LE to Bristol - Stick to Coast?

Specific board for this popular undertaking.
tbessie
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LE to Bristol - Stick to Coast?

Post by tbessie »

Hi all...

So in my initial steps at picking out a route, I think I would like to stick to the small coastal roads and paths on the northern side of Cornwall, all the way through Weston-super-mare and Bristol. I might do a little jog through Wells, as I passed through there on the bus once and wanted to see more of it.

Are there any things I need to watch out for if I want to do that? Can I just follow the roads closest to the coast without having to worry much about details?

- Tim
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Mick F
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Re: LE to Bristol - Stick to Coast?

Post by Mick F »

Some of the coastal roads up through N Cornwall and N Devon have vicious hills, so that's the first thing to consider.
Also, some down to the coast are dead-ends, so you need to look closely at a map before you turn down them.

If you go to Bike Hike UK http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php and produce a route, you'll see how the roads are. The Ordnance Survey part of the site is good because you can see the contours and chevrons.
Mick F. Cornwall
tbessie
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Re: LE to Bristol - Stick to Coast?

Post by tbessie »

Mick F wrote:Some of the coastal roads up through N Cornwall and N Devon have vicious hills, so that's the first thing to consider.
Also, some down to the coast are dead-ends, so you need to look closely at a map before you turn down them.

If you go to Bike Hike UK http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php and produce a route, you'll see how the roads are. The Ordnance Survey part of the site is good because you can see the contours and chevrons.


Thanks, I'll take a look there! I live in San Francisco, and there's lots of hills around here, so it might not be as bad as it sounds; but yes, it'd be nice to know what I'm getting myself into beforehand. :-)

- Tim
tbessie
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Re: LE to Bristol - Stick to Coast?

Post by tbessie »

I was just looking, and a lot of the route near the coast is covered by the A39 - I searched here but couldn't find anyone talking about it (or perhaps it doesn't allow searches for 3-letter words). Anyone know the traffic conditions on that? I'd assume pretty busy, especially on weekends, eh?

- Tim
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Mick F
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Re: LE to Bristol - Stick to Coast?

Post by Mick F »

Hi again Tim.
The A39 is good in parts, and bad and busy in others.

The route along the coast uses it a small amount, but you can stay off it quite a bit. However, the A39 is the flatter and faster route.

I ride the A39 and never have a problem, but it's not to everyone's liking.
Mick F. Cornwall
tbessie
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Re: LE to Bristol - Stick to Coast?

Post by tbessie »

Thanks for your suggestions, Mick! I took a look at that mapping tool, and it's pretty neat! I ended up, later, going on to Google "My Maps" and creating a template for my route; since Google Maps takes suggestions by cyclists for bike routes, it's actually been pretty good at mapping out the non-major roads for cycling, and I may use those as a guide. When I've toured in France, I ended up doing the same thing (seeing what Google Maps recommended, and then looking at a paper map and deciding more specifically which way I wanted to go).

I'll probably put together a general itinerary and map and post them here for comment.

It's looking like the most difficult/annoying part of the trip will be in Scotland, since there are so few roads that are good for cyclists but are not filled with cars. I would have thought there'd be more routes up there, but the map shows just a few... it *appears* to my untrained eye like Scotland is about as well be-roaded as northern Canada or something, which is hard to believe, since Scotland has existed for so long.

I *am* glad that wild camping is allowed there, since there's so much wilderness to camp in.

- Tim
LollyKat
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Re: LE to Bristol - Stick to Coast?

Post by LollyKat »

Scotland..... The population is small, at c.5.3 million it is less than 9% of the total UK. At least half of that is in what is known as the 'central belt' between and including Edinburgh and Glasgow. There are lots of small, quiet roads in the the Borders (i.e. south) and Galloway (south-west), and also a reasonable number in the north-east around Aberdeen. However in the Highlands the combination of a small, scattered population and a certain inexorable logic to the geography results in fewer roads.

However, you can still find reasonably quiet routes. One recommended one is to turn west at the border and go through Galloway to Ardrossan, then island hop via Arran, Mull and the Hebrides before returning to the mainland at Ullapool. I think you said you were planning to come in May? If that is so then you shouldn't have much trouble with traffic so long as you avoid the A82 between Glasgow and Fort William. It really depends on how much time you have.

I second Mick F's warning about the hilly coastal roads in Cornwall and Devon. My memories are of plunging down 20% gradients, braking hard at the bottom to get round the bridge over the little river at the bottom, then grinding (or rather walking!) up the 20% on the other side....and repeated, again and again! They may be short, but can be demoralising. You'll be fine though if you have low gears and plenty of time. :D
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: LE to Bristol - Stick to Coast?

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
If you are going to relax and spend time then its coast roads and perhaps moorland, but as said there are many dead ends so plan careful or use sat nav.
Fast A roads are mind numbing.
Don't be put off by the hills, the coast can be a lot of up and down but mainly the hills are short and sharp.
If you are camping then I would suggest a low gear of about 25 " min, or better 20" for the sharp hills.
If you are camping then you will be hardened to anything we have to offer.
Good luck.
Is it scenery you are after :?:
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tbessie
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Re: LE to Bristol - Stick to Coast?

