
I think I have my route almost finalised - thanks to all the help that I have received from this forum


The last piece of the jigsaw is the route through or around Preston.
I would be keen to get an experienced view on the bit between Bilsborrow and Rivington (I want to go to the reservoirs 'for old times sake').
I am trying to find a good balance between keeping a good average speed and a quiet pleasant route (which for me usually means country lanes). I don't have a problem riding in traffic, I just prefer not to. I'm not one to take a 3-mile detour to avoid 1 mile on a busy road (NCN 71 in Threlkeld!), and I'll be on a road bike with skinny tyres so rough tracks are out.
It seems that there are many options... but the main ones seem to be:
Just do the whole thing on the A6
Get on the A6 and just bang through the middle of Preston then jump on the B6258, A49, cut back across to the A6 into Chorley.
Minimise time on the A6 by taking a parallel route to the A6 (behind the Royal Preston Hospital), pick up the route above.
Use NCN 90 then 622 to wiggle down to the River Ribble, follow the river to the NCN 55 until it hits the A6 at Whittle le Woods (this is the route generated by cycle.travel)
For what it is worth, I will be hitting Preston mid-afternoon on Friday...
Any suggestions gratefully received.