Cycling UK Forum

Hello all,

If anyone knows the following, I would appreciate advice:

Two of us are riding audax bikes with light panniers from Newport(yes the Welsh one!) to Holyhead next weekend taking 3 days. Leaving Newport about 11 AM needing to set a briskish pace, heading towards Brecon, what are the pros and cons of these possible routes:

1)Newport - Risca Road B4591
Abercam A467
Crumlin
Aberbeeg B4471
Abertillery
Coalbrookvale
Brynmawr A4047 (King St)
B4560
Llangynidr
B4558 Talybont on Usk
Pencelli
Brecon

2)Newport - Malpas Road A4051
Cwmbran
Griffithstown (Greenhill Road)
Pontypool A4043
Snatchwood
A4043 or B4246
Blaenavon
B4246 Brynmawr - join route 1

or

Blaenavon B4246 to A465 short stretch then
A4077 Crickhowell
B4558 Llangynidr - join route 1

Advice gratefully received on traffic (tiresome), profusion of traffic lights (inconvenient), hills (not huge problem), chavs (problem), scenery(preferable)...etc

As for the weather....

Many thanks if anyone can help.

Andy

New looking Specialized Road Glove (left hand) by the zebra crossing opposite Exeter St Davids station, this morning Sat 25/7.

I did main route south. It was pretty good, although the bridge out of Inverness was a bit rubbish in the wind and drizzle and big lorries, but fear not, you are on a seperate pathway. From there I think it best to follow the cycle signs up over the Black Isle round the little roads because the A9 is fast and Dual climbing after the bridge. You can get back on a wide downhill of the A9 down to the bridge off the Black Isle. Otherwise it looks ok going north apart from Berriedale with its sharp hairpins going north, but its unavoidable. Helmsdale doesn't look so bad as its long and gradual.

You won't have time to play cards. Once you sort your kit out, get showered, eat/shop, mull over the day, chat, fall exhausted into bed.

6 o clock starts..good for you, if you can keep it up. Not the best time for eating though, but make sure you get plenty down, or stop somewhere at normal breakfast time and fill up, don't try cracking on through the morning just 'cos the going is good.

For what its worth, I recently finished my Jogle and on the penultimate day I did Folly Gate(Okehampton) to Penzance. As it was my eighth day on the road I was pretty blitzed and I did suffer with the moderate SW headwind. I set off just after 9am and got to PZ 1920ish.

My point being: Set off early (can you overnight near Lands End itself?), you will be first-day fresh and hopefully have a following wind.

With good advice from my wife's Uncle and Mick F online, but a bit of a desperate deviation on the day (some A30), my route was ok, so in reverse:

Lands End to Penzance A30, usual road nice start
The old road out to Long Rock and the A30 past St Erth station, this bit's ok.
Come off the A30 and follow the old road through Hayle, then up to Connor Downs
Drop down to Camborne and round the north of Redruth on the A3047 to Scorrier.
(After this I had come down the A30, pretty busy and a bit of Dual, but on the day I was desperate to get on and couldn't face the longer routes, so I bodged a route (in reverse) up the A30 to Mitchell and through lanes to Fraddon and St.Columb Road)
After Scorrier you could cross the A30 and use the A3075 up to the back of Newquay, then the A382 to StColumb Road in Clay Country, then onto the A39 to Wadebridge for a break, and on (nice stretch here through a little river valley) to Camelford, and onto the A395 to Launceston. Once past the town, as Mick F will tell you, there is a superb old road through Lewdown to Sourton Cross
Turn right down the A386 for a while to the left turn for Prewley Water Works and you're straight onto the Meldon cyclepath(avoiding the steep hill out of Okehampton town) to Okehampton station, which is where the YHA is. Only problem is if you want something to eatout you have to trek back down to town and up the hill to YHA.

Just swapping one island for another. Just this one is a bit longer and therein lies the challenge.

Best of luck

Ooh..decisions decisions right to the end (to end).

All I can say is thanks for all your help, you've been brilliant..lots of food for thought.

A question though, what is the suggested way out to of Bristo to the A39? Is it down the A37, or is it out through Keynsham and down through Marksbury onto the A39?

As for Devon...home turf, init?

Come out of the side exit of Paddington (past the Sainsbury's) and up the taxi road to cross Praed Street at the lights. Go straight across into Spring Street and second shop on the left is Tutto Fresco, (opposite the 'Pride of Paddington' pub) does nice take away Pizza's but also Pasta dishes. They've got a few sit down tables inside and outside as well.

Two days to go til the train(s) north.

If anyone could help with:

Any suggestions on what lubing and (limited) cleaning of chain might be a good idea?

Also, I 'm looking at something a bit different after Gloucester, any knowledge of the A46 up over Stroud, down to Bath, then the A39 through Street down to Taunton?

Many thanks All

Surely only a quill pen and ink well can do justice to the occasion?

So what happens at John O Groats and Lands End? Is there some kind of register to sign to say you've done it ?(not that anyone knows that you're not telling porkies)

Great stuff all, thanks.

Also, I'm planning to tiptoe around Telford by way of Wellington, Ironbridge and B4373 down to Bridgnorth

thanks for your replies, and to 'EdinburghFixed', sorry to hear about the problem that curtailed your trip....this time.

Two weeks to go before I Jogle. I'm mostly decided, but have few alternatives in mind, so any views would be welcome.

Edinburgh to Carlisle:
A7 throughout, or
A703 Peebles, A72 Selkirk, A7, or
B709 (looks very hilly),or
A7 Hawick, then B6399-B6357 to Longtown


Shap to Garstang:
A6 Kendal, A65-A6070 Carnforth, A6, or
Minor roads to Tebay, A685-B6257-A683 Kirkby Lonsdale, A683 via Claughton(top of the Forest of Bowland), then join A6


Worcester to Gloucester:
B4211-A417, or
B4211, then unclassified to Hanley Swan, B4208 Welland, A417


If anyone is willing to share any local knowledge/hard won experience, my thanks to them.
Andy