Hmmm - to be honest, I wasnt aware of it! I will have a look at this, I have various places I would like to visit following our trip to scotland last year, however in England I'm not married to the route I have chosen...and the accommodation is provisionally booked, so the odd change could be made...I will check it out. Thanks, Pete
In that case, here's my East of Pennines route, just to give an idea of the possibilities. This one was chosen to avoid urban areas and not be gratuitously hilly, though it doesn't shy away from a few where they're the best option. https://cycle.travel/map/journey/342206
Blondie wrote: ↑30 Nov 2024, 2:14pm
The section parallel to the A74(M) is dull and the road rough (unless resurfaced of late). A route via Eskdalemuir (Buddhist retreat there) and up to Innerleithen then Edinburgh offers a more interesting route. You can get on the cycleways / disused railways to get across Edinburgh to the bridge.
Blondie wrote: ↑30 Nov 2024, 2:14pm
The section parallel to the A74(M) is dull and the road rough (unless resurfaced of late).
Agreed. I don't think it's likely to be resurfaced any time soon (if ever) as it's effectively an abandoned service road with little traffic, mainly HGV's. I used to use it for the Lockerbie truck stop but that's sadly gone - I think I was the last person to sleep there the night before it closed
Blondie wrote: ↑30 Nov 2024, 2:14pm
The section parallel to the A74(M) is dull and the road rough (unless resurfaced of late).
I'd second this. Worst day's ride of my entire lejog earlier this year. One to avoid, the road surface was the worst I encountered and made a long day feel like a lifetime. If it's of any use, I did blog the journey... https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/lejogging/
The route you've chosen from Wirksworth to Hazel Grove is really nice....but really hard!
Up to you of course but if it was me I would ease back a bit. There are a few bits where you are climbing for climbing's sake. If you want a few alternative suggestions or even little tweaks to take out the toughest climbs let me know as I ride that area a lot
Petethefeet wrote: ↑23 Nov 2024, 1:20pm
Any thoughts on the route - have I picked any nightmare roads which I should avoid?
Your route in Inverness takes you through the Longman Industrial site which is fairly tortuous going through a maze of businesses large and small with commercial vehicles picking up and dropping off loads and parked wherever their driver chooses, I never think of it as being cycle friendly.
You might consider not turning left off King Duncans Road but continuing down to the T junction with the dual carriageway (B865)and crossing the carriageway via the Toucan crossing. Take a right turn after the crossing and follow the joint user path up to the Raigmore interchange. Bear left at the top and follow the joint user path that runs alongside the A9. At the Longman roundabout, continue on the path which bears left at the roundabout and carry on for 50 metre or thereby and rejoin your planned route to cross the A82 .
Do not be tempted by the roundabout at the A560 in Timperley, south Manchester. Follow the road up a bit away from the roundabout as your route suggests. The roundabout is fast and wide. You cannot ride across in the time it takes a car to come around. There is also a crossing point the other way.
Brooklands roundabout.JPG (29.28 KiB) Viewed 6857 times
Also after Stretford you have come off the canal towpath too early. Stay on the route marked as 82 as marked on the web site. The canal divides (Not obvious on the map), stay left. Canal towpath has a good surface, narrow (1.8m) but not busy. Much better than the busy roads you picked and about the same distance.
BobSweet wrote: ↑20 Dec 2024, 7:55pm
Do not be tempted by the roundabout at the A560 in Timperley, south Manchester. Follow the road up a bit away from the roundabout as your route suggests. The roundabout is fast and wide. You cannot ride across in the time it takes a car to come around. There is also a crossing point the other way.Brooklands roundabout.JPG
Also after Stretford you have come off the canal towpath too early. Stay on the route marked as 82 as marked on the web site. The canal divides (Not obvious on the map), stay left. Canal towpath has a good surface, narrow (1.8m) but not busy. Much better than the busy roads you picked and about the same distance.
Bob Sweet
I didn't find that roundabout to be a problem when I came that way back in April. I don't recall it being notably bad but I've only done it once (so far).
Track of my route from Strava (07/04/2024)
Former member of the Cult of the Polystyrene Head Carbuncle.
scottm wrote: ↑23 Nov 2024, 9:16pm
NCN definitely isn't all lovely smooth tarmac, so you need to be able to handle rougher sections. For example the cycle path along the A9 is a lot of old crumbling road (though I've ridden it on road bike tyres so by no means impassable)
What about crumbling road could make it impassable for road bike tyres?
So...based upon feedback I have amended my route based upon easy east coaster route. It made sense once I had hit the midlands to continue east rather than heading west again. Revised route is as follows:
Northallerton you might find it easier to go down the High street and onto Brompton road. It’s slow moving traffic through there.
Aviemore > the B road out of there is fine I wouldn’t bother with the cycle route.
> Cromarty make sure the ferry is running and why not turn off before Tore on B9161 or rt 12. The A road isn’t bad either through Avoch, Rosemarkie.
Have a good trip and hope the weather gods are kind to you
Whatever I am, wherever I am, this is me. This is my life
When cross A370 on Strawberry Line at Congresbury by the Greek restaurant it might be better to turn right and head in to Congresbury on A370 then Wrington Road into Wrington and then climb upto Lulsgate Airport and ride around the end of the runway and pick up Downside on your original route for your overnight stop, the A38 from Redhill to the Airport is a fast road and the climb up is steep, I can recall coming down at close to 40mph.
Towards the end of your section on A4 Portway at Shirehampton you can either turn onto Park Road and don't continue the extra 200 yds to the crossing and join Woodwell Road, if you do chose the latter stay on Woodwell Road till you get to Shirehampton Green. Once in Lawrence Weston when you join NCN41 stay on it as much as possible, I'm not sure if it's possible to ride it behind Henacre Road after the BMX track cause of a new housing development and you'll have to use Long Cross, you can rejoin NCN41 at Campbell Farm Drive and leave it after the City farm at Saltmarsh Drive but rejoin at Lawrence Weston Road at the school then cross the M5 and go under M49 and stay on NCN41, don't worry about the sections that appear to be on A403 there is a pavement to ride on. Don't be tempted to ride on the road as it's used by HGVs going to the likes of Tesco, Amazon etc and will be till the local council gets it's ass in gear and builds the missing 100 yds of road to link the estate with the junction on M49.
".. till the local council gets it's ass in gear .."
I am beginning to notice this a lot in the written as well as oral word, when did Britons start using 'ass' instead of 'a*rse? Is it because of American television? Much has been written about American influence on the English language, and this appears to be a singular case in this example. I also notice that when writing the word 'a*rse without the *, it resorts to 'buttocks. Is this why ass is used, since this script is American from Microsoft - even though Microsoft has a British English script available, if the forum is not to lazy to adopt it. Newspapers across the country - national and local -all are too reticent to follow suit. I wonder why?
BlackRat wrote: ↑15 Mar 2025, 1:31am
".. till the local council gets it's ass in gear .."
I am beginning to notice this a lot in the written as well as oral word, when did Britons start using 'ass' instead of 'a*rse?
It's because the swear filter on this forum is ridiculously OTT and corrects it to "buttock" - unless you do as you have and add in * or other symbols to confuse it.
There is a lot less climbing now but I'm hoping it will still be a picturesque route!
It'd be a lot more picturesque (and with more climbing) if you just went directly north from Edinburgh up Spittal of Glenshee and on up to Grantown-on-Spey then turn left to get to Inverness. It's way nicer than the cyclepath along the A9.
and why not turn off before Tore on B9161 or rt 12. The A road isn’t bad either through Avoch, Rosemarkie. 