so I can’t ride it. But, uh, anyway, essentially, Mara apparently have a lifetime warranty on their frames and that. So, here we are. How amazing is this? Just incredible. Just incredible. All right. Long drag up to uh Canadian from here. Skinning stick tires. It’s a bit deep in places along here. The gravel we came down last night, but we should be okay. All right. Out into the sun. The hat can contain the sweat no more. We’ll get a shift on in a minute and hopefully everything will dry out again. Well, unless something happens in the next 10 ft. We made it across the gravel. All right, a little bit of downhill now. Little bit of rest. Still got to go up the other side, but we’ll gloss over that for a minute. Just a beautiful place to ride, isn’t it? Just looks fantastic in the morning light. Okay, here we go. Heading along the runway. Have a tailwind today. We were coming this way last night. It was ferocious wind. Yeah, today is not as windy. There is a wind, don’t get me wrong. But uh this is much nicer going in this direction. That said, it was the finish into the car park last night. And there is something about emptying the tank at the end of a ride, isn’t there? Or I think there is. Just knowing that you made the effort and you didn’t just poodle to the finish and you know yeah I must admit I felt good after that last night. It was a good old push into that wind. I got down as far as I, you know, my stomach would allow me, head down into the wind, and um yeah, just found a constant power that I could do and just held it for as long as possible. Yeah, it was a good finish. on Friday’s ride to uh Dorchester I noticed I was getting fizzy fingers, which is unusual for me. So, um, I checked everything and my hoods were too high. They were up towards me, so I was sort of jamming into them, if you know what I mean. Not sure what happened there. Anyway, I’ve tilted them forwards a bit. I’ve measured them with me underneath there. I can now reach both buttons easily. So, you must be in about the right place. And today, no such problem. It’s strange, isn’t it? Bike fitting stuff. Really strange. In recent times, in the last, say, three months, I’ve moved my saddle back 10 mil, I’ve just tipped my hoods forwards, as I said, effectively making the bike longer and lower, and it just seems to feel better. Now, I don’t know what that’s all about cuz I have put weight on. You’d have thought losing weight would be uh the catalyst for making the bike longer and lower, wouldn’t you? Well, I would. Yeah, maybe not. Luckily, the Giant Revolt, of course, gravel bike, chunkier tires, more compliant, and um shorter distances, I guess. a lot more out of the saddle. Yeah, no such problems. And I haven’t had to change that at all. But there you go. I guess on a road bike, you’re in one position for a but you know, for a lot longer or I am anyway with the way we ride. So I guess that’s where the fit really counts. Heat. Heat. Yeah, the old concrete runways under here still. So they put tarmac over the top, but um of course eventually the cracks start to show. Of course, when we were kids, dad always said, “Oh, that’s cuz we got square wheels. Heat. Heat. Well, I’ve only got two heart rate lights. I’m sort of Oh, donkeys. Nice. Young donkeys. Don’t they just look amazing? They look like yobos with their floppy hair. But yeah, so only two heart rate lights on the Wahoo. Spinning along 18 miles an hour. No real effort. Definitely win behind. Definitely a huge contrast to last night. All right, car back. What are we? Ah, 10 to 8. So, the roads are going to start getting busier now. I am going to have to start heading into the more populated areas of the uh forest. But hey, let’s just do it. not worry too much about what we’re gonna find. We’ll deal with it when we get there. Okay, here we go. Now, this gravel really is quite rough, but uh it saves me going on the A31 dual carriageway, which of course we’re allowed to do on a bike. Crazy, isn’t it? But that’s only for the hardcore TT riders, I’m afraid. That’s not me. We do see them every now and then going up the A31. Yeah, possibly not this time of year so much. It is really busy in the summer. It is the main artery down to Bournemouth Pool, the Perets, Wayouth, etc. So, uh, a lot of holiday traffic as well as lotteryies, deliveries, and everything else that you would normally get, of course. But that’s the thing about the forest. When it comes to road riding, you do end up riding the same roads a lot. Whereas with a gravel ride, you can mix it up. There are a lot of tracks that can go round and round within themselves as well, and you can just mix up the way you go to make it different. But uh yeah, when it comes to road without going like on the A31 and the A35, there aren’t nearly as many roads to choose from that are quiet and nice to ride. Hence a little bit of gravel for today. [Applause] Come on, little Marita. All right. Careful through the uh cows. We get animals in there. All right, we’re good. [Applause] Yeah. Right. Little bit more gravel and then back on the tarmac. It’s down to Lindhurst. Might stop at Woods for a cup of tea. We’ll see. I might keep going. Just see how I feel at the time. Actually, it was good to um chat with Joe the other day. We did stop at Woods on Sunday in the last video and yeah, young chap. I think he’s just started there. I think he said he was sort of looking after the rental side of things. Yeah, he came out. He said, “I didn’t know if it was you or not.” Yeah. apparently he watches the channel with his partner and um yeah it’s just great to say hello. It always surprises us when things like that happen. I mean we are just a couple of middle-aged people riding bikes really. Nothing special about us, but uh it’s always good to say hello. And it’s always sort of quite a welcome thing actually. Okay. Gravel. Yeah. Gravel on on junctions. They got to be so careful. [Applause] Yeah, I’m going quite fast through here, but it is a rolly road, so that’s all gravity. I’m not putting in that much effort. It’s car back. Sounds more like a I don’t know trailer actually. Van trailer, four-wheel drive