Morecambe Bay Cycle Way

[shnjmsn]

Evening all :-)

After a second failed attempt at trying to go to Belgium this year thanks to the recent news on quarantine, two of our annual Bruges (old) boys beer and cycling week group have now decided it's not with the effort this year so have opted instead to do the Morecambe Bay Cycle Way............Something that I've been meaning to do for a while, so this gives us a good excuse to get it done before we attempt Belgium again next year, fingers crossed !

We're looking to do it over 3 days end to end and back again. We'll be travelling up from Somerset the day before, hotel/pub with rooms near the Glasson Dock end then doing a hotel/pub the following night 50 ish miles in, day 2 to Barrow and back to the same hotel, day 3 back down to Glasson for the drive home. No panniers this time, just seat packs and frame bag as we'll be travelling light and don't need the packs on day 2............

Just wondering who's done this, who knows the cycle route, is it ok for road bikes, are there any gravelly bits, best places to stop en route for decent food/ beers ?! Anything we should know before we set off ? Anything else you'd recommend ? We're doing it early ish September :-)

 

[Jackslad]

No problems with road bike, providing you don’t run skinny tyres. The Lune Cycleway (Glasson to Lancaster) has one or two patches that, heavy rain/high tides) gets flooded. There’s a bit of a path just higher than the main track but very doable. The only other parts to watch for are;
Crossing the A590 at the bottom of the hill at Greendod - gravelly for a couple of hundred yards when you have crossed the underpass.
Out of Grange -over-Sands, taking the Meathop Road ( at the golf course). This part is often flooded, again after rain/ high tide combo.
Otherwise it’s a great ride and if the weather is kind, some fabulous views. Enjoy.

 

[PaulSB]

It's a super route which I rode 2-3 years ago as part of a longer tour to Dumfries. I know the section of the Lune Cycleway which @Jackslad refers to and the flooding can come above the bottom bracket but it really is nothing to be concerned about - I've only seen flooding in winter. The first half of the Lune Cycleway you encounter is not tarmaced but is very rideable, no reason at all why you would avoid it though there are alternatives if you really want to avoid a compacted surface.

 

[PaulSB]

@shnjmsn I've just had a thought. I use the Lune Cycleway several times a year, almost always on the way home from a ride.

Most of the people I ride with prefer, as do I, to avoid the compacted section which is the second half of the cycleway if coming down from Lancaster.

A suggestion would be your outward leg uses the full length of the cycleway but on your return you miss the non-tarmaced part. If you want to try this I can give you a very good route along small rolling country lanes, excellent views and arrives within ¹/4 mile of the end.

 

[nickyboy]

I'm pretty sure @doughnut has done this

 

[shnjmsn]

Excellent, thanks all for the info............... Hopefully it won't be flooded in early September.......... but who knows ! Seems like I'll be fine on the Roubaix with the 28's on anyway, which is what I was hoping !!!

 

[PaulSB]

Excellent, thanks all for the info............... Hopefully it won't be flooded in early September.......... but who knows ! Seems like I'll be fine on the Roubaix with the 28's on anyway, which is what I was hoping !!!

28s will be absolutely fine. I've ridden the Lune Cycleway for years on these. The rest is tarmac.

 

[shnjmsn]

Cheers Paul, good to know ! At least I can be prepared and know which bike to the now Guess it's all signposted OK ? Seen a few comments online about signs not being there or hidden. No big deal as we're not doing it quickly and we can't really ever get lost. I could probably upload the course to the Garmin but not sure I really need to ! If we get lost we'll just stop for a beer and consult Google maps

 

[shnjmsn]

*to take now*

 

[Pale Rider]

I'm pretty sure @doughnut has done this

As has @ColinJ.

My only contribution is to say the cafe at Glasson Dock is decent, although if I recall it's one of those places that stops serving hot food fairly early.

