Yet another LEJOG route advice thread ;)

[James Morley]

Hi, I am setting off on 22 August on a 9-day, 1,000 mile LEJOG ride. I'll be on a road bike and am reasonably used to doing good distances - I've already done 4,000 miles this year including about nine >100 mile rides. I completed Ride London 100 on Sunday in a shade over 5 hours. I will be riding solo, but from Day 3 onwards my parents will be giving support in their campervan. Day 1 is a circuitous route via Lizard back to the holiday cottage my family are staying in near Padstow, and Day 2 is a route I know well to a friend's wonderful (and very cycle friendly) B&B on the southern edge of Exmoor (www.streamcombefarm.co.uk).

Beyond that though I'm in new territory! I have planned a tentative route and tried to take on as much as I can from all the excellent posts on here and elsewhere, but often the types of road or general direction don't quite fit with my overall plan (not that I wouldn't change it if needs be).

I'd be hugely grateful if anyone with LEJOG experience or local knowledge could take a look at my planned route at https://www.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ms...&ll=53.149241,-2.669678&spn=0.627591,1.121979

I'm after anything from general 'why are you going that way' advice, to 'if you just tweak that you'll skirt around a huge hill'

Aside from the first two days, there are two other factors that are pretty much immovable - the route through the Lakes was suggested by a cycling friend who I am staying with near Bassenthwaite. And the following day I am meeting another cycling friend on route in Dumfries.

Cheers, James

 

[Brandane]

I would avoid the A77 Ayr by-pass, too busy and a lot of HGVs.. Easily avoided by carrying straight on at the roundabout where A713/A77 intersect. Head for the coast and there is a cycle route right along the side of the beach.
I would also avoid the A78 to Largs. Again, there is a good off road option. From the west side of the Prestwick airport runway, turn left at the runway approach lights. There is a paved and sign posted path all the way through Troon (through the golf course) and onto Irvine, Kilwinning, Saltcoats and Ardrossan. From Ardrossan head up to West Kilbride, then down through a private road at Hunterston estate (at the nuclear power station), through Fairlie where another left turn takes you onto a new paved route to Largs. From there, good choice you have made to go via Loch Thom to Gourock. Don't know that I would choose the west coast route that you have done; I would be tempted to follow the sustrans route over Erskine Bridge to Dumbarton and then north east to Balloch, Drymen, and eventually to Pitlochry, Aviemore and Inverness.

Any more info on this section, just shout. It's my playground! .... Good luck with the ride.

Edit: Ahh, upon a second reading, I see you are doing this in 9 days! That will be why you're sticking with some main routes, presumably. You could still avoid the A78 where it by-passes Stevenston, Saltcoats and Ardrossan. The "old" road which goes through the 3 towns is actually the old A78 and is now very quiet since the building of the "new" A78. Flatter too; the by-pass goes up a hill to the east of the 3 towns while the old road goes along the coast.

 

[James Morley]

Thanks Brandane

I was just about to reply questioning the speed factor, then I saw your edit! What you say makes sense though so I have tweaked my route. I am actually planning on staying in Troon at the end of Day 6, so the approach (now missing the Ayr by-pass) will be late afternoon, then the next A78 stretch will be early the following morning, in this case Wednesday 28th August. If I am pushed for time, what do you think of skipping what looks like a lovely climb over to Loch Thom and sticking to the coast? I guess it's a question of how much quicker vs how much more horrible?!

 

[Brandane]

Thanks Brandane

I was just about to reply questioning the speed factor, then I saw your edit! What you say makes sense though so I have tweaked my route. I am actually planning on staying in Troon at the end of Day 6, so the approach (now missing the Ayr by-pass) will be late afternoon, then the next A78 stretch will be early the following morning, in this case Wednesday 28th August. If I am pushed for time, what do you think of skipping what looks like a lovely climb over to Loch Thom and sticking to the coast? I guess it's a question of how much quicker vs how much more horrible?!

The A78 between Largs and Skelmorlie is quite nasty for cycling IMHO... Too narrow with a metal railing to stop cars ending up on the shore, but only about a foot run off before the railing. Not nice. Couple that with lots of heavy traffic and it doesn;'t make for nice cycling. The other alternative is to take a left towards Routenburn golf club at the north end of Largs, over a minor road (starts with a steep climb) known locally as The Meigle. It takes you back onto the A78 just south of Skelmorlie and from there the road is a bit better as you are soon into a 30mph zone.

