Best Cycleway in England for part of a tour?

[PeteXXX]

That road into Irchester is a bit of a racetrack, isn't it.. Is there a rideable off road track?

Edit: Yes, I parked in St Peter's Way just down from the church.

 

[contadino]

From here, you can pick up the Grantham Canal, which meanders out through the SE Nottingham suburbs and out into the Vale of Belvoir. It’s pretty much cyclable all the way to Grantham, especially if it’s reasonably dry. The Grantham Canal towpath is mostly gravel but still has a few grass sections.

I think I've done this bit. According to my notes I picked up a cycle route at Sarington and followed it right into Grantham. I was on my RRA so it can't have been too gnarly. That was Feb 2019 so a few years back now.

 

[biggs682]

That road into Irchester is a bit of a racetrack, isn't it.. Is there a rideable off road track?

Edit: Yes, I parked in St Peter's Way just down from the church.

Yes during normal hours but ok early am

 

[PeteXXX]

Yes during normal hours but ok early am

Apparently, there's a cycle path alongside the A45 dual carriageway from the Wellingborough junction to Rushden Lakes retail park but I don't know what it's like. Probably won't be pleasant riding beside that lot of traffic..

 

[mjr]

Apparently, there's a cycle path alongside the A45 dual carriageway from the Wellingborough junction to Rushden Lakes retail park but I don't know what it's like. Probably won't be pleasant riding beside that lot of traffic..

Probably not the best bike ride you'll have but IMO most such paths are preferable to a succession of motorists closing on your bum at 50+mph.

 

[iluvmybike]

The problem in England is that there are a lot of 'designated' trails BUT they can be very variable in terms of the surfaces and obstacles. Ranging from really good tarmac to mudbaths/potholes variety - and that can be in just one trail. Some go through some wonderful scenic places others take you along dodgy & dingy tracks in urban grotspots. The only way to find out is to research each one thoroughly. Sustrans can give you a starter for 10 but then you'd need to see how that links up with where you may wish to go. A lot of trails also take convoluted routes through or round places and signage is often poor or missing/misleading

 

[mjr]

The problem in England is that there are a lot of 'designated' trails BUT they can be very variable in terms of the surfaces and obstacles. Ranging from really good tarmac to mudbaths/potholes variety - and that can be in just one trail. Some go through some wonderful scenic places others take you along dodgy & dingy tracks in urban grotspots. The only way to find out is to research each one thoroughly. Sustrans can give you a starter for 10 but then you'd need to see how that links up with where you may wish to go. A lot of trails also take convoluted routes through or round places and signage is often poor or missing/misleading

I agree with all of that except Sustrans being any use for research! Their site is good for headline route descriptions and the organisation is basically one of maybe three organisations offering anything resembling consistent nationwide network management (the others being National Byway and National Trails), but their mapping was poor and with last year's deletions from the maps of up to half the NCN in some areas... well, their mapping is not very informative any more.

cyclosm.org (also available as the cyclosm layer on osm.org and cycle.travel now) based on openstreetmap is far better IMO, pulling together all the signposted routes (no matter who backs them) onto one map and with a simple surface marking, where generally more solid lines are more solid surfaces. It is not perfect, but I update ones I have ridden on the rare occasion they are wrong: last week, I found some tarmac that was listed as sand, as well as mapping a new official grass detour due to an uncooperative landowner. I hope others are doing that for their rides, enough that it keeps getting better.

The map does not quite match @PeteXXX's description for the ENG, but it is not wildly wrong (although it does not show the Thrapston end as soft as reported: it is currently looks like it is missing surface detail between the end of Grange Road and first bridge over the Nene) and I do not know where each surface shown begins and ends to update the map myself.

But despite all that, when a signposted route does work, it is still very very nice.

 

[PeteXXX]

RWGPS Linkie if anyone wants a better look at the route than just a screen grab.
The signage runs out near the Thrapston end, with none atall, from the main road into Thrapston by the Islip junction. I did slither down the embankment from the top of the viaduct to avoid the muddy bit, but I would not recommend it 😂

 

[mjr]

RWGPS Linkie if anyone wants a better look at the route than just a screen grab.
The signage runs out near the Thrapston end, with none atall, from the main road into Thrapston by the Islip junction. I did slither down the embankment from the top of the viaduct to avoid the muddy bit, but I would not recommend it 😂

I don't see how to get more detail than the other maps from that link. Am I missing anything?

