Mini tours near Lancaster, UK

[Time Waster]

I'm hoping to use my new recumbent for a 2 week summer tour with my partner and 5 year old. Before then I really need to trial the setup out.

Anyone got a suitable weekend route suggestion?

I live near the Lancaster to Barrow train line so I was thinking that doing the bay cycle route in short sections using that line could be possible. Anyone got any experience of this route?

Note that we've got a 5 year old that would not take too well to being attached to one of our bikes for the whole trip. Last summer we toured Holland doing 30 miles a day and he was rarely on the followme-tandem. He's got the touring bug but not attached to a bike. It might be a big ask for a suitable route in the UK from here.

BTW the plan would be to leave say 4pm Friday and get back teatime on a Sunday.

Any suggestions?

 

[I like Skol]

Nothing to suggest but good luck and have fun

Did something with my older kids last spring and had a great time - DAY1 DAY2

 

[Time Waster]

Nice set of reports there. Wish I could do something like that for our summer tour last year. Amazing trip north from IJmuiden up the dunes to den Helder. Lovely area to cycle even if you leave the north sea route (off road mostly) to see a bit more.

Holland is a cycling experience alright. France or Germany this year! Should be interesting. Not sure how my partner will cope. She struggles with the idea of a 5 year old cycling on the road.

I guess it's that old joke about what a father sees, strangers see and a mother sees when the father is throwing his baby into the air and catching it. The father thinks he's hardly letting go. Strangers see the baby being thrown a metre clear of the hands. But the mother only sees the baby 20 metres in the air while the father is below laughing away.

That is the father sees less to be worried about than the mother. A fair assumption in my case. I think our son is nearer my view on this. He's got reasonable road sense for quiet roads. I'm not going to cycle dual carriageways with him unless segregated cyclepaths. I don't see what half the fuss is about. If it's an issue on a section of road he attaches to one of our bikes.

Anyway, it's character building right?

 

[Lien Sdrawde]

You can obviously follow the Morecambe Bay cycle Way - camping is sparse at best, but b&bs more prevalent - though booking will be essential as it's a popular area.
Personally, I'd try to follow the 'Way of the Roses' route out of Lancaster and as long as you don't go beyond Settle, you won't meet top many steep hills.

 

[iluvmybike]

Pickup northern part of Lancashire Cycleway and/or head off over Bowland to Slaidburn way - there is a hostel in Slaidburn then head back via Chipping & Garstang

 

[PaulSB]

Pickup northern part of Lancashire Cycleway and/or head off over Bowland to Slaidburn way - there is a hostel in Slaidburn then head back via Chipping & Garstang

The Bay cycle route is a nice ride. By coincidence when I rode it in summer 2016 I met an Australian on a recumbent. He seemed to be getting along perfectly well.

I would though agree the Lancashire Cycleway suggestion above will be more interesting.

 

[Time Waster]

Interesting will come from our 5 year old and his mum of there's ever any traffic around! I think we'll get that on both routes.

I probably rode large chunks of the Lancashire cycle route over the years without realising it. Used to do a lot of cycling in school holidays around the ribble Valley, Blackburn, Preston and other areas around there. Those rides where you cycle off without a map as a kid then spend the rest of the morning trying to b find your way home again after getting lost. Then after lunch you repeat in the afternoon going another way. I believe it dates from when I was a kid down there.

 

[MontyVeda]

Unless you're going to go from Morecambe to Lancaster then up to Caton and down to Glasson and back again, you'll struggle to avoid traffic completely. The Bay Cycle Way is lovely (only done it from Ulverston though). There is a memorable climb between Haverthwaite and Cartmel which might make the route prohibitive if you or the wife don't like big hills. I like cycling round the Silverdale/Arnside area, which has plenty of short sharp climbs and just as many downhills... if you want flat, then Lancaster to Knott End is good (about 16 miles), but certainly not traffic free.

 

[Time Waster]

Sorry that's wrong about the beginning. I live almost on the canal. Take that straight into Lancaster then off at the aquaduct. Along the millennium path to Lancaster and on to Glasson Dock via the Quay and a cycle route along disused railway.

Alternatively from Morecambe you go along the greenway (IIRC that's what the traffic free cycle route from morecambe to Lancaster is called). Off that and over the pedestrian / mixed user, millennium Bridge to the Quat and out to Glasson docks.

Now the bay cycle route I don't know too much about but I believe there's sections that are car free and sections that run on cycle paths alongside main roads. I doubt know if it's all away from cars or just sections of it. At least my section of Lancaster has a reasonably safe off road cycling provision.

Does anyone know what the bay cycle route is like? Is it all quiet roads and cycle paths? It's it something a young child could do without prematurely aging his mother due to stress? What any Lancashire cycleway?

Interestingly, I believe near Arnside the Lancashire and Cumbrian cycleways come fairly close together. Anyone take advantage of that to join the two together into a longer tour?