Chepstow to Liverpool route lejog

Specific board for this popular undertaking.
Planning lejog
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Joined: 4 Jan 2022, 7:41pm

Chepstow to Liverpool route lejog

Post by Planning lejog »

I'd love to go up from Chepstow to Liverpool as part of lejog route this summer but I can't find a route that doesn't focus on a roads.

Any recommendations?
rareposter
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Joined: 27 Aug 2014, 2:40pm

Re: Chepstow to Liverpool route lejog

Post by rareposter »

You always struggle around that the northern end of that corridor as it's so densely packed with A-roads and what are essentially motorway link roads, it's a horrible part of the country. That said, there are some lovely little lanes around there, the trouble is you'll be riding on a nice country road and suddenly pop out on a 4-lane A-road which you need to cross!
This isn't a bad starting point:
https://www.rideacrossbritain.com/route/stage-4/

I assume you're heading to Liverpool to stay with friends / family etc as it's not really "on" the route?
pwa
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Re: Chepstow to Liverpool route lejog

Post by pwa »

Do you use this tool for route planning?

https://cycle.travel/map/journey/279602

The main problem with avoiding A roads along the England/Wales border is that doing so adds climbing.
aflook
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Re: Chepstow to Liverpool route lejog

Post by aflook »

On my LEJOG last summer I took a VERY roundabout route because of some bits I wanted to pass through and I didn't want to use A roads any more than I had to. I wasn't in a hurry though! :) :
https://cycle.travel/map/journey/235061 Brtistol - Llanthony Priory
https://cycle.travel/map/journey/235156 Ludlow
https://cycle.travel/map/journey/235200 Crew Green
https://cycle.travel/map/journey/235202 Llangollen
https://cycle.travel/map/journey/200560 Chester
https://cycle.travel/map/journey/200857 Southport

Highlights were the Black Mountains, the aquedct at Pontcycyllte (apart form trying to pronounce it as a non-Welsh speaker!) and the Mersey ferry. The route was also in part dictated by campsite loacations. There was a nasty bit of rain between Llangollen and Chester but it might have moved by now :lol: .I really enjoyed the whole thing, which was quite varied with some stunning scenery and industrial archeology too.
Hope that gives you some ideas.
rareposter
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Joined: 27 Aug 2014, 2:40pm

Re: Chepstow to Liverpool route lejog

Post by rareposter »

pwa wrote: 5 Jan 2022, 9:42am The main problem with avoiding A roads along the England/Wales border is that doing so adds climbing.
There's not a lot of climbing along there anyway - especially not compared to Cornwall and Devon!
It's a bit lumpy out of Chepstow then you drop off that plateau down to the Wye Valley and it's flat to Ludlow. Then some rolling terrain maybe a couple of short sharp hills if you go up Wenlock Edge or Long Mynd but as soon as you drop off that and cross the Severn between Shrewsbury and Telford, it's basically flat. Maybe 6000ft climbing in total between Chepstow and Liverpool and that's over 175 miles.

Wye Valley road is lovely by the way. Singletrack road along the river, go north from Ross-on-Wye up through a tiny hamlet called Hole-in-the-Wall. Stunning road.

Edit: that route looks lovely @aflook ! Nice bit of scenery up the middle there. :-)
Planning lejog
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Re: Chepstow to Liverpool route lejog

Post by Planning lejog »

Thank you so much for your replies excellent food for thought
Jamesh
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Re: Chepstow to Liverpool route lejog

Post by Jamesh »

It's not bad I did it -chepstow to north of Chester in approx 12 hours on the a49 as time was of the essence.

If your doing it over 2 days you can afford to use lanes and enjoy the rolling countryside.

I took the Mersey tunnel which I'm still reminded is cheating!!!
Cheers James
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Mick F
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Re: Chepstow to Liverpool route lejog

Post by Mick F »

I've done the A49 many times on a bike - both ways too.

Also, been over the Severn Bridge a few times too, but the best way is to avoid it completely and carry on north from the Bristol area and head for Gloucester. Flatter, easier, shorter and quicker.

