Forum menu
With all the hoo hah about the Kielder 100 and the South Downs Way, it occurred to me that there are obviously a bunch of people out there who are capable of doing long rides, and that it would be nice if there were some good long routes in other areas of the country, sort of like a 'benchmark' route for various areas where there is lots of riding. I think these could be a whole lot harder than the South Downs Way too, which whilst it is hillyish, is mainly pretty easy riding.
Thinking more, it'd be nice if there were 50 mile and 100 mile routes, a long challenging route for fit people and a shorter route that pretty much anyone could do given a whole day to ride it in.
The neat thing about long rides is that they kind of force you to not just include the honeypot obvious trails, and you can include some good trails that are a bit further out from the obvious stuff.
As an example, in the White Peak - a pretty decent 50 miler across the centre of the White Peak, taking in a bunch of stuff, starting from Matlock (or Darley Dale, Bakewell, Baslow, Monsal Head, Rowsley for those coming into the Peak from North or West):
http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?lnk=http://www.cs.nott.ac.uk/~jqm/Long_Matlock.gpx
One day, probably once the kid is somewhat older and lower maintenance, I will manage to take a whole long day out and do this one - 100 miles into the White Peak from nearish to my house, taking in most of the really good legal* riding in the White Peak. I've ridden all of it, just not in one day (yet!)
http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?lnk=http://www.cs.nott.ac.uk/~jqm/White_Peak_Long.gpx
I can imagine that locals in other areas would be able to make up some pretty great 100 and 50 mile routes - there must be a good one across the Dark Peak, tons of possible ones in the Cairngorms and the rest of Scotland, Dartmoor, Quantocks etc. I can think up some pretty nice ones in the Surrey Hills / North Downs, although I'm very out of touch with the trails down there, so I'm sure someone local could do better.
50 mile routes would be great for when you were going to a new area too - to be able to get a sensible day route that was designed to be a long route, rather than having to piece together the pretty short routes in the guidebooks to make a whole days riding.
Anyone else have any ideas for long routes in your area?
Joe
i could take you on several around scotland BUT i would never want to have an event like keilder on them......
surface cant take it - you really have to be selective about when you ride certain trails in scotland otherwise you really leave your mark !
There's a route from Plymouth to Minehead, crossing Dartmoor and Exmoor, its around 112 miles and its possible to do it in a day (20hours).
[url= http://www.mbruk.co.uk/mbruk_WestcountryWay_details.htm ]mbruk WestcountryWay[/url]
i could take you on several around scotland BUT i would never want to have an event like keilder on them......surface cant take it - you really have to be selective about when you ride certain trails in scotland otherwise you really leave your mark !
Yeah, I wasn't thinking about events - that White Peak route I posted would be a nightmare as an event - lots of tight tracks that would be a pain for overtaking, a few sections that would be quite likely to have walkers on etc. More just as an interesting set of challenges for people to go out and do for themselves, like the South Downs Way is, and that West Country Way that Dibbs just posted.
Joe
west highland way double 😉
They were publicising the http://www.artemishighland100.com/ at my work the other day. Looks like it could be pretty good but it looks like there are quite a lot of road sections.
I've plotted one out in my area which is basically a route that zig zags the Ridgeway from Ivinghoe Beacon. At the midway point there is an established 36 mile xc route/loop. Once that's completed you head back in a straight line taking a flatter lower level route or a tougher higher route.
All pure off road and not far from London.
Though hard to plot exactly it's easilly 100 miles plus. Strangely I can't find anyone to do it with.
pitfichie - mither tap - bennachie and the other one i forget the name of .... popular long distance route here in aberdeen - gears only ... the foot path up bennachie and mithertap are like walls!
I always like the sound of big days out in the Peaks - on Friday I rode from Nottingham via Ashover to bivvy on Stanton Moor (above Birchover) and rode home on Saturday via Milford and Ilkeston. 50+ miles each way, very satisfying to complete 🙂
I did a monstrous loop from and back to Sheffield Railway Station last summer taking in Stanage, Mam Tor, Hayfield, Edale, Ladybower, Cutgate and Wharncliffe. Something like 80 miles, but it took us 14 hours and was more than enough for me.
We rode this a couple of months ago.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3684305
Train to Richmond, along the Thames, over the North Downs then onto the Downs Link and along the South Downs Way. 110 miles in the end. Probably 90% off road.
We actually did it in two days - bivvy on the South Downs - but plan to do it in a single day as prep for the Kielder 100.
Oldgit - I may be up for a ridgeway ride and know a few others that might be too.
The problem I've found with long routes is navigation. If you don't know where you are going and you are planning a 50+ mile ride you need to allow quite a length of time extra for map reading etc. I was surprised that on a recent 60 mile ride we spent 7 hours riding, about an hour navigating (the difference between my computer timer which only counts when moving and my watch) and about an hour fixing one fairly serious mechanical and a couple of punctures. So unless the navigation is easy or you know large sections of the route then it's tricky to get them in in one day.
If you want easy navigation then Kielder- Newcastleton can be a nice 50 miles. There's a route from Dalby round the red and out to the coast which is about 50 miles (MBR killer loop?). You could do a Glentress/Innerleithen 50 (GT black, Innerleithen, GT red).
i tend to ride long routes as a series of shorter rides before i attempt in one hit to minimise the fuss
i'm doing the Ridgeway with the british heart foundation this year
http://www.bhf.org.uk/get_involved/take_part_in_our_events/event_finder/view_event.aspx?ps=1000792
The problem I've found with long routes is navigation. If you don't know where you are going and you are planning a 50+ mile ride you need to allow quite a length of time extra for map reading etc. I was surprised that on a recent 60 mile ride we spent 7 hours riding, about an hour navigating (the difference between my computer timer which only counts when moving and my watch) and about an hour fixing one fairly serious mechanical and a couple of punctures. So unless the navigation is easy or you know large sections of the route then it's tricky to get them in in one day.
On new rides, I use either a gps (and make sure I have enough batteries), or I've done rides with paper map print outs - that 50 miler above took 4 a4 sheets, printed them out from bikehike.co.uk for free. Fold up the paper, stick them in your jersey pocket in a sandwich bag - only takes a second to get it out then, saves loads of time over getting out the big OS map, I think I can't have spent more than a few minutes navigating on the bits of route I didn't know already.
Joe
Trans Cambrian Way is a good 100 mile route - it is part of my Kielder 100 training to get that done in a day, then bivvy out and ride back on the road the next day. As far as nav goes, a GPS coupled with paper maps (on A4 sheets) works a treat.
Pennine Bridleway? Long route, well signposted and over 100 miles at the moment.
Still on my will do one day list
I did the Ridgeway from Ivinghoe heading West in 1990 it was great as there were few mountain bikers then and the trails were very quiet .It's lacking in Bridleway until you get nearer Streatley though