Post by tbessie »

Thanks for yet more great advice!

@NATURAL ANKLING - I can well imagine those ups-and-downs of coastal hills (did a lot of that in Oregon last year, and also in the Appalachians many years ago); it's not the most fun, but definitely gives you a feeling of having done a lot of good cycling by the end of it. :-)

I wasn't familiar with your way of describing gears - you used an "inch" mark, but are those teeth-count? I'm getting a coupled Long Haul Trucker for this trip, and its default componentry is described on the Surly site as:

Crankset : Andel RSC6, 26/36/48t. Square taper interface. Silver
Rear Cogs : Shimano HG-50-10, 11–32t

I would suppose you're referring to the 26 on the front, eh? I might be able to have that swapped out for a 20-tooth if that's what you recommend. I can't recall what my other touring bike has on it... ok, just checked, it's 24 to 26 (I wasn't too accurate in checking); it was fine on my prior tours here in the US; I will be trying out the new bike on a small local camping trip to see.

I don't have a dedicated satnav, just my phone, but I can preload maps on it, which I hope will be good enough.

I have to say, re: camping vs. B&Bs, I really do love B&Bs; though the last few trips I've done in France, where I stayed almost entirely at B&Bs, I felt like it was a bit of overkill... and so many B&Bs are set up to be cute and romantic for couples, so it sometimes left me wishing I'd brought a girlfriend along with me. ;-)

Scenery? I suppose - more local color and culture, I think, though that's hard to catch when you're just passing through on a bike. Ideally, I'd have many months to do this, and I'd stop for long periods in little towns, etc. I'll get to stop from time to time, but I not as frequently as I'd like (gotta get back to work at SOME point). On my trip on the Oregon coast last year, it was grand ocean cliffside vista after grand ocean cliffside vista... though great to see, it became old hat eventually. eg:

IMG_20150531_141249.jpg
tbessie
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Re: LE to Bristol - Stick to Coast?

Post by tbessie »

LollyKat wrote:Scotland..... The population is small, at c.5.3 million it is less than 9% of the total UK.

...


Thanks for the update on Scotland. Interesting about that far-west route before looping 'round. I was looking at going 'round Loch Lomond and then straight up to the coast and then along to JoG - I've seen a few people do that one, and it was interesting to me because it seemed the quickest that avoided major roads. But if I have time, island hopping sounds quite lovely too. I had assumed I'd add a trip to the islands at some other point in time.

Luckily, Cornwall and Devon look like they'll be over reasonably soon, so I can deal with the pain for a few days before leaving it behind. :-)

- Tim
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DaveP
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Re: LE to Bristol - Stick to Coast?

Post by DaveP »

A small point, and one which you may well have considered already, though I haven't noticed any mention on your threads
Both Lands End and John O'Groats are a bit isolated. Getting to and returning from either needs a bit of planning.
Trains are pricey and there are often restrictions on the number of bikes that can be carried.
There is an airport at Wick, rideable from JoG
Don't want to pour cold water - just don't want to see you stranded :)
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honesty
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Re: LE to Bristol - Stick to Coast?

Post by honesty »

There areally a lot of different ways to do LE to JoG that vary based on your requirements. If you want to do it the fastest shortest way you'd be sticking to busy A roads all the way, and do around 800 miles. I'm planning to ride it next year but I wanted to do a scenic route so I'm looking to do the following https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12398388 which goes away from the more westerly route though England a lot of people do. It all depends on what you want to do.
Norman H
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Re: LE to Bristol - Stick to Coast?

Post by Norman H »

For an explanation of gear inches see Sheldon

Briefly, gear inches relates to the equivalent diameter, in inches, of an ordinary (penny farthing) bicycle wheel.

To calculate the distance travelled per pedal revolution , multiply by π.

You can have a play here.
LollyKat
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Re: LE to Bristol - Stick to Coast?

Post by LollyKat »

tbessie wrote: I was looking at going 'round Loch Lomond and then straight up to the coast and then along to JoG - I've seen a few people do that one, and it was interesting to me because it seemed the quickest that avoided major roads.

Yebbut....that route is a major road in practice! Even though it may not look like it on the map, it carries a lot of traffic, particularly in the summer when you add the tourist caravans to the mix. However it shouldn't be so bad in May. School holidays in Scotland start at the very end of June, and in England a couple of weeks later.
tbessie
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Re: LE to Bristol - Stick to Coast?

Post by tbessie »

DaveP wrote:A small point, and one which you may well have considered already, though I haven't noticed any mention on your threads
Both Lands End and John O'Groats are a bit isolated. Getting to and returning from either needs a bit of planning.
Trains are pricey and there are often restrictions on the number of bikes that can be carried.
There is an airport at Wick, rideable from JoG
Don't want to pour cold water - just don't want to see you stranded :)


No cold water poured; I had assumed I would spend the night before in Penzance, then ride TO LE and then back (though splitting off to go north before I get back to Penzance). A little silly, but since I'm in no hurry, I don't have to go too far on that first day. Then I thought I could bike on to Wick when I'm done, then take the train back to Inverness.

Does that seem doable?

- Tim
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