trailer, something like that. He said get on with it. That said, I’m over this side of the road, so I can see further ahead. Ah, so not quite a trailer. Rattles just the same though. [Applause] There we go. Up to the top. Yeah. All good. Three heart rate lights there, but it’ll calm down. Lindhurst. All right, I should be able to filter here. We’ll see. We’re going to filter. All right. Are they open? I don’t even know what time woods open. It’s only 10 past 8, so possibly not. We’ll see. No, no bikes out or anything yet. No. 9:00. We’ll go on. Yeah, I’m all spun out. Anyway, I won’t be in a minute. There we go. That we go. So, beauty road from Bolton’s bench. [Applause] Definitely went behind there. But, um, as you can see, this road is basically a big loop. And by the time we get to Lmington, we’ll be into the wind. and then we’ll be into the wind all the way home. So, where I’m buzzing along two heart lights 22 mph here, I certainly won’t be in about half an hour. [Applause] That said, it has just gone to three three heart rate lights cuz this is slightly uphill. So even with a tailwind, little bit of effort I need new bib shorts. These are a bit saggy now. still really comfortable, but uh yeah, the transition back to the saddle can be a bit touch and go sometimes. It just catches the nose. So, uh yeah, new bib shorts acquired. Heat. Heat. Well, I’ve just gone past the uh National Motor and I’m definitely starting to feel the headwind again now. Extra effort required. We’ll be up on top of the plane in a minute as well. So, about to get battered, let’s say. Yeah, I just remembered why it’s called the three bees ride. Yeah. Braggers Lane, Burley, Brock, and Hurst. Not Lmington, just a ferocious, horrible headwind to Brockenhurst. So, I’m managing to keep it to three heart rate lights. Hopefully, we get a little bit of um a little bit of shelter from the trees up ahead. So, some shelter in the trees here and it’s mostly downhill into Brockenhurst, which is always nice and relatively flat to the finish now, but there will be no escaping this headwind. So, we’re going to take it easy. Trying to keep those lights, you know, down to two if possible. Currently at three, but that was a long slog along there into the headwind. I didn’t think I was pushing too hard, actually. Let’s have a look. No, heart rate’s 133. So that’s only just into the third heart rate zone for me. So yeah, I think we’re doing all right. I think we’re doing all right. I’ll soon find out tomorrow. I’ll either be absolutely shattered or I’ll feel okay. And that’s the only time where I will really know how much effort I’ve put in today. All right, here’s another B. B for Brockenhurst level crossing. It’s closed. That means we get a train. I could go over the railway bridge in the station there, but Oh, I see the train. There it is. Of course, as soon as the train came along, camera ran out of battery. Cappuccino and an apple and black currant crumblejack, which I’ve eaten half of, put the rest in my pocket. Only about an hour from home now. So, um, I don’t need too much to get back. Right, the stats so far. Distance 42 miles, average speed 15.9, elevation 1641 ft, and total time so far 238. What we got? Let’s have a look. Let’s have a look. Average power 195 and maximum 687. Here’s one for you. It’s in here somewhere. I have made a total of 369 gear changes. 30 at the front, 339 at the back. There you go. Right, that’s enough stats. Let’s get on. Yeah. So, that was the uh Boost Bike Hub in Brockenh there. It’s kind of where it all started for Julie and I because that was our first ever sort of organized group ride. We met Darren Elbro there even though he was already commenting on our videos. And um also MBH was on that particular ride for the first time. So that was the first time that we bumped into him and the rest as they say is history. But, uh, yeah, the strange thing is we’ve not really been involved with them since. So, I thought I’d go in and see what’s what. We’d heard there was a new coffee van there, but um, even though I was a paying customer. Oh, no. We can’t fill your bottles. Oh, really? Yeah. We don’t have filtered water. I don’t know what that means. You can buy water if you want. That’s pretty poor show for a bike shop, isn’t it? I mean, I understand if 20 cyclists all turn up asking for bottles to be refilled and they haven’t bought anything, but I’m a paying customer. And it makes you wonder where the hell are they getting the the water from if it’s not drinkable? They’re getting it out the stream. And did they just use that water in my coffee? You know, it’s just ridiculous, isn’t it? very poor show for something that’s connected to a bike shop. So, um yeah, I dare say we won’t be going there again. I’ve never ever had one of the cafes in Brockenhurst refuse to fill a bottle. Now, we’ve always been a paying customer obviously, but honestly, that’s just poor show as far as I’m concerned. Anyway, onwards train. So there you go. You got the front end of one, the back end of another. Right through Wooden up to the Bashley Road and then it’s uh Stem Lane, High Cliff, Stamp Pit. You’ve seen them all before. So, this is where I’m going to say goodbye. Thank you for joining me. And uh yeah, please join me again on the next one. I hope you enjoy your weekend. Yeah, I don’t mind that. Got on with it. Got out of my way. And now I don’t have to worry about them being behind me and overtaking. [Applause] There’s a sign here says do not overtake cyclists and horses. Nobody takes any notice. It’s not because cyclists and horses get special treatment, but that uh zigzag through there is not really appropriate for overtaking anything. Anyway, enjoy your weekend. See you on the next one. Well, I won’t see you, of course, but hopefully you’ll see me. And no doubt Julie will be on the next ride. FCC Midland’s ride. I dare say that’ll be the next video. I guess I chose the wrong time to ride through Christ Church. I wish I’d had the camera running. Actually, you would have seen some classic Christ Church driving. Never mind. Once I’m past this lorry, I might be able to filter down. We’ll see.