Any suggestions for 2 day off-road cycle tours?

Looking for non-technical options (eg gravel roads / old tracks), circular routes, with an overnight accomodation option (don’t want to bivvy or camp in winter). Happy with long distances and hills, don’t mind the odd stretch of quiet lane, and a warm pub at the end of the day would be ace 🙂

Recommendations anyone?

UK? If so, have a look at the Sustrans website. Plenty of ideas on there.

the C2C? you didn’t say what you’ve already done but the C2C has to be on the list. Most sites suggest doing it in 3 days but you could easily do it in 2.

UK – yes

Circular if possible (so although C2C looks good, it doesn’t end where we started 🙂 )

Callender, sustrans to killin, road to Crianlarich WHW to bridge of Orchy, estate road to Glen Lyon, Wee back road To Killin. back to Callendar on sustrans. ONly one stretch of big road some loverly bits of offroad, some great scenery and wildlife

North Yorkshire Moors route. mixture of on and offroad, all good.
park in pickering, lanes through lasting ham to gillamoor.
over rudland rig to blowerth crossing. right across farndale moor to the lion inn for lunch.
lanes to danby head, bw over glaisdale moor, then over glaisdale rig.
overnight at either glaisdale, egton bridge or grosmont.

return via fylingdales moor, to hole of horcum, lockton to pickering
or through langdale forest and dalby forest to pickering.

wish I was coming with you………… 😀

Thanks TJ and Ton – both sound good 🙂 I’ll dig out my maps and have a more detailed look.

Any other suggestions?

How off-road are you after? Sandstone Way is worth a look, proper MTB but non-technical and can be done in two (fairly big) days. Train connections from Newcastle for start/finish.

Off-road is good – hard tail mtb bike packing, but more about miles and scenery than technical challenge.

Will have a look into the Sandstone Trail as well – thanks 🙂

how about canals

train to Bath and E back to Reading on Kennet and Avon (*other canals and stations are available)
or Reading (Ridgeway to Swindon, railway path to Marlborough
, thru Savernalke to canal or other way

sorry – sleeper – Inverness Caledonian Way/Canal FortW sleeper

Just make up a loop you fancy in the lakes, best scenic paths in the UK, bar parts of scotland perhaps. Loads of easy cycle paths now and you have plenty of options for a bit of gnar if you fancy it and mix it up with a trip on a ferry or up a real mountain, loads of little villages, pubs , campsites and youth hostels. Plus right next to the M6 and served by several train stations.

Just for info Sue, Sandstone way, not Sandstone trail. I was looking at the wrong one, the “trail” is not for bikers apparently. The “way” certainly is!! 🙂

http://www.sandstoneway.co.uk/

Here’s one we did earlier this year in the Derbyshire Dales – links below show the route. Did an overnight stop at the YHA in Eyam rather than stopping at Bamford so Day #1 got a bit longer.

Day 1: http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=cdiojiismpwaabmj
Day 2: http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=ayovtpoijstqzrop

I’ve been looking into routes around Bristol and Bath, as it’s a fascinating and varied area in terms of sights, history, geography etc, plus fantastic for nature watchers. Take in some of the coastal paths around Avonmouth and Portishead, then into the Mendips, round to Bath, then maybe up through the Cotswolds, then back round and down to Bristol. Lots of alternatives, and plenty of places to stay warm and dry.

Yorkshire Dales? Plenty of old-skool type trails that are mostly usable whatever the weather (sheet ice or deep snow excepted of course). Even the roads are pretty quiet at the moment so any linking bits aren’t going to be a problem. Not sure what B&Bs are still open at this time of year but most of the pubs will still be doing accommodation. No mention of distance, you could do something based on this year’s Yorkshire Dales 200 http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=hmmzewrpjadrxafc Keeping to the west means you aren’t too far from the Settle – Carlisle railway so there’s a bail-out option if the weather doesn’t play ball.

Also another vote for The Sandstone Way. Worth noting that the train from Newcastle to Hexham (or vice-versa) will only take two bikes – after you stop at the Metro Centre you’ll realise why!

Sue, how about the Gaick pass as an anti-clockwise loop?

Start at the south end on the A9 by the northerly Trinafour junction, travel north on a mix of good estate roads and a short section of very sweet singletrack by the top loch. Continue north into Glen Tromie through to the Spey valley and then head west past the Ruthven barracks ruins. Overnight at Newtonmore, where the pub is very good.

Day two, ride west past Laggan Wolftrax (café) on the road, then head south at Ardverickie over to Loch Pattack, loop around past Ben Alder Lodge, east again to Dalwhinnie and back to the start on the Sustrans route near and beside the A9. You could do it on a CX bike but it would be more fun on an xc-ish hardtail. Highly recommended.

Sue, have you looked on the bearbones website? They have a routes section in the forum. There are also write-ups etc of other riders.

Thanks all – lots to look in to … time to get out the maps and start planning 🙂

When you look at the maps for my route there appears to be a gap in the tracks alongside loch Lyon – actually its good estate road all the way.

You can avoid some of the road killin to crianlarich by continuing along the old railway line but its not been converted to cycleway – a couple of fences to lift over. Halves the amount of road work