Bikepacking London to the Lake District by canal

Thanks for the corrections, anorak, both the changes to the path and, as you say, that section is the Bridgwater, it doesn’t become the L&L until further West. The Bridgwater, for the OP, is unusual in not belonging to Canal & Rivers Trust like most canals in England & Wales.

Happy to help with any planning you do.
As others have said. It sounds like a great plan but I’d take parts of that Komoot route and mix it up with local knowledge from people on here.
I’d agree with podgeskeeper, I’ve been up and down the whole of the Staffordshire sections recently and I’d absolutely miss out the Great Haywood to Stone section.
Get off the canal at the grounds of Shugborough Hall and head through there to Milford (bike shop, pub and Wimpey all within 50m).
From there I’d use a mix of cycle paths, the Staffs & Worcs canal and a few roads to get to the north of Stafford. NCR5 to Aston by Stone and you’ll rejoin the canal where the good surface begins once again, this lasts all the way into Stoke.
Once in Stoke I’d then be looking at completely changing the Komoot route, I’d do a short stretch on the Caldon Canal and get off at Abbey Hulton Football Club. This is where the Biddulph Valley Way starts, it’s approx 10 miles of good surfaces all the way to rejoin the canal on the edge of Congleton.
Good luck with the planning, drop me a message if you need route files etc.

Thanks sl80, if you have route files for those sections I’d be grateful for a copy! Its just such a long route that there is so so much to look at, and half the time I have no idea where these places are. However, my geography is definitely improving. Slowly.

I ride the Lancaster canal a fair bit, it’s pretty overgrown at Preston end despite starting on tarmac. Lulls u into a false sense of making progress, after 5 miles it was so overgrown I was pushing. It’s the knee high grass with about 6 inches width of path at worst, near kirkham.

Lancaster north to carnforth is good, just have to slow down at each bridge as u just can’t see if it’s clear.

Dm me if near Lancaster if u need anything, live just by bridge 118. Good fish and chip shop at packet bridge a couple of bridges north.

For anyone still following this thread, I have discovered an amazing webpage http://www.canalcycling.co.uk/ with excellent details about which parts of which canals are good to ride. Obviously he hasn’t ridden every canal in the UK but it looks to me like he’s trying!
For anyone interested in my mapping progress report, I’m incorporating the suggestions above slowly slowly.

That’s pretty good.
Not the most exciting mission, but admirable nonetheless.

as poolman says, Garstang to Lancaster is fine, and north to Carnforth.

as others have said, 60 miles a days on a canal will be harder than it sounds.