I am trying to paln a 6 day solo tour. Can start from anywhere but need to ride home or get train to Sheffield. Never toured before and am planning on camping. Options I'm considering are -
Start in Yorkshire Dales or Lake district and take in Lakes or Dales and head north towards Alston.
Do C2C from Whitehaven then home using Sustrans trails and take in Arkengarthdale in the Dales.
Or head to North Wales.
I'm thinking first 2 are best idea. Am tempted by C2C but not sure about how nice the ride back from Newcastle / Sunderland will be. Kind of thinking that just starting in Yorkshire / Lakes and taking a tour home may be better, but as I'm up that way may as well do C2C. Main thing I'm not sure about is route back from Tyneside, I guess it comes down to how good a route it is and whether theres better cycling in Lakes / Dales.
Any other questins / suggestions / advice / discussions much appreciated as I only have a week or 2 left to organise myself.
C2C then back by the Rievers or the W2W (Walney to Wear).
I've been looking at parts of the Yorkshire cycleway to get from Coniston to Hull. Getting up country you could always go from Sheffield up the Trans Pennine Trail link to Leeds then through the town centre on the cycle route on the canal up to Skipton then circuit round the Dales and the North Pennines.
I can really recommend the 'Lon Las Cymru' - Hollyhead to Cardiff or Chepstow.
It was my first tour and loved it. Took 5 days singlespeed. I reckon with gears you could make it there and back in 7.
My parents live in Baildon so can stop there for a night / ride a day with my dad. Didn't know you could get as far as Skipton from Leeds city centre on the canal!
Alex - Are yu suggesting Holyhead to Cardiff then back toSheffield in 7 days?
Much as I'd like to take in alot of places, I don't want to feel the need to put ina s many miles as possible, but then I could always get the train.. however I'm not sure how accomodating our amazing rail ifnrastructure would be for an unreserved bike.
I'm just going on what the map says - hence a post elsewhere about the TPT from Selby to Hull. There are though green dots on that there tow path. I've gone for dodging round the back of Leeds by doing Skipton - Ilkley - Otley - Selby. Not looking forward to the climb up past the Cow and Calf.
I've ridden from Leeds to Keighley on the canal so I guess Skipton isn't that massive a leap of belief.
The main thing that puts me off around alot of these places, is that when you look at the maps is the massive built up areas so any routes like you suggest around Leeds would be appreciated, particulalrly a quiet route out of Newcastle or Sunderland into the country would be appreciated.
C2C rail trail or cycle way most of the way through or two the city.
Footprint maps used to do a good map for Hadrians Wall - Tyne Valley giving a range of routes along the tyne.
The NE is fairly much riddled with old railway lines that have been turned into bike routes. South Tyneside council website has a cycling section showing all the routes in Sunderland - Newcastle area. Durham County Council prob has a web page for the rail trials in Durham.
Going further north there is the Sustrans Coast and Castles route to Edinburgh from Newcaslte.
Pieface - no sorry, Hollyhead - cardiff/chepstow - Hollyhead in 7 days (at a guess).
You could always get a train to Bangor, cycle leisurely (as I did) to Cardiff then train back to Sheffs.
Just a suggestion. The route takes in some really nice parts of Wales.
Thanks for the suggestions.
I'm now thinking Wales could be good.... I don't know mid Wales paricularly well but then the relative familiarity of the North is reassuring, but then I'm after a bit of an adventure....
Choices choices...
What are peoples xperience of getting on a train with a bike, without a reservation / advanced booking and travelling a couple of hours that will invariably involve a change?
I figure late Friday afternoons (or any late afternoons) are a bad idea