A39 OR A30

[robbiep]

Hi,

Is there a big difference between the 2 roads, we want a quick route but we're happy to do the extra 10 miles or so if it's worth it. I know thw A30 aint great but is the A39 much better or really just the same??

Cheers

 

[Ian H]

Hi,

Is there a big difference between the 2 roads, we want a quick route but we're happy to do the extra 10 miles or so if it's worth it. I know thw A30 aint great but is the A39 much better or really just the same??

Cheers

You can use the old road through Camborne and Blackwater on to the A39 - A3074 then A3075. It's a lot quieter, but a reasonable road.

 

[robbiep]

Thanks Ian

Is one way more hilly than the other? Are they both as hilly as each other

 

[robbiep]

Thanks Ian

Is one way more hilly than the other? Are they both as hilly as each other

 

[vernon]

Thanks Ian

Is one way more hilly than the other? Are they both as hilly as each other

You could compare the profiles of the roads using something like www.mapmyride.com or www.bikely.com

 

[Ian H]

You could compare the profiles of the roads using something like www.mapmyride.com or www.bikely.com

Avoiding the A30 means you don't go over Bodmin Moor. The A39 is mostly graded climbs, eg up to Camelford. Most people advise avoiding the A30; it's a bit like a motorway in places.

 

[skudupnorth]

Here's my view of the A39 in May !

It hurt ! But i guess it would be better than the A30 motorway !

 

[dellzeqq]

I've done the A30 as part of a group. I thought it was fine, but, then again, we started early and we were at Exeter a little after lunch.

The gradients weren't bad, the lanes were quite wide, and the surface was good. If you're in a hurry you could do a lot worse.

 

[Ian H]

I've done the A30 as part of a group. I thought it was fine, but, then again, we started early and we were at Exeter a little after lunch.

The gradients weren't bad, the lanes were quite wide, and the surface was good. If you're in a hurry you could do a lot worse.

Not school holiday time?

 

[rualexander]

You would have to be completely mad to ride on the A30, it would be horrendous. I know many do ride on it to save time, we saw them as we were driving down, but I wouldn't even consider it.

 

[slowmotion]

I have never ridden on the A30, but have driven along it from Exeter to the Truro turn-off (and back) many, many times. It is a very fast road, and although it is a good one, I shudder at the thought of being on it on a bike. If the traffic is light, all motorists are doing at least seventy. Please avoid it.

Edit: Since getting back in the saddle a year ago, when I see cyclists on the A30 I really think that they are either being stupid or very brave. No seriously, I really do.

 

[Rebel Ian]

When I did London to Paris last year I cycled a part of the A3 not far outside Portsmouth. Like the A30, it's effectively a two-lane motorway. There was a thin strip of concrete about 6 inches wide to the left of the white line and that's what you had to try and stay on. It was scary.

Reading about the A30 makes me definitely think the A39 is a better option.

 

[Philip Whiteman]

This is an issue that has been bothering me for sometime. I note that for some considerable sections of the A30 there are exists the old A30 running in parallel. When I plotted two points on Bikeroutetoaster, rather than coming out with its usual direct route between two nodes (ie the current A30), the route used the old road!

 

[Ian H]

This is an issue that has been bothering me for sometime. I note that for some considerable sections of the A30 there are exists the old A30 running in parallel. When I plotted two points on Bikeroutetoaster, rather than coming out with its usual direct route between two nodes (ie the current A30), the route used the old road!

From Launceston east to Exeter there is a very good more or less parallel route. Bodmin to Launceston is main road or nothing. West of Bodmin there are alternatives for stretches, but it's not terribly well joined up.

 

[Philip Whiteman]

I have even been considering the idea of riding this stretch as some unearthly hour on a summer's Sunday morning to avoid the worst. Providing I left LE at 5am, I would have hopefully reached Lanceston and the shelter of the old A30 before the new A30 turns into a motorway.