Nine Mile Ride

Nine Mile Ride is a 6.7-mile (10.8 km) length of the B3430 road in the English county of Berkshire, running from the south of Bracknell to Finchampstead, near Wokingham.

Character

The road connects several residential areas in east Berkshire, providing a scenic route between the M3 and M4 motorways. The straightness of the road has made it popular with motorcyclists. Authorities have imposed a number of traffic calming measures in response. Today, Nine Mile Ride is largely suburban in character, and includes a small selection of shops, pubs and restaurants. In recent years, a number of the older properties along the road have been either renovated and extended, or replaced. A large Romany Gypsy community exists along the Crowthorne section of the road.

History

Despite its straightness, the Nine Mile Ride is not a Roman road but was built for King George III as part of an expansion programme to the rides built for Queen Anne to more easily facilitate hunting in Windsor Forest. It begins at the site of Swinley Lodge, the home of the Royal Buckhounds. The road lies almost parallel to the Devil's Highway, a Roman road running from London to Silchester.

On 2nd May 2011, a gas explosion caused an area of Nine Mile Ride to be evacuated near to California Country Park, damaging several industrial units. On the same day, fires in Swinley Forest led to road closures at the Bracknell end of the road.