cycle to Lake District or Cornwall

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rubi

New Member
Hi
I'm planning to cycle to Lake District or Cornwall from London
Sorry I really have no idea whether I can do it or not , but really want to try.
I am new to ride in UK and ready to head each of these two by myself.
I start to search all of the information from now and need everyone's help!

Does anyone have any suggestions or ways?

Thanks a lot !!!
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
Firstly you'd do better to take the train out west then cycle back with the prevailing wind.

Both places are gorgeous but roads will be busy now in summer as both are holiday resorts.

Google Maps will give you a cycling route. A pal of mine cycled from Lancashire to Cornwall and back for a wedding and says Google Maps gave him fantastic riding.
 
OP
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rubi

New Member
Firstly you'd do better to take the train out west then cycle back with the prevailing wind.

Both places are gorgeous but roads will be busy now in summer as both are holiday resorts.

Google Maps will give you a cycling route. A pal of mine cycled from Lancashire to Cornwall and back for a wedding and says Google Maps gave him fantastic riding.
!!!Thank you for replying!
So it's the best that I take train there and ride back! OK! I'll consider this way!
 

mudsticks

Obviously an Aubergine
The roads in Cornwall will probably be a bit too busy in Summer.

The main road is full of traffic, so not so safe or enjoyable.

The narrow lanes off the main road are beautiful, but often narrow, steep, and twisty, and busy with badly driving tourists in Summer.

Save Cornwall for Spring maybe.. You can go earlier, because its warmer.

There is a sleeper train from London to Penzance..

I get the headwind thing, but I would prefer to cycle to Cornwall, then train back..

So yes Lakes, or Peak District, or Yorkshire Dales in Summer.

Particularly the last two, Lakes can also be very busy in Summer.

Northumberland has lovely cycling country, and is even quieter again
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
It's a good idea but don't forget that Britain is a small island in the north Atlantic and one of the windiest places in Europe. There would be nothing more depressing than setting out on a long trip and realising that the prevailing westerly wind was going to be against you all the way.

And mudsticks is right, above. Devon and Cornwall are lovely but they are full of narrow twisty roads and steep hills and hotels and B&Bs will be booked solid, and campsites full.

Why don't you look at the Sustrans map and ride one of their routes? I reckon a trip from South to North Wales would be good and if you stuck to the coast you'd get fewer hills and better weather than inland. Or if you want big and empty, a trip through the North Yorkshire moors, which is a lovely area with great cycling. (That's not the Yorkshire Dales, which are in the middle, it's the Moors, which are on the east coast. The hills are smaller.)
 
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berty bassett

Legendary Member
Location
I'boro
Use cycle.travel site to plot a route - so simple to use , uses the routes most suited for your choice
Hasn’t let me down once - but if you don’t click “ paved only “ it will occasionally send you down a track

Personally I would go Cornwall , picking the days around the weather , but as I guess you know already , either choice you are heading for the hills
 
First and most important as it affects everything about the tour.
Are you camping or credit card touring.
There's no point in lugging the weight of a tent, etc around and then mostly stopping in hotels/hostels/B&B's.

The easy way to Cornwall from London is to aim for the south coast and then follow it.
But it gets very lumpy from Devon onwards.

The Lakes are more tricky as it depend on which side of the Pennines you travel.
Skirt Birmingham the follow LEJOG north for a western route.
Follow LEL north then cut across the pennines somewhere for an eastern route.
 

PaulSB

Legendary Member
I'd prefer the Lake District, you can then go through the Derbyshire Dales/Peak District plenty of accommodation/campsites.

This would also be my choice. I can only truly comment from Derby to the Lakes but can promise you this would be a magnificent ride. London to Derby I can't comment on as I've not ridden that far south.

You might consider the Outer Hebrides, one of the most beautiful areas in the UK.
 
Is this a leisure tour or are you looking to stay at your chosen destination?
If leisure, both are beautiful areas and are worth spending time there in addition to the time taken to get there.

It is now possible to fly from London Southend (nowhere near London) to Carlisle Lake District (nowhere near the Lake District but easily cycleable). I think the small planes used can carry up to 2 bikes.
 
The schools are not yet on holiday so the campsites won't all be full, and the lovely quiet lanes won't be busy. Plan your trip on cycle.travel and enjoy. I completed lejog around this date 2 years ago and Lon Las Cymry a few days ago and had none of the problems others have alluded to.
 

nickyboy

Norven Mankey
This would also be my choice. I can only truly comment from Derby to the Lakes but can promise you this would be a magnificent ride. London to Derby I can't comment on as I've not ridden that far south.

You might consider the Outer Hebrides, one of the most beautiful areas in the UK.
Magnificent but hard!
Avoiding the cities in the west (Manchester) and those in the East (Sheffield and Leeds) means straight up the spine of the Pennines. Beautiful, glorious....but hard.
Having said that, Devon and Cornwall are brutal once you get off the main roads
 

Drago

Legendary Member
Cornwall. You've got to go a fair way north to get some nice roads, but hearing WSW you don't have to get far from the Smoke to start finding a quieter route.
 
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