Railway trails

[EasyPeez]

Hi,

I'm being lazy here and hoping the esteemed CC fraternity can proffer some suggestions to save me some research time -

basically, myself and some friends had a brilliant long weekend of riding in the Peak District last Spring and by far the highlight for us was riding the Monsal and Tissington trails. As roadies veering off the tarmac was pretty new to us all and the scenery, sense of freedom and the change of riding surface all made for a fantastic day. It turns out pretending to be a train while riding through a tunnel with the full beam on is as much fun at 38yrs old as it was 30yrs ago...

We are planning a similar long weekend for Spring 2017 and would love to do more trail riding on similar old railway lines. Maybe towpaths too if not too narrow/rough? I have a CX with knobblies as well as a road bike but I think 28mm slicks is as adventurous as at least one of our group will be able to go. With that in mind, and with the plan being for day-long circular rides if anyone can suggest trails and places to consider basing ourselves that would be massively appreciated. The Highlands, Cornwall/South Coast and deepest Wales are probably all too far flung for this one, but other than that we'd consider anywhere in the UK.

Thanks,

Andy

 

[MiK1138]

Nothing to offer re trails, but surely pretending to be a train never gets old Choo Choo

 

[flake99please]

There's a nice stretch between Market Harborough and Chapel Brampton. There were 2 tunnels along that route (it's been 11 years since I last rode it, so these may be closed now). I'm sure you could work a circular route out including this section.

 

[I like Skol]

Not really circular but maybe a there'n'back option. I have taken part in a ride from the Manchester area out to Southport a couple of times along the TPT and that is a very enjoyable, mostly off road route that is eminently suitable for the bikes you describe.

 

[Globalti]

Have to confess that I found the Tissington trail boring but that was when I was a rufty-tufty mountain biker so the effect would have been opposite to yours. I'm wondering how many circular rides you'll be able to find, incorporating an old railway. My advice would be to look at the Sustrans routes and use the train to get to or from the start or the finish. A great example is The Bay Cycle Way, which goes between Lancaster and Barrow and you can use the railway to get to the end. Read this: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/the-bay-cycle-way-in-a-day.184850/

 

[Venod]

There are a lot of old railway trails in South/West Yorkshire, the ride below was on part of the TPT, there were 2 CX bikes and 4 MTB's on the ride, wouldn't recommend it on slicks though.

 

[nickyboy]

Hi,

I'm being lazy here and hoping the esteemed CC fraternity can proffer some suggestions to save me some research time -

basically, myself and some friends had a brilliant long weekend of riding in the Peak District last Spring and by far the highlight for us was riding the Monsal and Tissington trails. As roadies veering off the tarmac was pretty new to us all and the scenery, sense of freedom and the change of riding surface all made for a fantastic day. It turns out pretending to be a train while riding through a tunnel with the full beam on is as much fun at 38yrs old as it was 30yrs ago...

We are planning a similar long weekend for Spring 2017 and would love to do more trail riding on similar old railway lines. Maybe towpaths too if not too narrow/rough? I have a CX with knobblies as well as a road bike but I think 28mm slicks is as adventurous as at least one of our group will be able to go. With that in mind, and with the plan being for day-long circular rides if anyone can suggest trails and places to consider basing ourselves that would be massively appreciated. The Highlands, Cornwall/South Coast and deepest Wales are probably all too far flung for this one, but other than that we'd consider anywhere in the UK.

Thanks,

Andy

So riding up Pym's Chair wasn't the highlight?

 

[mjr]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Rail_trails_in_England but here's what I think I know:

I rode the Alban Way Hatfield-St Albans recently and that was quite a nice hour once I got west of Nast Hyde station. It's a bit narrow through parts of Hatfield with steep slopes where they've not reinstated the bridges. There seem to be other rail trails nearby, but mostly still dirt, unlike this tarmac one.

The Sandringham Railway Path was one of the Telegraph's top five bike rides in the country, but only the first couple of miles are actually on the railway track. After that, it's back roads, a park route and a disused A road to Sandringham.

Marriotts Way and Lakenham Way are the former railways into Norwich (City station and Victoria station, respectively). Marriotts Way outside the city boundary is still a mix of gnarly gravel, deep sand and dirt track, sadly. At its far point at Themelthorpe, it loops back onto another railway and heads for Aylsham, where it meets the Bure Valley line, which now has a narrow-gauge railway alongside a walking/cycling track back to meet the current railway at Wroxham IIRC.

The Trumpington-Cambridge Station and Cambridge North Station (forthcoming)-St Ives routes are alongside guided busways along the former railways to Bedford and Huntingdon (respectively). The Sandy-Bedford section of that line is also a cycle track now.

The Newport Nobby between Wolverton and Newport Pagnell is a former railway and key part of the later redways network.

The Cheddar Valley / Strawberry Line, Bristol-Bath Railway Path and Two Tunnels are all ex-railway trails in Somerset. The first two are linked by the Festival Way and Flax Bourton Greenway which both run alongside live railways for parts of their routes.

The Devon Coast-to-Coast involves several ex-railway trails IIRC.

 

[Postmanhat]

There's a TV prog called Julia Bradbury's Railway Walks on at the mo on BBC4. There all cycleable AFAIK. Episode one was actually about the Monsal Trail. Available on demand if you've got that, or the BBC website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00dtp33/episodes/player

 

[srw]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Rail_trails_in_England but here's what I think I know:

I rode the Alban Way Hatfield-St Albans recently and that was quite a nice hour once I got west of Nast Hyde station. It's a bit narrow through parts of Hatfield with steep slopes where they've not reinstated the bridges. There seem to be other rail trails nearby, but mostly still dirt, unlike this tarmac one.

