Are there any quiet roads left in England?

[tyred]

Forget the English rat race; you need to come a bit further north! Here is the traffic on my cycle commute (seriously):

Bet it doesn't even pay road tax!

 

[John the Monkey]

I dont which bit of France you're in, but I'd stay there if I was you.

I'd say the same.

Last time I toured in France, the hassle started almost immediately upon hitting British roads, after days of riding very similar roads in France experiencing shockingly courteous driving. The lack of patience, the inability to read the road ahead, they seem so ingrained and endemic in the UK, even on "quiet" roads, you can never relax completely.

 

[MarkF]

The UK is nowhere near the top of most densely populated countries, it's about 50th (I think) and there are plenty of quiet areas. I can be a short distance north of the frantic Leeds/Bradford conurbation and hardly see any vehicles on the routes I choose.

 

[ianrauk]

There are more quiet roads in the UK then one could ever imagine.

 

[PK99]

Generally, anywhere outside of the South East of England. Although even here there are pockets of calm such as parts of Kent or Suffolk.

Wrong! There are whole swathes of Surrey that are low traffic.

 

[snorri]

I don't know which bit of France you're in, but I'd stay there if I was you.

Have you been to France?

 

[Cold]

I live next to the Cotswolds and it's pretty quiet on most of the roads here.

 

[Markymark]

I live in east London and in less than 30 minutes cycling I'm on single track roads with very few cars.

 

[mcshroom]

Cumbria has a lot as well. These are part of my commute

Those were taken on the way home one day nominally in 'rush hour'. All the cars are on the trunk road further inland

 

[EltonFrog]

Have you been to France?

Many times, cycling, motorcycling, and driving. I've used all three modes of transport round Paris, including cycling up the Champs-Élysées round the archy thing and back down again. Most of my experience is down the south, and my experience of the roads and driving there is positive. They seem more cycle/motorcycle aware there.

 

[Alun]

Cumbria has a lot as well. These are part of my commute

Those were taken on the way home one day nominally in 'rush hour'. All the cars are on the trunk road further inland

It looks like a tractor has pulled out of that turning on the left very recently, I would say within the last day or two!

 

[Archie_tect]

The trouble is that they are mostly under snow for 11 months of the year, Archie

True, but then it's so quiet in this winter wonderland, you can hear a pin drop... you can't find it again after but that's a small price to pay.

 

[AndyRM]

True, but then it's so quiet in this winter wonderland, you can hear a pin drop... you can't find it again after but that's a small price to pay.

Have they constructed a re-creation of the Game of Thrones set up here then? Where abouts do I go to find it?

 

[Donger]

Don't know whether it's because of the price of petrol these days, but I've definitely noticed a big drop in the number of Sunday drivers just going out for a drive around in the countryside. When you get near bigger towns, there is no such thing as Sunday any more, and traffic is just as heavy as any other day, as all the stores are open. When you get out into the countryside, though, Sundays are great for cycling.

I would like to do some cycling in the Midlands, being originally from Birmingham, but there are so many motorway link roads, dual carriageways and huge roundabouts everywhere, that I am struggling to find anywhere where you could do a nice peaceful 20-30 miler there. One of my old school friends from Brum actually comes down here to Gloucester with hs wife to do his cycling, as the lanes around here are so much quieter, and he just can't face the roads near his home.

Having only just got back from a holiday in France, I know just what the OP means about the empty roads there. I did 4 rides while I was away, in total about 48 miles. On 3 of them, I saw no more than 3 cars each time. One day my wife and I went out for a drive in the nearby Corbieres Hills, and stopped for a picnic. It was so quiet that I commented that you could even sit down to eat it in the middle of the road. To prove my point, I sat there for a while, sunbathing and listening to the cicadas.

At the risk of ruining my point, I do have to confess that, immediately after this photo, my wife shouted "Oh my god! A car!" and I leaped to my feet too fast, scraping my big toe on the tarmac and taking all the skin off it. I am still bandaged up now! Some wise person on this forum once proposed that the most dangerous three words in the English language are "Hey, watch this!". I think I just proved him right.

 

[Brandane]

Bet it doesn't even pay road tax!

I mentioned that to her. She told me to F off because she pays mehhhhhh-xcise duty.