Pennine cycleway

[SA_SA_SA]

....I wasn't looking for a debate on the road building programme, just noting for a visitor to the area that the A628 is an extremely busy transpennine route and not pleasant for cycling. ....

Thats OK, it didn't look an obvious route for a motorway especially there already seems to be a east-west one just a little bit north.
Your warning of busyness was worthwhile as the A628 looked the sort of country A road that I might expect might be OK/quiet....

The picture I have of the offroad bit North of A628 does look worryingly rough for a bike with camping panniers....

If the A628 is so bad surely they should improve the off road surface..... (said to nonone in particular )

[thirdcrank]

... Thats OK, it didn't look an obvious route for a motorway especially there already seems to be a east-west one just a little bit north. ...

I presume you are looking at this from somewhere south of Watford (and possibly down the other end of the spyglass.) Look again at the map and you will see that the first section of this route has been created in the form of the M67; it's inevitable that a route which begins as a motorway will have heavy traffic when an A classified stretch is reached. The big issue here is the Peak National Park. If there were no park, the motorway would be there by now. Here's just one link of many out there to a Sheffield rag with the proposal for a tunnel to avoid the problem of the National Park.

http://www.thestar.co.uk/business/peak- ... -1-7599195

Your warning of busyness was worthwhile as the A628 looked the sort of country A road that I might expect might be OK/quiet....

Excuse a return to my Watford remark. This road does cross some rugged moorland, where the sheep bleat Eh baaaa gum laaad, but we've had lorries up here for some time now.

[3mn]

I rode the southern section of the pennine cycleway in the autumn on 700x28. I used the A628 south bound (downhill) it's busy but it's fast in that direction, wouldn't try it uphill. Everything else from burnley south was rideable except maybe 10 metres by the reservoir. There are some steep climbs if you've got luggage...

[SA_SA_SA]

I presume you are looking at this from somewhere south of Watford (and possibly down the other end of the spyglass.) Look again at the map and you will see that the first section of this route has been created in the form of the M67; it's inevitable that a route which begins as a motorway will have heavy traffic when an A classified stretch is reached.

This road does cross some rugged moorland, where the sheep bleat Eh baaaa gum laaad, but we've had lorries up here for some time now.

More goto wallasey and swim Northwest across the sea ..

I wondered what the point of the M67 was but in my defense I expect motorways (excepting local M2) are usually as flat as possible and expected the peak district A628 route to be a bit bit hilly for a motorway or HGVs (the railway has a tunnel.....).