kevin_cambs_uk
Guru
- Location
- Near Cambridge
That day took me 1 hr 40 to get from St Ives to Cambridge. Set off at 6.45, but I loved every minutes of it ! I was disappointed when they had ploughed all the snow away
Guided Bus Way
- Thread starter Crankarm
- Start date
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That day took me 1 hr 40 to get from St Ives to Cambridge. Set off at 6.45, but I loved every minutes of it ! I was disappointed when they had ploughed all the snow away
Due to convoluted travel arrangements for work, I haven't cycled since Tuesday when I was glad I took the mtb. Now its Friday and I had to return the company pool car so I stuffed my bike in it and will cycle home. To all the regular gbw'ers, is the busway now suitable for a road bike (25mm gatorskins) from the science park to longstanton for a road bike? I know everyone has a different idea of whats suitable so all I really need to know is are the long stretches of icy ruts still hanging around? If so I'll go through Milton/landbeach/cottenham/rampton on the road
cheers
Dave
cheers
Dave
MisterStan
Label Required
- Location
- Out there somewhere
You'll be fine, just keep any eye out for icy patches.
Glow worm
Legendary Member
- Location
- Near Newmarket
This may help you make a decision. Looks generally OK- the post was written a couple of days ago so it should certainly be no worse now, as there's been no further heavy snow.
Hip Priest
Veteran
Sounds terrible. It has snowed and snowed and snowed this winter.
OP
OP
Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
It's fine. No snow or ice. Clean black tarmac from Milton to St. Ives. However 7 inches of snow are predicted tonight and I am not sure if it settles the snow plo and salter will be out first thing saturday morning. Still by sunday it will all have melted as it will be 11C apparently, so probably flooded instead.
Glow worm
Legendary Member
- Location
- Near Newmarket
I wonder if any Cambridge Guided Busway regulars can help with a query. I have a meeting in Brampton near Huntingdon later this week and thought about riding there.
Assuming the route is not underwater now, It's obviously easy to get to st Ives from Cambridge (I live about 11 miles or 55 mins from where the track starts/ends in Cambridge) but what's the best way from st Ives to Brampton? There looks to be a nice straight (foot?) path through Houghton that crosses the river at Hemingford Abbots, but the official cycle route looks like it goes through Hemingford Grey and rather convoluted.
Also, any ideas on how long it would take? (I'm pretty slow, averaging 12 mph and it looks like there'll be a moderate easterly wind on the day).
Assuming the route is not underwater now, It's obviously easy to get to st Ives from Cambridge (I live about 11 miles or 55 mins from where the track starts/ends in Cambridge) but what's the best way from st Ives to Brampton? There looks to be a nice straight (foot?) path through Houghton that crosses the river at Hemingford Abbots, but the official cycle route looks like it goes through Hemingford Grey and rather convoluted.
Also, any ideas on how long it would take? (I'm pretty slow, averaging 12 mph and it looks like there'll be a moderate easterly wind on the day).
MisterStan
Label Required
- Location
- Out there somewhere
Hi Glow worm, the track is very much flooded between Swavesey and Fen Drayton and the levels seem to be rising elsewhere. You could stick on the Busway down to Swavesey and then take the roads through Fen Drayton/Fenstanton/St Ives then cut down through the Hemingfords to Huntingdon etc.
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Glow worm
Legendary Member
- Location
- Near Newmarket
O dear- many thanks for the info. That's a real pain! I guess it's probably too deep to wing it, especially if you can't see what's under the surface. I'll look into the detour you suggest. cheers!
semislickstick
Guru
- Location
- Cambridgeshire
Shame about the timing, there is an almost motor traffic free route, Cow lane is sometimes a problem with aggressive drivers(single lane with passing bays).
But a lot of the route has a tendency to flood being close to the river and so flat.
St.Ives Thicket track to Houghton, the meadow across to Hemingford and even if you went the road village way, the meadow from Hemingford to Cow lane,Godmachester can be under water, not always deep there and you can get off and walk to the higher ground on the left and lift your bike over a gate a bit further down cow lane, which can also be underwater.
To avoid it all you'd have to do the route from Houghton Rd, St.Ives(miss out Godmanchester altogether) on the road or cycle path to Houghton either follow the by-pass on road around Houghton or just follow the road through quieter Houghton and rejoin the by-pass where the cycle paths starts, it's a bit stop/start and takes you across a busy road a couple of times, but once in Huntingdon and you cross the road by the Bridge Hotel you can pretty much follow it to Brampton, I think it's marked as NCN51 from there.
If you manage to follow all that, there are some ok newish flat and wide shared paths from the outskirts of St.Ives to Brampton that are either by the road or take you slightly away then back again. Watch out for the Bunnies!
Glow worm
Legendary Member
- Location
- Near Newmarket
Shame about the timing, there is an almost motor traffic free route, Cow lane is sometimes a problem with aggressive drivers(single lane with passing bays).
But a lot of the route has a tendency to flood being close to the river and so flat.
St.Ives Thicket track to Houghton, the meadow across to Hemingford and even if you went the road village way, the meadow from Hemingford to Cow lane,Godmachester can be under water, not always deep there and you can get off and walk to the higher ground on the left and lift your bike over a gate a bit further down cow lane, which can also be underwater.
To avoid it all you'd have to do the route from Houghton Rd, St.Ives(miss out Godmanchester altogether) on the road or cycle path to Houghton either follow the by-pass on road around Houghton or just follow the road through quieter Houghton and rejoin the by-pass where the cycle paths starts, it's a bit stop/start and takes you across a busy road a couple of times, but once in Huntingdon and you cross the road by the Bridge Hotel you can pretty much follow it to Brampton, I think it's marked as NCN51 from there.
If you manage to follow all that, there are some ok newish flat and wide shared paths from the outskirts of St.Ives to Brampton that are either by the road or take you slightly away then back again. Watch out for the Bunnies!
Great stuff- thanks for the advice- all makes perfect sense. Thicket track is down as just a footpath on my OS map so I guess it must have been upgraded now as a cycle path as well.
MisterStan
Label Required
- Location
- Out there somewhere
The Thicket path has recently been resurfaced along much of it's length. Beautifully smooth! I live at Wyton on the Hill and cycle the roads in the area daily, TBH I would just take the road from St Ives into Huntingdon - you get the joy of the Houghton Hill descent that way!
semislickstick
Guru
- Location
- Cambridgeshire
Oh yes, you can fly down Houghton Hill on the road. I think I got up to 30mph and ran out of gears, heehee. There aren't that many hill's around here!(My friend from Northern Ireland laughs that we even call that a hill!)
MisterStan
Label Required
- Location
- Out there somewhere
We'll call it a bump! That road has been resurfaced recently too - it's so much better now.
Edit: Which part of the Shire are you from?
