[Closed] Anyone ridden the Way of the Roses C2C?

a couple of weeks back: mrs antigee and chatting companions W to East in 3 days and me and my drinking partner E to West to pick car up from start in a couple of days

favourably impressed - 100% on road (or cyclepath) the way we did it
but almost all on very nice country lanes with good views and in October very little traffic (not sure how the section past Stump Cross would be at hieght of tourist season) I would say much more consistent quality than the Whitehaven/Tynemouth C2C which I wouldn't bother with doing again but I would with this one.

The Lancaster to Pately bridge and beyond section is hilly and the profiles on the route map don't lie - also the mapping/signing much much better than some other routes I've done but navigating York isn't easy

We stayed in Ripon at the Wetherspoons Unicorn Hotel - nice rooms usual Wetherspoons beer and food
Mrs antigee particularly liked Wharfe View B&B in Burnsall

Agree with the above. I think it is best of the C2Cs I've done. York is a pain & eastbound the descent into Pately Bridge needs care especially in the wet. If eastbound the last 70 miles is pretty flat so I'd factor that into any planning. Other than that I think it is a nice, varied route.

Nice one, that all sounds really encouraging. I've fancied a C2C for a while now and this one did sound like a good one. You've just backed that up.

Cheers

Think we are going to do this next year as we can start at my folks house (rather than Lancaster)

First half are all the roads I used to do as a kid in the old roadie days.

Did it in April this year, it's a great route and ideal for groups with mixed abilities as there are plenty of pubs to stop and wait for slower people, the climb out of Settle (West to East direction) is a real killer though. Morecambe was a bit like a scene form Shaun of the dead though.
East of York was much more scenic than I thought it would be and not all flat, fantastic descent into Pately bridge.

I did it in Spring and enjoyed it. I bivvied overnight near York as I got a late start. Tough climbs West of York but it is a nice trip. With a minor shortcut reckon easily done in a day in summer if so desired.

You do earn that descent to Pateley Bridge though...

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/article/police-warn-of-accident-danger-on-way-of-the-roses-32019/

easily done in a day in summer if so desired.

rudedog pately bridge descent - a useful warning after so many low traffic miles i think sustrans have put a warning on map and website - it's a tough call, narrowish for type of road and much more traffic than other sections

I did it twice this year, once in early April and once in late September. It was great fun both times. The first was with an unfit friend and the second with a large group of mixed abilities, so we went in three days, split with overnight stays at Malham and York, and it was very steady.

Very doable in two days for anyone of moderate fitness. I'm hoping to do it in one day next year but it'll be going some. I think someone has already done it in about 16 hours.

I'd advise 25c tyres at least, it's pretty broken up in places. As others have said, the drop into Pateley Bridge is quite character building, especially if loaded with panniers...

I have the gpx files if you want them, drop me a line if you do.

Apologies for the thread resurrection but been looking into this a bit further. How have you people who have done the WotR route got back to your vehicles? Been looking at the trains and they seem really expensive and very slow. I wasn't expecting an express service but at around 5 hours and well over £50 it all sounds a bit much.

How have you done it?

i'm planning to do this on a fixed wheel with only a bar bag and seat pack. may camp but depends on the weather. looks like a nice route 🙂

why not park in Leeds, get the direct train to Morcambe and then a train back to Leeds from Brid?

My advice would be to NOT have two people drive over to Bridlington, leave one car there, drive all the way over to Morecambe, ride the whole thing, eat chips on the prom, jump in the car left at Brid, drive all the way back to Morecambe before going your seperate ways

...as this makes for a looooong day 😀

Just looked at direct trains after drinkmoreport's suggestion. As we're both in Sheffield it actually seems to work out best and cheapest to get a train from here to Morecambe, ride the route then train straight home and not use a car at all.

Nice one Mr Port sir

TD, my riding partner doesn't drive so that wouldn't really work unfortunately

your very welcom. i'll be doing just that too 😀

Hmmm..

This sounds like a plan.

🙂

Does look good looking at the website... Goes past my old house in York...

If I did it again I would avoid going through York as it's a pain (lots of stop/start, congested roads and cycle paths) and go north of the city to get to Stamford Bridge. Otherwise it is a great route.

One thing to consider is that you can't book bikes on the train at Brid so this might become an issue if the route becomes more popular. One friend cycled to the east coast on a busy weekend, hoping to get the train back, and ended up cycling home through the night to get to work as the train was too full...