Fosse and bother
IN TWO MILLENNIA the Fosse Way has seen it all, from legions of Roman troops to a trio of 2018 adventure bikes (p18). But while this month’s Group Ride followed an unpaved stretch that makes up part of the Trans Euro Trail, for our May 2009 issue, RIDE tried to follow the Fosse in its full Lincoln-to-exeter glory.
Experienced off-roaders Rob Hoyles and Adam Duckworth took BMW’S F650GS and Yamaha’s XT660Z Ténéré for the trip. On paper, it should have been a piece of cake. “Riding 300 miles in two days doesn’t sound like a big deal,” admitted Rob at the start. “I mean, if a few sandal-wearers in metal skirts on wheelbarrows with iron wheels being towed by horses could manage it — it’s going to be a cinch…”
From Lincoln Cathedral the pair took the A46 past Newark before diverting off onto quieter unclassified roads. At first, there was no doubt they were on the right track. “Mostly in rural areas, it seems that the locals are pretty proud of their Roman heritage,” Rob observed. “In Syston we fill up at the Fosse Garage just down the road from the Fosse Garden Centre.”
After battling through the centre of Leicester they discover their first green lane — which proves trickier than expected. “The first mile or so of hard-packed lane ends at a picnic site. From there on we try to get along the more rutted, greener part of the lane but soon have to turn round after getting stuck in boggy ground.” Back on the road, the pair stopped overnight on the edge of the Cotswolds. The next morning they lose track of the Fosse Way where it runs through the middle of RAF Kemble, so stay on the roads to Bath. Trying to navigate by map rather than sat nav, things don’t get any easier. “The southerly part of the Fosse Way becomes ever more mysterious,” Rob discovers. “Some guides tell us to aim towards Axminster, while others dismiss the notion that the Fosse Way went any route other than directly to Exeter via the A303 and A30.” Arriving in Exeter brings equal parts celebration and frustration. “Try as we might to follow the exact route, it hasn’t been as easy as we imagined,” he concludes. “We certainly missed a couple of bits, and at times we were near the Roman route rather than on it. But we stuck to the spirit of the trip and didn’t once use a motorway. Both bikes proved excellent as keys to unlock a hidden Britain few people ever see.”