cambridge to edinburgh north sea route

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
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Edbenn
Posts: 1
Joined: 20 Mar 2023, 8:14am

cambridge to edinburgh north sea route

Post by Edbenn »

I am planning to cycle cambridge to edinburgh with my 12 yr old son over 7 days.
Has anyone cycled this route and have any thoughts about cycling the North sea route (flatter I think) or the more direct inland route.
We are planning on using hotels and camping and would prefer picturesque quiet roads.

Thanks
CliveyT
Posts: 461
Joined: 13 Jun 2012, 2:55pm
Location: Cambridge

Re: cambridge to edinburgh north sea route

Post by CliveyT »

I haven't been as far as Edinburgh but I've done Cambridge to North Yorkshire a few times, I'll see if I can find my GPX tracks somewhere. You might also have a search for the London-Edinburgh-London route which I'm sure has the route as a file (and they certainly come near Cambridge).
In terms of general advice- if you want flat and quiet, I would certainly head for Hull and then inland to avoid teh north York Moors. You can get to Hull via mostly quiet routes, whereas the roads around Goole/Snaith way were unpleasant when I last went that way
Jdsk
Posts: 24630
Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: cambridge to edinburgh north sea route

Post by Jdsk »

A few years ago we cycled and camped:
Newcastle
South Shields
Bamburgh
Lindisfarne
Berwick
Coldstream
Melrose
Edinburgh.

Lovely trip.

Only problem was some barriers as we got into Edinburgh that weren't passable with a laden tandem.

Jonathan
Garry Booth
Posts: 332
Joined: 12 Jan 2010, 11:22am

Re: cambridge to edinburgh north sea route

Post by Garry Booth »

I've cycled the N Sea Route 1 from Halesworth in Suffolk to Whitby and found the route very quiet and scenic (as scenic as E England can be). I guess from Cambridge you would pick it up around the Wash. We carried our tents and mostly camped en route. I would think 7 days could be ambitious (unless you are both super fast and have long days in the saddle) because NCR 1 is quite windy in order to stay on quiet roads.
gbnz
Posts: 2554
Joined: 13 Sep 2008, 10:38am

Re: cambridge to edinburgh north sea route

Post by gbnz »

Suppose I've worked & lived in various locations between Cambridge & Berwick over the past 30 years. And routinely jump off the train, c/w bike mid route to take advantage of a cheap fare :wink: . Have never followed "routes", a straightforward look at geographical maps being sufficient. Personally I'd simply take a general route via Cambridge, Grantham/Lincoln, York, Newcastle and the Tyne Bridge, prior to following the coast through Northumberland, up to Berwick and beyond. Whilst obviously avoiding the heights of the North York Moors - roughly speaking, plan a route via Thirsk or Northallerton, avoiding the heights and getting the delights of the Vale of York!

The critical section is the post industrial North East. There's a reason why housing is so cheap and living on the dole is normal. Personally I'd take a direct route via Durham City, the Tyne Bridge. The rest is worth avoiding. May have had huge cosmetic improvements over the past forty years, but spending your day cycling in a post industrial coalfield, breathing in the fag smoke, is rather trying. Spoke to a cyclist mid route on Sunday, poor bloke was in shock, he was from Kent.. They do smoke 40 a day, 24 cans on a Friday. It's "normal"
Garry Booth
Posts: 332
Joined: 12 Jan 2010, 11:22am

Re: cambridge to edinburgh north sea route

Post by Garry Booth »

maybe save the socio-economic commentary for another forum on a non-cycling website?
Nearholmer
Posts: 3927
Joined: 26 Mar 2022, 7:13am

Re: cambridge to edinburgh north sea route

Post by Nearholmer »

How about: https://londonedinburghlondon.com/route

It would kill me, but I did see a lot of people who appeared to have survived it thus far as I was cycling out of Cambridge as they cycled in.

To do it over seven days seems asking a lot of the stamina of a 12yo to me. Personally, I’d consult my bro, who has masses of experience of training programmes for kids, and a couple of relevant ologies to his name, before setting out to do that.
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