Canal Route - London to Liverpool

[fossyant]

Bizarre for a training run I must say.

Forgot to say - my near mugging on a traffic free greenway was a filled-in ex canal

I'm staying off roads at the moment (broken spine last year) and need to avoid getting hit by a car again until my claim is sorted. On the farm lanes, shared use paths and canal I haven't seen anyone, other than the odd cyclist and wildlife.

 

[fossyant]

Having ended up in the Grand Union following a bad passing - which was probably my fault - I can confirm it is about 3ft deep and no great ill befalls you if you wind up in the drink. Other than feeling like a d**k.

They always look like a black hole, but we tested the depth with a branch, and they aren't deep.

 

[Brains]

Sounds like a great trip.
I like cycling along the canals, I dont think its boring at all, in fact it's more interesting than the roads along side

I've cycled from London to Bristol on the K&A, which was fine, I've also cycled the Lea navigation from London to Hertfordshire.

I've also done thousands of miles along the European waterways in France, Germany, Netherlands Denmark and Belgium, however they are in a different class, as they mostly have proper cycle routes built along side

In the UK you need to get the Sustrans cycle maps, it would appear with a bit of careful planning you can get most the way off road.
http://www.sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map?...3&zoom=6&route-type=all-routes&region=England

This will show you your route, there will be places where Sustrans move the route away from the canal, believe the map! as it means that section of the canal towpath is unsuitable for cycling

 

[NorthernDave]

Good point about the variable quality of tow paths.

This is the Aire and Calder Navigation that within the space of a few hundred yards goes from this (tarmac, both sides and wide enough to drive a car down):
P1060437 by Dave, on Flickr

to this (packed mud, narrowly wedged between a banking and the canal, overhanging trees and just wide enough for single file)
P1060289 by Dave, on Flickr

Don't get me wrong, they certainly get you to some places that you wouldn't normally see, but you need to keep your wits about you and be prepared to take an alternative route every now and then.

 

[TonyMartin]

Alicia The main thing is for you to enjoy yourself.

Let us all know how you get on.

Just do It....

 

[AlEddy]

Blimey! you lot sure know how to scare a girl!

Luckily I will be with a two more - another female and male - companions en route.

I will certainly take all of your advice on board, thnak you!

And keep the good tips coming please!
The image refs of how quickly the canal towpath can change are interesting... it gets narrow for sure!!!

 

[Melanie Convey]

Thank you everyone for your useful responses! I am also cycling this route with OP and I think there will be 1 or 2 men in the group. So should be a group of about 4 in total which I think is a good number?

Can I ask about tips for training for your first long cycle please? I am pretty much a beginner (used to cycle in my 20's but more for getting from A to B rather than long distance/ touring). I have a training plan to follow but any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[AlEddy]

head across the mersey to ellesmere port where you would pick up the Shropshire Union canal

Hey @si_c , thanks for this advice, do you mean cross the Mersey by ferry to Ellesmere? If so, do you know which port the ferry leave from to corss over?

thanks!

 

[si_c]

Hey @si_c , thanks for this advice, do you mean cross the Mersey by ferry to Ellesmere? If so, do you know which port the ferry leave from to corss over?

thanks!

Hi,

Sorry no, you'd have to use the ferry to cross to Seacombe, which is in Birkenhead, from there you can follow the Wirral Circular trail to Ellesmere Port and pick up the canal there. It's about 12miles or so on Roads, albeit you can route through quieter roads a bit. The alternative is to go around the Wirral Circular in reverse, entirely off the main road and pick up the canal in Chester. I'll spec out the routes for you and post them up in a bit if you're interested.

Of the two routes, I'd opt for the longer ride through to Chester as it's a much more scenic route, but it is around 30miles or so.

 

[RWright]

Thank you everyone for your useful responses! I am also cycling this route with OP and I think there will be 1 or 2 men in the group. So should be a group of about 4 in total which I think is a good number?

Can I ask about tips for training for your first long cycle please? I am pretty much a beginner (used to cycle in my 20's but more for getting from A to B rather than long distance/ touring). I have a training plan to follow but any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

I would try to get plenty of saddle time in. Getting used to being on a bicycle saddle at first can be uncomfortable. It also can take a little time to get your bike set up like you want it.

