Plot me a route!

[RedBike]

Right I want a route that winds from Stoke-on-trent up to Kendal taking 2/4 nights, stopping at a campsite each night.

I definately don't want to end up riding through the middle of Manchester or Preston or riding for over 6 hours a day. (100flat / 70hilly miles maximum.)

I don't mind hills but I've got standard road bike gearing and a very heavily laiden bike!.


I was thinking first stop somewhere in the North Peak district, 'Crowden' Second stop in the South Yorkshire Dales 'Hetton' . ( I don't know if there is a campsite close to these towns).

 

[vernon]

Right I want a route that winds from Stoke-on-trent up to Kendal taking 2/4 nights, stopping at a campsite each night.

I definately don't want to end up riding through the middle of Manchester or Preston or riding for over 6 hours a day. (100flat / 70hilly miles maximum.)

I don't mind hills but I've got standard road bike gearing and a very heavily laiden bike!.


I was thinking first stop somewhere in the North Peak district, 'Crowden' Second stop in the South Yorkshire Dales 'Hetton' . ( I don't know if there is a campsite close to these towns).

Get hold of a copy of Philips' Road Atlas that shows camp site locations and use the bike option of www.viamichelin.com to help plot routes between the campsites. Job done.

 

[RedBike]

I was kind of hopping for a bit of local knowledge as to where to stay / which roads to use or avoid.

I suppose I will have to post up a rough route and ask for suggestions on how to improve it.

 

[ASC1951]

I was thinking first stop somewhere in the North Peak district, 'Crowden' Second stop in the South Yorkshire Dales 'Hetton' . ( I don't know if there is a campsite close to these towns).

RedBike, if you mean Hetton just north of Skipton, there is no campsite and there is only one famously good (and expensive) bistro-pub to eat, the Angel.

I would camp at Gargrave to the SW, or further up valley at Cracoe, Skirethorns or one of the several sites in Wharfedale e.g. the nice one by the river in Appletreewick ("Aptrick"). If you are not self catering I would go for Gargrave or Kettlewell (at the foot of Caseker Gill, limited level ground).

As to the route from Crowden, you either have to do busy-ish roads in the valley bottoms, or go a long way east, or haul yourself across a series of deep east-west valleys. Personally I would be a bit further west at that point and go Littleborough, Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Oxenhope - a cracking moorland crossing - Keighley, Skipton. The last part has quieter parallel roads on the valley sides, if you want.

From Hetton if you have time it's up Wharfedale, over Fleet Moss to Hawes, back up Widdale to Newby Head, down W to Dent, nearly into Sedurgh then jiggle across SW via Killington to 3 Mile House and Old Hutton, then drop into Kendal via the B6254. Classic scenery and some classic hills. There are lots of variations on that, all of them good.

That's a big loop, of course. If you need something more direct you pretty much have to track the A65 (but not ride it - it's narrow, fast and usually unpleasantly busy). From Hetton go Winterburn, Airton, Settle, Giggleswick, Eldroth, Clapham Station (nice campsite by the Flying Horseshoe), High Bentham, Burton in Lonsdale, Tunstall, Kirby Lonsdale, B6254 to Old Hutton, Kendal. About half the distance and a third of the climbing.

I can't lay my hands on mine at the moment, but I think the OS Northern England covers both these days on one standard size map at just the right scale. It's what I always use. [If you have access to Tracklogs I can email you my suggested route if you want.]

 

[RedBike]

Thankyou Asc1951

Getting hold of a map or two isn't a problem. But the road maps i've been looking at don't have contours on and they certainly don't tell you what the roads are like.

I think I'm going to have to start off buy buying a some guide that lists camp sites. Then plotting a route that joins them together.

 

[ASC1951]

What you need is the OS Road Map 4 at 1:250,000
http://leisure.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/leisure/ItemDetails.jsp?item=os_road_4

It has 200' contours, relief colours and gradient chevrons and I find it ideal for long distance navigation. You will get a lot more information on 4 x OS Landranger, true, but you don't really need it for cycling. It even shows campsites.

#4 covers Congleton up to Carlisle. I plotted my suggested route from Tracklogs 1:50,000, but all the names are on OS RM4.

 

[samid]

I was thinking first stop somewhere in the North Peak district, 'Crowden' Second stop in the South Yorkshire Dales 'Hetton' . ( I don't know if there is a campsite close to these towns).

There is a very nice Camping & Caravaning campsite in Crowden, I spent a night there this August (attached is a photo showing my tent pitched there). The coordinates are 53°29'26"N, 1°53'34"W, it's on the North side of A628 less than a kilometer West from the intersection of A628 and B6105. There is a sign on the road so it's hard to miss. The site's got an excellent shower with really hot water, and you can buy beer at the office. Hope this helps

 

[ColinJ]

From Hetton if you have time it's up Wharfedale, over Fleet Moss to Hawes, back up Widdale to Newby Head, down W to Dent, nearly into Sedurgh then jiggle across SW via Killington to 3 Mile House and Old Hutton, then drop into Kendal via the B6254. Classic scenery and some classic hills.

Fleet Moss certainly is a classic hill - fortunately, you'd be doing it from the 'easier' side - maximum gradient 'only' about 20% . If you go for it on a laden bike, take extreme care on the descent!!!! The first time I did it, I got up to about 50 mph on the 20% bit at the top and then took off as the road steepened downwards to 25%. I nearly lost control when I landed...

 

[hubbike]

I've cycled up through Wem(where I camped), whitchurch, and then through all that dreadful warrington-wigan-preston bit. But from preston to Kendal I really enjoyed myself. followed A6 from Preston to Lancaster. Then some dodgy canal path that leads to Camforth before turning into bog (possible on a beefier MTB than mine). I camped wild here by the canal then cycled up to kendal the next day on the A6070 and A 65 all very pleasant and made it up to dumfries in time for bed.

You should easily manage stoke to kendal in 2 longish days.

Try and find a route through the peak district. that should be nice!!

 

[dodgy]

I know it's not what you asked for, but I'd be tempted to do that ride in one shot (since you said you can manage 100 flat miles). The route would be about 118 miles with some hills maybe, but nothing too scary. However, you wouldn't need to have a heavily laden bike as you wouldn't be camping. Possibly make for a more enjoyable ride without all the gumph you have to carry when touring.

Just another option, again I know it's not what you asked for