From Gloucester, head for Leominster and Ludlow, then Shrewsbury, Whitchurch and Chester.
Mick F. Cornwall
Enigmadick
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Re: Chepstow to Liverpool route lejog

Post by Enigmadick »

https://strava.app.link/0psqMANJCmb

Regret I can't find the GPX files for this ride that goes from the Old Wye Bridge in Chepstow to the Old Dee Bridge in Chester on quiet roads that we did in one day a few years ago. You can easily continue up the Wirral to Birkenhead on the good NCN paths and then ferry or train across to Liverpool.

Hope you find it useful.
ENIGMA DICK aka Richard Barrett
mattsccm
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Re: Chepstow to Liverpool route lejog

Post by mattsccm »

All a matter of opinion. I loathe the Wye valley north of Chepstow. It's great at 5am in the summer or better still when the road is closed because the hill has fallen on it agai but otherwise its best avoided. Too busy.
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Paulatic
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Re: Chepstow to Liverpool route lejog

Post by Paulatic »

mattsccm wrote: 7 Jan 2022, 5:07pm All a matter of opinion. I loathe the Wye valley north of Chepstow. It's great at 5am in the summer or better still when the road is closed because the hill has fallen on it agai but otherwise its best avoided. Too busy.
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RickH
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Re: Chepstow to Liverpool route lejog

Post by RickH »

This is a Cardiff to Chester route I did on a Tandem in 2015 - https://cycle.travel/map/journey/11545. I planned it to try to avoid steep hills as far as possible whilst avoiding busy roads as much as possible. From just north of Monmouth (around 45 miles or so into the route) to nearly Tattenhall (between 161 & 162 miles) it is largely based on the Bike Adventures LEJOG route (which I did with them in 2009) but opting for a few short sections of A road (that in the event turned out to be very low traffic when we rode them) to miss out on some of the hills.

In contrast to some I thoroughly enjoyed the road along the Wye Valley between Chepstow & Monmouth (A466) on LEJOG. We stayed overnight in Monmouth. It was a fast bit of road & didn't seem particularly busy late afternoon when we went that way. Plus we got a view of Tintern Abbey.

From Chester there are loads of quiet, some motor traffic free, up the Wirral to get a ferry (or Merseyrail train from Hamilton Square as a backup) across the Mersey to Liverpool. This is the "Tour de Wirral" route I did for Chester CTC in 2018 or 2019 - https://cycle.travel/map/journey/84483 . That again is almost free of busy roads or there is a separate cycle path. Or there is the Cathedrals Tour route up the middle of the Wirral - https://cycle.travel/map/journey/236456

Alternatively, if you want to ride all the way, you could head for Runcorn & use the newly refurbished Jubilee Bridge (now with a separate cycle path) & pick up the Trans Pennine Trail route, at least initially, towards Liverpool. But that, for me, is less familiar territory.
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mattsccm
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Re: Chepstow to Liverpool route lejog

Post by mattsccm »

I only live a couple of miles from the lower Wye and it's great to cross, all those great climbs, but along it. Only in the early 2020 coid shut down. Great then
Jamesh
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Re: Chepstow to Liverpool route lejog

Post by Jamesh »

Mick F wrote: 6 Jan 2022, 9:04am I've done the A49 many times on a bike - both ways too.

Also, been over the Severn Bridge a few times too, but the best way is to avoid it completely and carry on north from the Bristol area and head for Gloucester. Flatter, easier, shorter and quicker.

From Gloucester, head for Leominster and Ludlow, then Shrewsbury, Whitchurch and Chester.
I only went a49 / seven bridge due to accommodation reasons. Much better routes tbh...

Cheers James
Pete Owens
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Re: Chepstow to Liverpool route lejog

Post by Pete Owens »

RickH wrote: 7 Jan 2022, 7:04pm Alternatively, if you want to ride all the way, you could head for Runcorn & use the newly refurbished Jubilee Bridge (now with a separate cycle path) & pick up the Trans Pennine Trail route, at least initially, towards Liverpool. But that, for me, is less familiar territory.
I wouldn't recommend that section of the Trans Pennine Trail:
https://www.cyclestreets.net/location/52711/
The Runcorn Bridge is now really nice if you are heading north towards St Helens, but if you are going to Liverpool I would head up the Wirral.
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