Cicerone Route - thoughts a week after finishing
Posted: 30 Sep 2018, 5:08pm
A week after finishing a damp, cool and mostly grey fortnight some thoughts and advice for those thinking of taking this route (and discussion for those who have done it!?).
The route - found it unnecessarily tough at times. Runcorn to Carlisle particularly hard, busy and easy to get lost between Runcorn and Bolton. Runcorn not well blessed with god accommodation if you don't do the Holiday Inn. Not sure the final climb of the day into Clun is necessary and certainly no reward if grey and cold!!
Road surfaces - awful section between Looe and Torpoint. Moffat northwards also a rough 20 miles. Strangely though it was the "hand laid" surfaces of the cycle tracks that slowed me down and frustrated me....particularly parts of Glasgow and the Avon Gorge sections!
Getting lost - most days I had an issue or two but not too bad in terms of added miles. Leigh north of Warrington was really difficult with the Town Centre redevelopment and pub names changed from the guide. Overall I think I did about 20 miles extra across the fortnight. Found the West Loch Lomond trail a nightmare to follow and ended up on the A82.
Improvements not in the book - some lovely new cycle tracks in some useful sections. The "dodgy" 8 miles north out of Plymouth is now only 4 miles since the first 4 miles is cycle lane and new off road cycle track. There is a 4 to 5 mile path from the M5 interchange all the way to edge of Warrington too. Also some really smooth and well laid out paths going down into Hamilton on the edge of Glasgow.
Finally......I didn't appreciate how many close calls you can have which can de-rail you if you follow a pre-booked ride for both B and B's and the rail journey back. On three occasions I "squeeked" through or was very lucky!!! First was a serious car accident which closed the road between Carlisle and Longtown. Somehow persuaded the police officer to let me through although he declared the road closed and had told me 10 minutes before there was no way I could be allowed through. The consequences of a 2 hour delay with no logical route diversion.....I also dodged Storm Ali on day one by unknowingly crossing the Kessock Bridge 40 minutes before it was closed to cycles!! Later that day I got into the Crask Inn again 40 minutes before Ali decided to cross the moors with 90mph gusts.....!!
So looking back I was lucky but also generally unlucky with the overall weather. I loved some days, especially Scotland, and had many lows due to lack of cafes!!! But that is End to Ending - I'm in the club now and already thinking of when to do another one!!!
The route - found it unnecessarily tough at times. Runcorn to Carlisle particularly hard, busy and easy to get lost between Runcorn and Bolton. Runcorn not well blessed with god accommodation if you don't do the Holiday Inn. Not sure the final climb of the day into Clun is necessary and certainly no reward if grey and cold!!
Road surfaces - awful section between Looe and Torpoint. Moffat northwards also a rough 20 miles. Strangely though it was the "hand laid" surfaces of the cycle tracks that slowed me down and frustrated me....particularly parts of Glasgow and the Avon Gorge sections!
Getting lost - most days I had an issue or two but not too bad in terms of added miles. Leigh north of Warrington was really difficult with the Town Centre redevelopment and pub names changed from the guide. Overall I think I did about 20 miles extra across the fortnight. Found the West Loch Lomond trail a nightmare to follow and ended up on the A82.
Improvements not in the book - some lovely new cycle tracks in some useful sections. The "dodgy" 8 miles north out of Plymouth is now only 4 miles since the first 4 miles is cycle lane and new off road cycle track. There is a 4 to 5 mile path from the M5 interchange all the way to edge of Warrington too. Also some really smooth and well laid out paths going down into Hamilton on the edge of Glasgow.
Finally......I didn't appreciate how many close calls you can have which can de-rail you if you follow a pre-booked ride for both B and B's and the rail journey back. On three occasions I "squeeked" through or was very lucky!!! First was a serious car accident which closed the road between Carlisle and Longtown. Somehow persuaded the police officer to let me through although he declared the road closed and had told me 10 minutes before there was no way I could be allowed through. The consequences of a 2 hour delay with no logical route diversion.....I also dodged Storm Ali on day one by unknowingly crossing the Kessock Bridge 40 minutes before it was closed to cycles!! Later that day I got into the Crask Inn again 40 minutes before Ali decided to cross the moors with 90mph gusts.....!!
So looking back I was lucky but also generally unlucky with the overall weather. I loved some days, especially Scotland, and had many lows due to lack of cafes!!! But that is End to Ending - I'm in the club now and already thinking of when to do another one!!!