Extending this a bit - start in Thame, use the Phoenix trail to Princes Risborough, then find your way to Amersham, Chorleywood and Rickmansworth. The Ebury trail takes you to Watford, from where there's a reasonably adequate NCN route to St Alban's and the Alban way to Hatfield. I've done all of that, including I think all of it on a heavy-duty touring tandem; the trails are mostly sandy or tarmac and would be fine on hybrids. (Most recently I did the Ebury Way on a Brompton!). From Hatfield go north to Welwyn and either east to Ware or west to Hemel on the Ayot Greenway (not one I've ridden). If you go to Hemel it's quite easy to make a loop via Berkhamsted and Aylesbury back to Thame.

I know the names of the towns don't exactly inspire, but that's part of the charm of these routes - you trickle through back country and emerge into ancient town centres. And, of course, if you're a roadie you've got the challenge of some of southern England's toughest hills in the Chilterns.

One other rail trail that occurs to me is the South Downs Way, from Guildford to Shoreham. I've ridden the first part of that, and it's definitely not one for 28mm tyres - in the height of summer, after dry weather, it felt a bit iffy on a hybridised mountain bike with 35mm Marathon pluses. I'd want to use mountain bike tyres, really.

 

[mjr]

There's a TV prog called Julia Bradbury's Railway Walks on at the mo on BBC4. There all cycleable AFAIK. Episode one was actually about the Monsal Trail. Available on demand if you've got that, or the BBC website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00dtp33/episodes/player

It's a few years old now and needs checking. For example, the Monsal Trail one said tunnels were closed which I'm not sure are.

 

[PeteXXX]

There's a nice stretch between Market Harborough and Chapel Brampton. There were 2 tunnels along that route (it's been 11 years since I last rode it, so these may be closed now). I'm sure you could work a circular route out including this section.

They're still open.

 

[EasyPeez]

So riding up Pym's Chair wasn't the highlight?

The weekend was full of highlights, on and off road to be honest. That said, if I never hear the name Simon Warren mentioned again I won't be too disappointed...

 

[EasyPeez]

Not really circular but maybe a there'n'back option. I have taken part in a ride from the Manchester area out to Southport a couple of times along the TPT and that is a very enjoyable, mostly off road route that is eminently suitable for the bikes you describe.

Thanks - I've actually ridden the TPT from end to end but it was on an MTB and I did it around 12yrs ago so don't remember much of it that well in terms of surface. I do recall some great views though so will check that out. Ta.

Have to confess that I found the Tissington trail boring but that was when I was a rufty-tufty mountain biker so the effect would have been opposite to yours. I'm wondering how many circular rides you'll be able to find, incorporating an old railway. My advice would be to look at the Sustrans routes and use the train to get to or from the start or the finish. A great example is The Bay Cycle Way, which goes between Lancaster and Barrow and you can use the railway to get to the end. Read this: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/the-bay-cycle-way-in-a-day.184850/

Is there an easy way to spot which Sustrans routes are on and off road? Thanks for the Bay Cycle Way suggestion, I'll look into that this weekend.

There are a lot of old railway trails in South/West Yorkshire, the ride below was on part of the TPT, there were 2 CX bikes and 4 MTB's on the ride, wouldn't recommend it on slicks though. View attachment 153095

My old stomping ground - I used to go to school in Wath. Some good rides to be had around there but the bits I've done were more suited to MTB if I recall correctly.

There's a TV prog called Julia Bradbury's Railway Walks on at the mo on BBC4. There all cycleable AFAIK. Episode one was actually about the Monsal Trail. Available on demand if you've got that, or the BBC website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00dtp33/episodes/player

Brilliant, I'll start watching those imminently. Cheers!

Extending this a bit - start in Thame, use the Phoenix trail to Princes Risborough, then find your way to Amersham, Chorleywood and Rickmansworth. The Ebury trail takes you to Watford, from where there's a reasonably adequate NCN route to St Alban's and the Alban way to Hatfield. I've done all of that, including I think all of it on a heavy-duty touring tandem; the trails are mostly sandy or tarmac and would be fine on hybrids. (Most recently I did the Ebury Way on a Brompton!). From Hatfield go north to Welwyn and either east to Ware or west to Hemel on the Ayot Greenway (not one I've ridden). If you go to Hemel it's quite easy to make a loop via Berkhamsted and Aylesbury back to Thame.

I know the names of the towns don't exactly inspire, but that's part of the charm of these routes - you trickle through back country and emerge into ancient town centres. And, of course, if you're a roadie you've got the challenge of some of southern England's toughest hills in the Chilterns.

One other rail trail that occurs to me is the South Downs Way, from Guildford to Shoreham. I've ridden the first part of that, and it's definitely not one for 28mm tyres - in the height of summer, after dry weather, it felt a bit iffy on a hybridised mountain bike with 35mm Marathon pluses. I'd want to use mountain bike tyres, really.

Again, thanks for the tips. I think the South Downs is a bit far away as well as a bit rough, but I'll check out the Thame - some of my chums are Cambidge based so that would likely be an appealing location for them and I like the sounds of having a crack at the Chilterns.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far everyone - keep them coming!

Andy

 

[mjr]

Is there an easy way to spot which Sustrans routes are on and off road?

They show up in green when you plot a route along them on http://cycle.travel/map but things are always changing.