Now, you've got me curious, so I'll ask a little more, because even though this probably isn't the "Best Cycleway in England", stuff crossing Northamptonshire, in the heart of England, could be very useful for "part of a tour":

Can you still get across the viaduct to Midland Road? If it's not been too wet, I might tolerate some mud in exchange for crossing a viaduct because viaducts are cool.

Which way would you recommend? Denford and Meadow Lane? Ringstead and Ham Lane? That's marked as muddy on OSM. Ringstead and Station Road? Then you've skipped about a quarter of the greenway, which seems a shame. A14 J12 and the link to Grange Road from there? There's strangely little photography of it, but Grange Road south of the A14 looks like tarmac on aerial photos and most of it is a footpath (no legal right of access on a bike, but you only need to repair any damage which will be nil on tarmac and we can legally walk our bikes if challenged). Does Grange Road connect as a footpath under the A14? It's not clear on OSM and Ordnance Survey Landranger and Pathfinder do not match.

For people heading more south to north/northwest, I've read that the Brampton Valley Way is good except for a muddy bit at the south end, and they're back roads not cycleways, but I suggest anyone looking to cross west Northamptonshire consider Banbury Lane (E-W) or Welsh Lane and Grafton Way (N-S).

 

[T4tomo]

I'm rather hoping The High Peak Trail, Tissington Trail and Manifold track and a few minor roads linking them up works for a couple of days of circular rides out of Ashbourne, as that what I have planned for later this spring when we're allowed out, and I'm sure I'll get complaints if the surfaces are too gnarly.

I fear too many people strolling aimlessly along them could be a issue though.

 

[mjr]

I'm rather hoping The High Peak Trail, Tissington Trail and Manifold track and a few minor roads linking them up works for a couple of days of circular rides out of Ashbourne, as that what I have planned for later this spring when we're allowed out, and I'm sure I'll get complaints if the surfaces are too gnarly.

I fear too many people strolling aimlessly along them could be a issue though.

I've been looking at that. I don't remember where I read it, but the two gotchas I've seen mentioned are that parts of the HPT are steep for a rail trail because there were cable-hauled sections and the linking roads were not well signed (but maps suggest this may have changed).

 

[T4tomo]

I've been looking at that. I don't remember where I read it, but the two gotchas I've seen mentioned are that parts of the HPT are steep for a rail trail because there were cable-hauled sections and the linking roads were not well signed (but maps suggest this may have changed).

yes but steep for a railway doesn't equal steep for a bike, plus a lot flatter than the general roads in the peaks. I think my route also misses the steepest bit on the HPT, so its not that hilly compared to our usual riding, but for a fen living hill dodger* like yourself, you may think it is
for example

*meant in the nicest possible way.

 

[mjr]

yes but steep for a railway doesn't equal steep for a bike, plus a lot flatter than the general roads in the peaks. I think my route also misses the steepest bit on the HPT, so its not that hilly compared to our usual riding, but for a fen living hill dodger* like yourself, you may think it is
for example

*meant in the nicest possible way.

I may be a hereditary flatlander but I did live on the end of the Mendips for a while. I don't have much trouble with hills until they get up near 20% for too long... spending half of some winter rides getting your head kicked in by Dutch mountains is worse, especially homewards.

 

[Cirrus]

yes but steep for a railway doesn't equal steep for a bike, plus a lot flatter than the general roads in the peaks. I think my route also misses the steepest bit on the HPT, so its not that hilly compared to our usual riding, but for a fen living hill dodger* like yourself, you may think it is
for example

*meant in the nicest possible way.

I found the section near the start of the High Peak, coming out of Cromford, was pretty steep, I was on the smallest ring of the triple on my hybrid and puffing like one of the old steam trains when I got to the top. The rest I found pretty much a pleasure to cycle, I really like the Tissington Trail and the Monsal as well, the Monsal has a few tunnels which are fun all have nice views.

 

[T4tomo]

I found the section near the start of the High Peak, coming out of Cromford, was pretty steep, I was on the smallest ring of the triple on my hybrid and puffing like one of the old steam trains when I got to the top. The rest I found pretty much a pleasure to cycle, I really like the Tissington Trail and the Monsal as well, the Monsal has a few tunnels which are fun all have nice views.

Excellent. The Cromford end we aren't getting as far as, i think we loop off at Carsington water (from the other end) which is good news, otherwise the girls would complain!