Other Difficult Passages on LEJOG.

[Philip Whiteman]

Robbiep started a really useful and helpful thread on how to avoid the worst of the A30 in Cornwall and Devon.

Yet for anyone wishing to take the shortest and quickest trajectory there remain some difficult stretches. Does anyone have any titbits on how to avoid the worst of:

• North West England through Warrington to Preston
• The A9 from Perth to Inverness. (I know there is a cycle route but I have heard some stories about it's poor state).

 

[rualexander]

Robbiep started a really useful and helpful thread on how to avoid the worst of the A30 in Cornwall and Devon.

Yet for anyone wishing to take the shortest and quickest trajectory there remain some difficult stretches. Does anyone have any titbits on how to avoid the worst of:

• North West England through Warrington to Preston
• The A9 from Perth to Inverness. (I know there is a cycle route but I have heard some stories about it's poor state).

I found the section between Warrington and Preston much better than I expected, less traffic than I thought there would be and not unpleasant at all. Route was (from Northwich) : minor roads via Bate Heath, Broomedge, Warburton, Cadishead, B5212, through Leigh and Westhoughton, short section of A6, Horwich, Rivington, Chorley, Whittle-le-Woods, Hoghton. Then headed east, north of Blackburn and on to Clitheroe and Settle, etc.

The A9 route was also better than expected, the cycle route is fine, mostly on old road with some sections of cycle path (surface not great in a few places but only very short sections are like that), some of the old road sections were traffic free and very nice.
My alternative route would be to go via Glenshee and Braemar then up to Tomintoul and Grantown-on-Spey, but that is slightly longer so it depends on your timescale.

 

[welshdragon]

Hi there, I went from Le to Jog last summer and the A30 was pretty nuts, but it put me in really good stead for the rest of the trip. If you can cope on that stretch of road you can cycle anywhere. I was very weary of cycling through warrington, wigan and up to preston, but that part of the trip went really well, I should not have worried, looking for the road signs ( A49 was easy well sign posted etc) took my mind off cycling if that makes any sense as I was concentrating on where I was going and didnt want to get lost. As for the A9 we joined it in Perth and cycled all the way to the end almost and it was a fine road, no need to be scared etc The road is very wide and even though traffic can be busy it was of no bother. It is the constant sense of going uphill out of Perth for about 50 miles especially with the wind against which was a bigger problem to me. Not that it was steep there just seemed like no restbite

 

[just jim]

I chose to stay off the A9 and I'm glad I did. The cycle route was much preferable. The only frustration was at the outskirts of Inverness, when the route took some deviations. Some choose to brave this section at Moy and go onto the A9.

 

[spen666]

When I did it in 2009, the bit between Warrington and Preston was not a problem, apart from the bl**dy rain that day.

 

[vernon]

Warrington to Preston was a breeze. I don't see any need to avoid it.

 

[dellzeqq]

I chose to stay off the A9 and I'm glad I did. The cycle route was much preferable. The only frustration was at the outskirts of Inverness, when the route took some deviations. Some choose to brave this section at Moy and go onto the A9.

that Moy loop east of the A9 is very pleasant

 

[snorri]

The cycle route was much preferable. The only frustration was at the outskirts of Inverness, when the route took some deviations. Some choose to brave this section at Moy and go onto the A9.

Another option is to follow the NCN routing on the B9154 ("old A9") through Moy and past MeallMhor. Carry straight on at the T junction where the NCN turns right towardsCulloden, then down the Craggie Braes to join the A9 just south of Daviot. Follow the A9 north for 2.5 miles and take the first slip road off to the left after the Tourist Info. office, at the roundabout turn right to go under the A9 on the B9177 to join the "old A9" again and downhill past Drumossie Hotel and enter Inverness near the Inshes roundabout.
I usually avoid the A9 between Inverness and Perth but make an exception for this 2.5 miles in order to avoid the circuitous route via Culloden and Balloch.