National Cycle Network - offshoot!

[mjr]

Im talking about signs when you are out and about, sporadic and sometimes non existent. Also the route is not joined around the uk. I dont want to spend an evening on apps plotting a route.

It varies with the signs but I think Sustrans is now trying to fix this after the rubbish performance of county councils. One of their signposters on the Norfolk coast is particularly keen, with some junctions now having as many as eight National 1 signs... (Normal practice would be two or four.)

Agree about the annoying gaps. I feel the network was planned to maximise coverage (x% of population within 3 miles) instead of connecting likely destinations.

 

[contadino]

I think its a collection built on quick wins - old rail lines, traditional Greenways, bridle paths, etc.. calling it a network implies planning, strategy which I don't think exists. Maybe they try to get even coverage across the country at best.

They operate with next to no money, and are so down local council priorities list they don't really exist. To have achieved what they have is amazing.

 

[mjr]

I think its a collection built on quick wins - old rail lines, traditional Greenways, bridle paths, etc.. calling it a network implies planning, strategy which I don't think exists. Maybe they try to get even coverage across the country at best.

They operate with next to no money, and are so down local council priorities list they don't really exist. To have achieved what they have is amazing.

Oh for sure, it's an achievement for sustrans to do what they do with so little but it's still a crap failure by our governments that a charity is left to do this. Like bladesman said

Compare the NCN with the node network in Netherlands.

 

[T4tomo]

I wrote up my journey at https://cycle.travel/route/pennine_cycleway . It's certainly doable on a CX bike - I did it on a hybrid. There's a couple of bits where you might be best advised to divert onto the road - from memory, over the top of Woodhead, and the odd section in Northumberland. But it's a cracking route, in my opinion one of the two best long-distance NCN routes (the other being Lon Las Cymru).

Thanks.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Did cycle route 1 from Edinburgh to Musselburgh on Sunday. Rather enjoyed that section of NCN. Mostly wide disused railway from what I can tell. There was a stupid stepped ramp on a bridge over the railway at Brunstane, which meant carrying the bike, but otherwise good stuff.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Did cycle route 1 from Edinburgh to Musselburgh on Sunday. Rather enjoyed that section of NCN. Mostly wide disused railway from what I can tell. There was a stupid stepped ramp on a bridge over the railway at Brunstane, which meant carrying the bike, but otherwise good stuff.

I rode that a few years ago, with @Telemark from Embra leading.
There is a way to bypass the bridge, but she wanted to show us where following the actual route led to.
In hindsight, she could have just showed us the bridge, then taken the bypass: I was riding a heavy hybrid with panniers