planning a route for the summer. heading south from Milngavie, looking for the best or quietest options.
the 2nd city divide route looks a bit pony.
and the Great North Trail route looks a bit round the houses.
i dont mind quiet lanes if there is a decent direct route.............. ?
I guess it depends where you want to end up. In my mind, I’d be looking at the nice canal towpaths into Glasgow via Kirkintilloch etc, then bike lanes over and out to the south side, then similar out to Kilmarnock, and then quieter Ayrshire roads down to the western side of the borders. I haven’t actually looked at a map though !
What is your final destination? Is it road routes?
What is your final destination? Is it road routes?
sunny old Leeds. a mixture of lanes and tracks is the aim...... not to offroad.
John Muir Way
From Abingdon onwards the 2nd city divide to thr border looks good.
If you want to straighten out and flatten the fiest section from Glasgow I would suggest heading along north bank of Clyde to Dalmarnock then taking A724 to Hamilton before picking up the B7078 which runs beside the M74 then cut off at Abingdon.
The A724 is a main road but no busy as long distance traffic is on the M74. Apart from the towns it is wide and has a cycle lane much of the way.
I can't say it is all scenic but there is only so much you can do riding through big cities.
Milngavie to Glasgow. I live in Milngavie. My direct route is the A81 Maryhill Rd all the way in. A mix of mainly 30mph with sections of cycle lane. Traffic everywhere slow enough no issues. A nice alternative is from Dawsholme Rd take Kelvin Walkway. Direct and easy to follow. From Kelvingrove Park head for SECC then the Clydeside.
You could head from Kelvingrove through the city centre - Sauchiehall St etc but that will be slower due to traffic lights etc.
As BoardingBob suggests, I would jump on the John Muir Way and stick to the canal and backroads version to Edinburgh. Then find a quiet route through to Leadburn and do the Ride to the Sun route in reverse ,but head to Penrith rather than Carlisle. Down through the Dales and you should know where you are going by then. 👍 🙃
Talla Reservoir on the 2nd City Route. I was there this spring. Grand scenery and pretty much zero traffic.
Actually, thinking about it,scrub the RTTS route and maybe find a way down to Innerleithen from Edinburgh (Heriot-Dewar-Colquhar*),then across through Traquair to pick up the B709 and head to Langholm (via Eskdalemuir) and on to Penrith. I have only done the Penrith to Innerleithen roads once (ages ago)going north, but they were pretty quiet.
* I have never used these roads,so maybe some of the Edinburgh crowd could say if they are a good option or not