Lowest Traffic Route?

Specific board for this popular undertaking.
A7 Simon
Posts: 44
Joined: 16 Apr 2018, 10:00pm

Re: Lowest Traffic Route?

Post by A7 Simon »

I planned our route:

First priority: Low traffic

Second: least climbing

Third: day's distance

Fourth: Where to stay

These rotate in priority as you plan - for example, you rough out the route by (say) 1000 miles divided by 14 days = stops every 71 miles, then go back to low traffic ...etc.

I found that no route planner, no individual's advice would do what I wanted, so combined bits from each until I came up with our route.

Which I would expect no-one else to follow, because we all have different criteria.

It worked pretty well, there was a 10 mile section of "yellow" road somewhere around Preston that was obviously a commuter rat run, otherwise, up to expectations.

Oh, an additional aspect nobody seems to mention: timing. If you want a traffic free run through a city or along a big A road, try it at 4 in the morning.

A couple of times we skipped breakfast to miss the traffic. You can always have a lazy late breakfast, having had a relatively quiet run first.
meursault
Posts: 18
Joined: 15 Sep 2013, 11:31am

Re: Lowest Traffic Route?

Post by meursault »

Thanks for all the replies, I know it's a topic that has been discussed a lot.

I think it's best to take a good planner like Richards's and then fine tune as others have suggested.
As pointed out, each rider has different priorities so there isn't a one planner does all.
cookm1977
Posts: 1
Joined: 14 Oct 2020, 4:48pm

Re: Lowest Traffic Route?

Post by cookm1977 »

https://lejogblog2019.wordpress.com/

I've only just got round to completing (sort of) my blog above. I tried to avoid ANY busy roads but did do stints on A30 & A9, even cycled canal paths, B roads BEAR routes in Scotland. Feel free to check it out and re-use my Strava gpx/fit files.
ossie
Posts: 1793
Joined: 15 Apr 2011, 7:52pm

Re: Lowest Traffic Route?

Post by ossie »

meursault wrote:Thanks for all the replies, I know it's a topic that has been discussed a lot.

I think it's best to take a good planner like Richards's and then fine tune as others have suggested.
As pointed out, each rider has different priorities so there isn't a one planner does all.


I've used Richards planner for several long tours around Europe, one over 1500 miles, likewise five day tours in the UK. (I prefer Europe :wink: )

Its my fail safe, its the pink dotted line on the Garmin that if I move away from that I can always fall back on. As you say use it as a base and fine tune as required, you will have to fine tune to deviate for accommodation / camp sites.
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Paulatic
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Location: 24 Hours from Lands End

Re: Lowest Traffic Route?

Post by Paulatic »

cookm1977 wrote:https://lejogblog2019.wordpress.com/

I've only just got round to completing (sort of) my blog above. I tried to avoid ANY busy roads but did do stints on A30 & A9, even cycled canal paths, B roads BEAR routes in Scotland. Feel free to check it out and re-use my Strava gpx/fit files.


Enjoyed reading your account.
For accuracy Day 10 your stop C???? If you mean the Apple Pie it was Carnwath. If you mean a stop before there it was Crawford. Not once on your trip did you get views of Dumfries sorry I can’t help you there.
Whatever I am, wherever I am, this is me. This is my life

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afanasiew
Posts: 44
Joined: 23 Jun 2020, 10:10am

Re: Lowest Traffic Route?

Post by afanasiew »

meursault wrote:Apologies if posted many times before, but is there any advice/links on quietest road routes?

I love a climb but hate that constant car noise.


Here's a route that purports to be largely quiet in terms of traffic - I hope so, because I'm using it as the basis for my LEJOG next year:

https://www.cyclelejog.com/routeplan.html#readyroutes
Sid Aluminium
Posts: 255
Joined: 26 Feb 2019, 7:38pm
Location: Beyond the edge of the wild

Re: Lowest Traffic Route?

Post by Sid Aluminium »

afanasiew wrote:
meursault wrote:Apologies if posted many times before, but is there any advice/links on quietest road routes?

I love a climb but hate that constant car noise.


Here's a route that purports to be largely quiet in terms of traffic - I hope so, because I'm using it as the basis for my LEJOG next year...


Both "Route files I made and used" and Wood's "End to End - A Safer Way" use 54 miles of the A9 up the east coast of Scotland rather than the quieter route through Crask Inn.
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TrevA
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Re: Lowest Traffic Route?

Post by TrevA »

We followed the CTC B&B route for our JOGLE, with a few changes. We didn’t bother with the A9 from Wick, but instead rode along the north coast to Bettyhill and down the middle to Lairg. This middle route was one of the quietest I’ve ever ridden on, we were only passed by 6 cars between Bettyhill and Altnaharra and it was not much busier past the Crask Inn to Lairg.

