Holyhead to Cheltenham

[foreverjess]

Hi all.
Doing a fundraiser cycle from Ireland. Will be getting boat to Holyhead and then cycling to Cheltenham in memory of our Dad. Can anyone help out with route planning etc. Where to avoid/stopover etc. any ideas would be much appreciated

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Welcome, Jess. Condolences for your loss.

Some more information would be helpful. We've no idea what your experience is, what kind of bike, accommodation preferences etc.
Nor do we know if you're into riding 200km a day or 20. Nor your attitude to hills.
How do you plan on returning?

If the fundraising involves a lot of time and interaction on Social Media be warned that it can be a double edged sword - supportive and motivational or adding to pressure. Are you going solo? Will you have support?

Here's a really good route planner: https://cycle.travel/map

Inspiration: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/ Look for journals that have done similar.

Come back with some more information and some specific questions and I'm sure people will be happy to help.

Good luck!

 

[foreverjess]

Welcome, Jess. Condolences for your loss.

Some more information would be helpful. We've no idea what your experience is, what kind of bike, accommodation preferences etc.
Nor do we know if you're into riding 200km a day or 20. Nor your attitude to hills.
How do you plan on returning?

If the fundraising involves a lot of time and interaction on Social Media be warned that it can be a double edged sword - supportive and motivational or adding to pressure. Are you going solo? Will you have support?

Here's a really good route planner: https://cycle.travel/map

Inspiration: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/ Look for journals that have done similar.

Come back with some more information and some specific questions and I'm sure people will be happy to help.

Good luck!

Hi thanks for the message. My brothers and a few of their friends are cycling. They are arriving into Holyhead on Friday lunchtime and have until Monday afternoon to get to Cheltenham. They are a mix of experience levels. I would imagine hills are unavoidable from the Holyhead side of things. They are just going it one way. I will be driving with them and they will come home with me. Accommodation just needs to be a place to sleep with breakfast really as they will be setting out early each morning. We have a few route options drawn up but just thought I'd post and see if there were any insights.
Thanks

 

[Jameshow]

You could do lon Las Cymru and then turn east?!!


https://www.sustrans.org.uk/find-other-routes/lon-las-cymru-from-holyhead-to-cardiff-or-chepstow

 

[Tail End Charlie]

Like @Jameshow I would choose to do the Lon Las Cymru to Chepstow and on to Cheltenham at the end. It's a great route, but a big benefit would be that it is well signposted. There's lots of info about places to stay etc on its dedicated website and the two maps from Sustrans are worth getting too. Yes, it's hilly, but you can't really avoid that if crossing Wales and besides, the views are worth every pedal stroke.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Doing a fundraiser cycle from . . . Holyhead and then cycling to Cheltenham in memory of our Dad. Can anyone help out with route planning etc. Where to avoid/stopover etc. any ideas would be much appreciated

Would be useful to know how many kilometres a day you would plan to ride and if more than one day (inferred from your use of "stopover") what type of overnight accommodation you had in mind. That would inform 'stopover' suggestions.
Do you want a 'scenic' route or the fastest (yet staying off trunk roads as much as possible)?
An iconic Audax ride is the Bryan Chapman memorial (Chepstow-Menai Bridge-Chepstow) and the pre-2020 route is roughly this one:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/33534801
A scenic route from Holyhead to Cheltenham might be this:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45347648 (have not polished but have ridden 75+% of those roads on mainland).

 

[foreverjess]

Would be useful to know how many kilometres a day you would plan to ride and if more than one day (inferred from your use of "stopover") what type of overnight accommodation you had in mind. That would inform 'stopover' suggestions.
Do you want a 'scenic' route or the fastest (yet staying off trunk roads as much as possible)?
An iconic Audax ride is the Bryan Chapman memorial (Chepstow-Menai Bridge-Chepstow) and the pre-2020 route is roughly this one:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/33534801
A scenic route from Holyhead to Cheltenham might be this:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45347648 (have not polished but have ridden 75+% of those roads on mainland).

Ideally we would be cycling from 1-5pm on Friday, 6-7 hours each day Saturday and Sunday and then the last run into Cheltenham on Monday. I think the fastest route ideally as we do have a few beginners with us and it will be a big undertaking for them. We are doing it to raise money for cancer research. Accommodation just needs to be a bed and shower really. There are 12 cyclists.

 

[classic33]

Nothing to do with the route planning, but consider any major horse racing meeting, on both sides of the Irish Sea. Those ferries can get filled quite fast.

 

[foreverjess]

Nothing to do with the route planning, but consider any major horse racing meeting, on both sides of the Irish Sea. Those ferries can get filled quite fast.

Yeah thank you. We have it booked. Thanks

 

[Ajax Bay]

Ideally we would be cycling from 1-5pm on Friday, 6-7 hours each day Saturday and Sunday and then the last run into Cheltenham on Monday. I think the fastest route ideally as we do have a few beginners with us and it will be a big undertaking for them. We are doing it to raise money for cancer research. Accommodation just needs to be a bed and shower really. There are 12 cyclists.

Great! So working on 350km, that'd be (roughly) 60/110/110/70 km. "A few beginners" infers (for me) minimising the time on significant A roads and eliminating sketchy downhills. The 'fastest' would be bashing along A roads: but that'd be no fun either. Access the link I shared: I have significantly amended (going down coast after Snowdonia).
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45347648
Pen-y-pass YHA @ 62km
Hafren indep hostel @ 179km (I have stayed there (@ 211km into a 600): and they are set up to cook group dinners)
Leominster YHA @270km
https://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/yha-snowdon-pen-y-pass
https://hafrenforesthideaway.com/
https://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/yha-leominster
"just need a bed and shower": no: eating is v important. I recommend you consider how your party will eat in the evening (which influences where to sleep). You won't want to cycle to an eatery.

 

[foreverjess]

Great! So working on 350km, that'd be (roughly) 60/110/110/70 km. "A few beginners" infers (for me) minimising the time on significant A roads and eliminating sketchy downhills. The 'fastest' would be bashing along A roads: but that'd be no fun either. Access the link I shared: I have significantly amended (going down coast after Snowdonia).
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45347648
Pen-y-pass YHA @ 62km
Hafren indep hostel @ 179km (I have stayed there (@ 211km into a 600): and they are set up to cook group dinners)
Leominster YHA @270km
https://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/yha-snowdon-pen-y-pass
https://hafrenforesthideaway.com/
https://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/yha-leominster
"just need a bed and shower": no: eating is v important. I recommend you consider how your party will eat in the evening (which influences where to sleep). You won't want to cycle to an eatery.

Thanks for all that.
Oh I know eating is important we have a nutritionist taking part. We have 4cars travelling as well so we will book in vacinity of good food but actual accommodation does not depend on it.
Thanks again

 

[MidnightRider]

How did this event go? Hope it was good.