I’m planning to ride from Manchester City Centre to Leeds City Centre next weekend and was wondering if anyone can recommend a decent route to avoid any busy roads etc?

cheers

a62 to be fair isnt all that bad.
everyone uses the motorway, so it leaves it not too busy.

Good stuff, cheers.

I’d go out through Ashton and Stalybridge, then Greenfield > Isle o’Skye road (which is a lovely ride) > Meltham > Hudds and then try to avoid the A62 especially around Ikea!

Thanks Teaboy, don’t suppose you have something in google maps or similar do you?

I was looking at the following route as well

https://goo.gl/maps/4Hlin

takes you through Hebden Bridge

the route you have choose there, is far busier than the a62. the road from hebden bridge to Bradford is a complete nightmare.

Hudds and then try to avoid the A62 especially around Ikea!

I’d try the A58 Whitehall Road through Drighlington around that point.

<Edit> Which I see you have on that map. Skip Todmorden / Hebden and go straight over the top of Blackstone to Ripponden (much nicer than the valley road as long as you don’t mind the climb but I think it’s worth it)…and then I’d climb again straight over to greetland/Elland.

Also I’d go around Rochdale via Milnow and Hollingworth lake (leading to the A58 over Blackstone edge..A663 ?)

</Edit>

I would go teaboys way if the weather is half decent, the isle of skye road is great. Avoid it if visibility is poor.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I’m trying to get teaboys route via google maps or something similar.

Does anyone have it? I’m not the best with mapping!!

not sure if this will work?

http://app.strava.com/activities/132695668

I wouldn’t go for the valley road through Calderdale either – it’s often busy.

Sorry – hadn’t seen this.

Emailed you this: http://ridewithgps.com/trips/678895

It’s the outward leg from Greenfield to Meltham.

Everyone, many thanks for the help with this. All great advice.
Cheers

I’ve come up with a couple more options below, how do these look?

https://goo.gl/maps/jBm0m

https://goo.gl/maps/lYcX8

If your going via Blackstone Edge, may as well do the Cragg Vale descent, more interesting the going into Ripponden, then up into Halifax, then towards Bradford via Northowram on the A6036, then towards Tong, then the A58 Drig (Whitehall Road).

I’m not that great with doing maps and don’t really know the area that well. If anyone fancies putting a route together start and end postcode is below. Virtual Beer will of course be free flowing 🙂

any help would be very welcome. Cheers.

M3 3NW
LS1 3BE

The Calderdale road isn’t too bad, can be busy but i don’t find it worrisome.
How about Littleborough-Blackstone Edge-Sowerby Bridge? You do of course miss the Cragg Vale descent but the descent off the back of Blackstone Edge is pretty good – the TdF is using it!

If your going via Blackstone Edge, may as well do the Cragg Vale descent, more interesting the going into Ripponden,

I prefer the descent to Ripponden finding Cragg as a descent pretty dull . The section of the valley Road from Mytholmroyd to Halifax is the busiest and fastest car section of that road and the one I prefer to avoid.