 

[PaulSB]

Cheers Paul, good to know ! At least I can be prepared and know which bike to the now Guess it's all signposted OK ? Seen a few comments online about signs not being there or hidden. No big deal as we're not doing it quickly and we can't really ever get lost. I could probably upload the course to the Garmin but not sure I really need to ! If we get lost we'll just stop for a beer and consult Google maps

I just had a look back at my ride which I now see was July 2015!!! I rode with a map but didn't need to use it. In terms of signage my recollection is this was good throughout the route though this may have changed, generally the signage of all these routes is good in my part of the world. I can make two comments on this. At Arrad Foot where Strava shows I joined the A590 I couldn't find my way on to the route, I suspect I may have missed a turn a bit earlier. I'd just finished a speedy descent and had no desire to ride back up it. I jumped on to the A590 and rode the two miles in to Ulverston.

My other hint is to be careful leaving Lancaster. The city is very well provided with cycle routes and for visitorts can be confusing. Despite cycling through the place many times I do still have to think carefully. There is a large shared use metal bridge to cross the Lune - using the Lune Cycleway you can't miss it! - once you are on the north side check your navigation carefully. I "think" you will simply follow Morecambe but keep an eye on things as I did once have a bit of a tricky time finding my way to Morecambe on the cycle network. Once on the right path it is a lovely ride from Lancaster to Morecambe.

 

[doughnut]

Here's the route I took back in 2015. I started from Chorley and joined the start of the Bay Cycle Way at Glasson Dock. Its a fantastic route to ride. If I were doing it again I would take it slower and do it in 2 days to allow me to stop and take photos etc. There is a cycle hostel/b+b at Grange thats supposed to be very good - Witherslack cycle barn

https://www.strava.com/activities/364787381

I did the whole thing on 23s and while some bits are rough I never thought I was struggling with the road tyres. I found there were plenty of coffee/cake shops to choose from along the way. If you have good weather you will get some great views.

 

[shnjmsn]

As has @ColinJ.

My only contribution is to say the cafe at Glasson Dock is decent, although if I recall it's one of those places that stops serving hot food fairly early.

We're staying what looks to be about a mile away and due to Covid it's a continental brekkie outside the door so we may end up going to the cafe for a proper brekkie before we head off !

 

[shnjmsn]

Here's the route I took back in 2015. I started from Chorley and joined the start of the Bay Cycle Way at Glasson Dock. Its a fantastic route to ride. If I were doing it again I would take it slower and do it in 2 days to allow me to stop and take photos etc. There is a cycle hostel/b+b at Grange thats supposed to be very good - Witherslack cycle barn

https://www.strava.com/activities/364787381

I did the whole thing on 23s and while some bits are rough I never thought I was struggling with the road tyres. I found there were plenty of coffee/cake shops to choose from along the way. If you have good weather you will get some great views.

That was a good ride Doug, just looked at the Strava link !!!! Feel happier now on the 28's anyway so cheers for the info ! We struggled a bit to book accommodation for the following 2 nights but have something sorted now which looks to be half decent..... Thanks for the link anyway !!! Everywhere is booked up or very expensive, not surprising really ! It's a chill out ride with beer so we're not in any rush on this occasion. If August goes well I'll be reaching my Y.E. target while doing the route

 

[shnjmsn]

I just had a look back at my ride which I now see was July 2015!!! I rode with a map but didn't need to use it. In terms of signage my recollection is this was good throughout the route though this may have changed, generally the signage of all these routes is good in my part of the world. I can make two comments on this. At Arrad Foot where Strava shows I joined the A590 I couldn't find my way on to the route, I suspect I may have missed a turn a bit earlier. I'd just finished a speedy descent and had no desire to ride back up it. I jumped on to the A590 and rode the two miles in to Ulverston.

My other hint is to be careful leaving Lancaster. The city is very well provided with cycle routes and for visitorts can be confusing. Despite cycling through the place many times I do still have to think carefully. There is a large shared use metal bridge to cross the Lune - using the Lune Cycleway you can't miss it! - once you are on the north side check your navigation carefully. I "think" you will simply follow Morecambe but keep an eye on things as I did once have a bit of a tricky time finding my way to Morecambe on the cycle network. Once on the right path it is a lovely ride from Lancaster to Morecambe.

Thanks for the info Paul. Saw the bridge on Google maps a few days ago. Just looking on Google maps, there does seem to be a lot of cycle paths in Lancaster ! cheers for the heads up