 

[MarkF]

Thank you everyone for your useful responses! I am also cycling this route with OP and I think there will be 1 or 2 men in the group. So should be a group of about 4 in total which I think is a good number?

Can I ask about tips for training for your first long cycle please? I am pretty much a beginner (used to cycle in my 20's but more for getting from A to B rather than long distance/ touring). I have a training plan to follow but any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

For a long distance canal trip, try riding round and round the local park pond, for 6-8 hours, for a week..................

 

[uphillstruggler]

Blimey! you lot sure know how to scare a girl!

Luckily I will be with a two more - another female and male - companions en route.

I will certainly take all of your advice on board, thnak you!

And keep the good tips coming please!
The image refs of how quickly the canal towpath can change are interesting... it gets narrow for sure!!!

Thank you everyone for your useful responses! I am also cycling this route with OP and I think there will be 1 or 2 men in the group. So should be a group of about 4 in total which I think is a good number?

Can I ask about tips for training for your first long cycle please? I am pretty much a beginner (used to cycle in my 20's but more for getting from A to B rather than long distance/ touring). I have a training plan to follow but any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

I think this is a great idea, I've riden all sections from London to long buckby along the Grand union. For me, it's a fantastic way of seeing loads of different scenery and architecture without being on the road.

A word of caution though, as has been pointed out previously, the tow path can be pretty rough in places, usually once you get away from towns and cities. Also practice mending punctures and minor maintenance as you could end up having to push your bike rather than ride it quite away if you have issues in the more remote areas.

Time wise, I would say about a week should suffice

Training wise, just ride your bike as often as you can, shopping trips, to the pub etc.

As for accommodation, why not camp, that way with care, you can stop pretty much when and where you fancy. I'm lead to believe pub gardens are good for this

Whatever you decide, keep posting your progress and best of luck with the trip.

If it does go ahead in may, you may come across a group of us doing our annual Milton Keynes to birkhampstead canal side pub crawl (we'd even buy you a pint)

 

[Pale Rider]

Blimey! you lot sure know how to scare a girl!

Luckily I will be with a two more - another female and male - companions en route.

I will certainly take all of your advice on board, thnak you!

And keep the good tips coming please!
The image refs of how quickly the canal towpath can change are interesting... it gets narrow for sure!!!

I could have added I would have no worries about doing the ride in company.

The risk, such as it is, is much greater for a lone cyclist.

 

[AlEddy]

If it does go ahead in may, you may come across a group of us doing our annual Milton Keynes to birkhampstead canal side pub crawl (we'd even buy you a pint)

oohhhhh sounds great! what are your dates? Pint sounds awesome... not even there yet but sure ill need one, or 4!

I could have added I would have no worries about doing the ride in company.

Thank you, that puts my mind at rest a bit : )

For a long distance canal trip, try riding round and round the local park pond, for 6-8 hours, for a week..................

HAHAHAHAHAHA! Thanks!

 

[Richard Fairhurst]

Really really do not follow the Shropshire Union Canal for cycling. I can't stress this enough.

A couple of bits of it are cyclable - parts near Wolverhampton have been incorporated into NCN 81, and near Chester it's NCN 5. But the Shroppie is a late canal (1840s), built by Thomas Telford with more advanced engineering techniques than others. Whereas other canals loop around to follow the contours of the landscape, the Shroppie uses cuttings and embankments to follow a straight(ish) line.

It's the cuttings that make it unsuitable for cycling. The water pours down the high cutting banks and ends up on the towpath. The result is a quagmire. Seriously - there are bits of the Shroppie I wouldn't even walk, let alone cycle.

If you absolutely do have to do an all-canal route, then consider the Grand Union from London to Birmingham (possibly detouring onto the Stratford Canal from Lapworth to Birmingham), Birmingham Canal Navigations main line to Wolverhampton, Staffs & Worcs Canal to Great Haywood (near Stafford), Trent & Mersey through Stoke to Runcorn, then make your own way to Liverpool. But there's so much of that that would be lumpy and bumpy I wouldn't recommend it. If I were doing it, I'd use a good online route-planner and drag the route onto canals where suitable - maybe try and follow the general "canal corridor", but on country lanes where the towpath isn't up to snuff. The Shroppie does go through lovely countryside: it's just not the most bike-friendly of canals!

Richard (boat-owner, ex-editor Waterways World magazine)