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indicates every 2 milesEbley to Sharpness Cycle Route
England > Gloucestershire > Stroud District Council Offices, Ebley, Stroud
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GPX| Cycle Route Details | |
| Route Name | Ebley to Sharpness |
| Distance : miles (km) | 14.33 (23.06) |
| Duration(hh:mm) | 01:24 |
| Difficulty |  |
| Posted By | N Chandler |
| Calories Burned | kcal |
| (login and provide your weight for more accurate calories burned) | |
| Cycle Route Location | |
| Country | England |
| Town/City | Stroud District Council Offices, Ebley, Stroud |
| County/Region | Gloucestershire |
| Start Location | Stroud District Council Offices, Ebley, Stroud |
| End Location | Sharpness Old Dock |
| Cycle Steps | |
| Ebley canal is continuing resurrection after years of neglect. This route takes you gently through some of Stroud's forgotten canal paths including the double-lock and the river Frome/canal intersections. Far from the busy roads it continues until almost at the M5 where a switch to main and B roads takes you over the motorway and into Whitminster. From there, a further 2 miles into Frampton on Severn, an idyllic village with one of the largest village greens in the country. You could go on to Saul Junction at this point but I chose to carry on through Frampton and onto the tow path at the brilliantly named Splatt Bridge (41). Once over the bridge, take a left and continue. If you stay on this tow path you'll eventually come to Sharpness Old Dock but it is some further 10 miles ride. Along the route there will be plenty of chances for a stop off for a rest. Newgrounds Bridge is the next big stop off. There is a pub and a bike hire shop here. There's then quite a stretch before anything else stands out along this route, so perfect opportunity to get the head down and knock out a few more miles. I think there is at least one park bench before the next bridge but if not you can always sit on an unused mooring peg that are frequent along the tow path. When you've gone over a strange concreted area, the next stage is not far. More boats frequent the banks on the opposite side and the houses become more frequent too. The next crossings are at Purton. Not an awful lot here but if you continue on your route you'll come across an opportunity to deviate from the tow path and follow some steps down to Purton's Boat Graveyard. It shows some of the wrecks of around 80 boats that have come aground over the years along the Severn. Each has it's own plaque describing the size of the vessel, when it beached and the tonnage if known. At low tide you also get a sense of the magnitude of the Severn here. Easy to see why so many boats ended up on the banks. The next big landmark, cannot fail to be missed, is the swing bridge turret of the former Severn Railway Bridge. Now on the final stretch, the number of boats on your side increases dramatically and be wary of people on the tow path at this final point as they're boat owners often sitting or standing in your way. I'm not 100% certain it is a designated bike route but then there are no signs saying you cannot ride along the tow path. Finally as you go through one final gate you'll be at Sharpness Marine and Old Dock. A bench is welcome for a banana butty! The return journey could be the same or instead of heading into Frampton on the way back, continue on the tow path at Splatt Bridge and you'll come to Saul Junction. | |
| Landmarks/Pubs for lunch/Sites to see? | |
| Stroudwateer Canal double locks; Whitminster Inn, Whitminster; The Bell Inn, Frampton on Severn; Splatt Bridge; Glevum Boat & Cycle Hire, Newlands Bridge; Purton Ship Graveyard; Severn Railway Bridge turret |
| Near By Cycle Shops | |
| Mo's Bike Shed (Cycle Hire) | |
| Tarmac and Trail | |
| Mo's Bike Shed (Cycle Hire) | |
| Mo's Bike Shed |
| Cycling Clubs located in this region | |
| Royal Dean Forest CC | |
| South Gloucester Cycling Club | |
| Stroud Valleys CC |
| Your comments? | ||
| posted by:Nick | Rating :  | difficult :  |
| nice route for most cyclists. plenty of interesting things to see. would suggest a mountain bike is best suited for the job as the tow path can be a bit bumpy. | ||
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