Cycling UK Forum

Paul has good advice for the route via Templand to Beatock, and between Crawford and Abington. These are my choices pretty much every time I ride between Lockerbie and Happendon (which is more often than I care to remember), they improve the quality of the riding for little additional time or effort. There are other great routes nearby, such as over Fingland fell into Moffat, over Greenhillstairs out of Moffat, or through Ae to Thornhill and to Abington by the Dalveen pass, but they would each be something of a diversion from the path of righteousness.

Cyril Haearn wrote:+1 for the Night Mail, one could learn and recite it as motivation

The passenger trains do not struggle up Beattock and Shap now, they have plenty of power, but I would enjoy cycling by the railway

Do freight trains still run over Beattock?

Yes they do very frequently. I live beside the mainline about 8 metres from where I’m sitting now.
A mail train will be passed in an hours time followed by a goods train from Hunterston to Drax
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/ ... &order=wtt
The occasional steam trains we get still have to double up at Beattock to get over the summit.

I did Abington to Tebay via Carlisle early November 2017 (Inverness to Weymouth).

My only real recollection was my feet being absolutely freezing as I departed Abington around 0500 and the route was mainly downhill. It went up a bit after Carlisle.

I do not recall being overly bothered by the proximity of the motorway but maybe I was just 'in the zone' !!!!!!!!

I just followed the cycle.travel/map route.

All the best, Simon

I cycled this route on a solo ride last summer. After 9 previous days in the saddle I found the motorway an interesting distraction, but never intrusive. The surface was rough in part, but it was an easy route to follow, and the traffic was light. I would use this route again.

Agree with the others - if speed is your primary concern then this the best route despite the poor surface (wider tyres and lower pressures will help). The motorway really isn't an issue.

Boring_Username wrote:Hi all

A lot of the recommended routes suggest riding along the B7076, which I believe used to be the A74. It seems to hug very close to the A74(M) for the whole 60 miles or so.

I'm not very keen on being within seeing and hearing distance of a motorway for the whole day. Can anyone with recent experience of the route tell me whether my concerns are well founded or not?

Thanks

We follow that route each summer and although it's pretty tedious crossing the motorway throughout the day, it's really not a bad option. Without a big detour, there aren't many other routes to choose from. Plus there are plenty of places to stop along the way.