Suggestions York to (nearly) London

[teebs]

My work's shipping us up to York for an away day one Friday, with a hotel for the night. I thought that instead of a hungover train journey home to London I might like to cycle back across Saturday and Sunday. Originally it was meant to be in Bristol, which I've done before in two days without big problems, but York is a lot further and less familiar to me.

My maximum range in a day is probably 160km (while I've done more as an experiment, I very much didn't enjoy it) and generally I'd rather be aiming for the 100-130km range. So getting all the way back to London isn't realistic in the time I have. So I was thinking, I might be able to get to somewhere like Cambridge (frequent trains that don't need bicycle reservations even on a Sunday night) that's a bit closer to York instead.

Looking at maps, somewhere like Sheffield, Nottingham or Lincoln might work for the Saturday night stop, but I was wondering if anyone had done these kinds of routes and had any suggestions on routing and/or stopovers?

My bike is a touring bike (35mm, puncture resistant tires), so I don't need tarmac, but equally over those kinds of distances the surface needs to be at least semi-decent. I avoid busy roads like the plague and would generally rather just not bother if they're unavoidable.

Thanks in advance!

 

[geocycle]

Welcome @teebs ! If I was doing this run my first point of call would be cycle.travel. It’s a brilliant route planner for those of who like quiet roads. The further east the flatter your route, I’d always rather stay somewhere small like Lincoln than the bigger towns you mentioned.

 

[presta]

This is part of a route I did from Essex to Inverness, stopping at YHAs in Cambridge, Thurlby, Sherwood, and York. It's 170m, flat and easy, the highest point on the route is only 420 feet. Grantham or Newark would be about halfway.

 

[mjr]

Lincoln is about the northernmost point of my cycle-touring so far. I'd suggest heading from there to Peterborough to pick up the top of the Thameslink routes which, as you say, are frequent with good bike spaces without reservation. Cambridge is that bit further and mostly across the fens which isn't an easy end to a long ride.

cycle.travel suggests two obvious routes from Lincoln to Peterborough:

1. ride the NCN1 Water Rail Way east then south to Boston then continue on NCN1 to Fosdyke bridge but instead of going over the bridge, continue forwards along a gravel road along the north side of the river to back roads into Spalding, then pick up NCN12 through Crowland (with its unusual bridge) and another shorter gravel road to Peakirk and then follow signs into Peterborough. 76 miles to the train station.

2. NCN64 west then south through Newark (lots of civil war stuff and a ruined castle) then leave it somewhere like Harston to cut across on small roads to pick up NCN63 at Exton and follow it east through Stamford to Peterborough. 80 miles.

I've done most of both of those and think either would be lovely most of the time. There is a more direct route, heading south from Lincoln to Brandon, following the River Witham then the River Brant, then SE to Ancaster and south again to Stamford to join NCN63. That's mostly on quiet roads but not a cycle route (so no signs) and I've not ridden them yet.

York-Lincoln also looks like about 80 miles to me, but I really don't know the routes.

 

[Mike_P]

Less manic way out of York will be to use NCN65 along the old East Coast Mainline. Last time I used it was affected by a few tree roots but I believe it has been tended to. The NCN continues as an alternative to the A19 to Selby.
To Lincoln Komoot then suggests A1041 through Snaith, A614 over the M62 and M18 to Thorne, lanes across the A181 and through Sandtoft, Epworth and Olston Ferry to ride alongside the River Trent as far as West Stockwith. A161 through Walkeringham to Beckingham. A631 to Gainsborough, A156 to Lea, B1241 via Kexby to Sturton by Stow, A1500 east to the B1398 to Lincoln. 69.4 miles with 950ft of climbing aka pretty flat.

 

[DCLane]

Have a look at the LEL route, which uses mostly quiet roads. My 2017 ride of it's in my signature below.

 

[Scotchlovingcylist]

I cant help much with the route specifics however have cycled Hull to Lincoln and would recommend it for an overnight stay, its a gorgeous place.
Travel Lodge and Premier inns are bike friendly and the two I've stayed in there are absolutely fine for a basic overnighter.
Depending which route/how many miles you want to do from York I can recommend following part of the c2c route through Pocklington, also lovely, into Beverley and down over the Humber Bridge just for the experience then some lovely roads down to Lincoln.
It may be more miles than you want on the day though.

 

[mjr]

I've also stayed at the Doubletree in Lincoln and they were fine with bikes in the lift and rooms.

 

[T4tomo]

Have a look at the LEL route, which uses mostly quiet roads. My 3017 ride of it's in my signature below.

I admire your forward planning, but you'll be long dead by 3017!

 

[DCLane]

I admire your forward planning, but you'll be long dead by 3017!

But given there's a Strava record already of the ride you must at least admire my ability to time travel

 

[T4tomo]

But given there's a Strava record already of the ride you must at least admire my ability to time travel

and to complete LEL in whatever millennium

 

[teebs]

Thanks for all the responses, really helpful!