Loch Thom road is nice and distance wise only adds about 0.1 miles to your route according to BikeRouteToaster. Time wise maybe about 10 minutes due to the climb involved. Personally I would stick with Loch Thom.

 

[James Morley]

Loch Thom road is nice and distance wise only adds about 0.1 miles to your route according to BikeRouteToaster. Time wise maybe about 10 minutes due to the climb involved. Personally I would stick with Loch Thom.

Loch Thom it is then - an easy decision

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

The A49 between Whitchurch and Cuddington (Sandiway) is not pleasant to drive, let alone cycle. I avoid it despite living just off it in Cuddington. North of Cuddington upto Stockton Bridge it is actually fine to cycle and one I use frequently.. through Warrington - it is OK, but we are planning on avoiding it and heading over the M62 one junction to the west of the A49 to avoid the motorway junction. Not sure on what alternative south of here is available, but also there is a long slog of a climb out of Tarporley on the A49 which is not great either. - your Day 4.

Will try to suggest something for you in the next few days - I have to plan my own JOGLE route out of Cuddington heading south, though currently I am looking at heading over much closer to Chester, so avoid the A49 and using back lanes. Not sure what that would do with your route/timings etc - you are on a much faster E2E than we will be (next month).

 

[Licramite]

has anyone a route that is off road , bridlepaths, B roads, canal paths, tracks and trails.

 

[F70100]

has anyone a route that is off road , bridlepaths, B roads, canal paths, tracks and trails.

There's an "As traffic-free as possible" route here.

 

[Ajax Bay]

has anyone a route that is off road , bridlepaths, B roads, canal paths, tracks and trails.

As a start, have a look at NCN3 from LE all the way to Woolavington, (NE of Bridgwater) and then either NCN33 or cut across to Cheddar and use NCN26, to Clevedon. Then NCN410/NCN4 to and across the Severn Bridge and head north through (and over) the Forest of Dean. Lots of off road options there.
That's the first 500+km done with virtually no A roads and a bit of all your other rights of way options. Gets a lot harder to avoid A roads in Scotland.

 

[Ajax Bay]

has anyone a route that is off road , bridlepaths, B roads, canal paths, tracks and trails.

Have a look at this route which I've knocked up: image and Ride with GPS: "LEJOG - Almost NO A roads" I have done a fair proportion of this route either during my end-to-end or on other trips.
A quick check suggests about 25km of A roads in the first 1500km which gets you to Tain, excluding the "A" roads on Isle of Arran and on the Kintyre and Sunart peninsulas. Camel Trail north of Bodmin. Canal side through and NE of Taunton. Strawberry Line Axbridge to Yatton. Banks of the River Wye north of Ross. Cross Wenlock Edge to the Hope Dale SE of Shrewsbury. Cross Delamere Forest (S of Runcorn). Widnes/Runcorn Bridge. Mostly B roads through Widnes, St Helens, Billinge, Orrell, Ecclestone, to cycle path through Preston. NE to Slaidburn and across the 'Forest' of Bowland to the Lune valley. Tebay, Orton, Lyement valley to Penrith. Back roads to Carlisle and then Gretna. B roads across to but then bypass Dumfries and back roads up the Nith valley to Kirkconnel. B roads and back roads to Ardrossan. Ferry to Arran and then ferry again to Kintyre. N to Lochgilphead, then Crinan Canal side before turning N to Kilmartin. Off on B840 all the way up Loch Awe and then NCN route across to Oban. Ferry to Mull and then back to Sunart peninsula (mainland) on Fishnish/Lochaline ferry. Up W side of Loch Linnhe to Camusgaul ferry to Fort William (timings important - alternative is Corran ferry and up A82 or carry on right round Loch Eil - extra 30km). Good cycle path up the Great Glen: canal tow path and rougher track NW of Loch Lochy all the way to Fort Augustus (NB when are the Scots going to start renaming all these colonial/English monarchy/nobility names, I wonder). B862 and back roads to Inverness, SE of Loch Ness. Zigzag W and N to Dingwall and back road to Evanton, Alness and NCN route to Tain. Cross Dornoch Firth on A9 and(with some detours on back roads follow to Lothbeg (10km NE of Brora). Mountain road to Strath of Kildonan and up to Kinbrace, W to Syre and join Strath Naver to Bettyhill. NCN route E to JoG.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

has anyone a route that is off road , bridlepaths, B roads, canal paths, tracks and trails.

There is a dedicated mountainbike route iirc which is offroad. I gather it is quite hard. Is that what you are after?