We went along Loch Ness and then over Rannoch Moor. Quite a few cars but you don’t have much choice of roads in this area. Further south we stuck to the CTC route, but we noticed that while it seeks out quiet roads, it also doesn’t avoid hills. We often had a rollercoaster route along the high, valley side roads, whilst looking enviously at the not too busy A road at the bottom of the valley.
Sherwood CC and Notts CTC.
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PH
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Joined: 21 Jan 2007, 12:31am
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Re: Lowest Traffic Route?

Post by PH »

meursault wrote:Apologies if posted many times before, but is there any advice/links on quietest road routes?

I love a climb but hate that constant car noise.

I realise the OP hasn't been back in a while, but if they're monitoring this and still at the planning stage a couple of points:
If you go East of the Pennines it's a lot easier to avoid riding in urban areas. It is a bit longer, though not by as much as some people would think and IMO the easier navigation compensates for the extra distance for the touring cyclist.
If you want hills, go straight up the middle of the Pennines, as the name suggests the Pennine Cycleway does just that (Not to be confused with the Pennine Way or Pennine Bridleway) It does a pretty good job of taking you from the English midlands to the Scottish border, I've done it twice and there's maybe a few bits I'd avoid if doing it again, but it makes a pretty good basis for this section.
I'm another fan of Cycletravel, I've done three mini tours in the last couple of months, Derby>Oxford>Derby, Derby>Beverley>Derby and four days in Lincolnshire. It occurred to me after I'd planned the last one how much I trust it, the 120 mile route back from Beverley only had three via points and I doubt I could have bettered it.
pwa
Posts: 17366
Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: Lowest Traffic Route?

Post by pwa »

PH wrote:
meursault wrote:Apologies if posted many times before, but is there any advice/links on quietest road routes?

I love a climb but hate that constant car noise.

I realise the OP hasn't been back in a while, but if they're monitoring this and still at the planning stage a couple of points:
If you go East of the Pennines it's a lot easier to avoid riding in urban areas. It is a bit longer, though not by as much as some people would think and IMO the easier navigation compensates for the extra distance for the touring cyclist.
If you want hills, go straight up the middle of the Pennines, as the name suggests the Pennine Cycleway does just that (Not to be confused with the Pennine Way or Pennine Bridleway) It does a pretty good job of taking you from the English midlands to the Scottish border, I've done it twice and there's maybe a few bits I'd avoid if doing it again, but it makes a pretty good basis for this section.
I'm another fan of Cycletravel, I've done three mini tours in the last couple of months, Derby>Oxford>Derby, Derby>Beverley>Derby and four days in Lincolnshire. It occurred to me after I'd planned the last one how much I trust it, the 120 mile route back from Beverley only had three via points and I doubt I could have bettered it.

I have wondered before why people insist on going through Warrington instead of taking a less urban route up through Yorkshire. It is easy enough to piece together a decent route from the Gloucester area to Meriden (in the gap between Coventry and Brum) then on towards Yorkshire. I know the A49 looks nice and direct on the map but it is rubbish to ride on.
Enigmadick
Posts: 134
Joined: 5 Mar 2016, 11:28am

Re: Lowest Traffic Route?

Post by Enigmadick »

pwa wrote:
PH wrote:
meursault wrote:Apologies if posted many times before, but is there any advice/links on quietest road routes?

I love a climb but hate that constant car noise.

I realise the OP hasn't been back in a while, but if they're monitoring this and still at the planning stage a couple of points:
If you go East of the Pennines it's a lot easier to avoid riding in urban areas. It is a bit longer, though not by as much as some people would think and IMO the easier navigation compensates for the extra distance for the touring cyclist.
If you want hills, go straight up the middle of the Pennines, as the name suggests the Pennine Cycleway does just that (Not to be confused with the Pennine Way or Pennine Bridleway) It does a pretty good job of taking you from the English midlands to the Scottish border, I've done it twice and there's maybe a few bits I'd avoid if doing it again, but it makes a pretty good basis for this section.
I'm another fan of Cycletravel, I've done three mini tours in the last couple of months, Derby>Oxford>Derby, Derby>Beverley>Derby and four days in Lincolnshire. It occurred to me after I'd planned the last one how much I trust it, the 120 mile route back from Beverley only had three via points and I doubt I could have bettered it.

I have wondered before why people insist on going through Warrington instead of taking a less urban route up through Yorkshire. It is easy enough to piece together a decent route from the Gloucester area to Meriden (in the gap between Coventry and Brum) then on towards Yorkshire. I know the A49 looks nice and direct on the map but it is rubbish to ride on.


Very valid point as taking a route through the Midlands and up the east coast only adds an extra 80 miles or so, which for most folk is just an extra day.
ENIGMA DICK aka Richard Barrett
pwa
Posts: 17366
Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: Lowest Traffic Route?

Post by pwa »

Haven't yet looked at it in detail, but this readily available route looks interesting.

https://cycle.travel/route/lejog_east_coast
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