Route 55 suitable for road bikes?

[Chrisz]

As per the title - can anyone confirm/refute that Route 55 is suitable for normal road bikes please?

I am helping to organise a ride from Arbroath to Lympstone next year (continuous relay) and part of the route (Congleton - Gillow Heath - Smallthorne) is along the disused railway track I could use some local knowledge/advice please (I live in Canterbury).

Cheers

 

[elduderino]

Just so happens that I live in Smallthorne.

I ridden it lots of times, from Congleton to Chell Heath/Brindley Ford the path is a mixture of crushed gravel,smooth pavement (although not much) and forest tracks. From Congleton to Gillow Heath it is mostly a forest track, which on a wet day can be pretty muddy.

From Chell Heath to Smallthorne it is then all smooth tarmac and quite a wide path too.