Howdy all. I’ve got to get myself from Coombe Abbey near Coventry by train and bike the week after next.

Option 1) ride to Nuneaton, train to Chesterfield, ride 12 miles from there to Great Longstone. Couple of little roads to choose from, not much between them

2) ride to Rugby or Nuneaton, train to Macclesfield, ride to GL from there. Cat and fiddle and Monsall trail
Questions – is C&F OK enough to ride, or better to choose the littler roads either side? – I’d be on it evening rush hour, not much I can do about that. And is Monsall trail OK on 33c slicks, or would 50c be advisable?

3) get off a stop early and ride from Stoke though Cheadle and up the Manifold trail and The Rake. Looks like a genuinely nice ride. 40 miles maybe a bit stiff on top of 17 earlier in the day and wake, though.

Any thoughts? Hints? Tips? Facts?

And you can choose my bike as well, if you like. Singular Peregrine with 11 of the speeds and 50c WTB Ventures or a Ralaigh Randonneur, 10 of the speeds and 33c slicks.

I used to ride on the Monsal trail on 28mm gatorskins no probs at all

Cat & Fiddle is fine but then I’ve always been perfectly happy on busy / fast roads. You could go through Langley and then follow the road round past the Leather’s Smithy then up past the Stanley Arms. Actually, having just looked, that’s one of the routes google maps recommends. It’s a bit further though.

https://m.cyclestreets.net

Try this, select quietest and it’ll pick up bridleways and tracks.

What’s the stop before stoke?

Monsal is fine on a road bike – although if it’s wet it’ll be kinda gritty.
I don’t mind C&F, doing it Macc to Buxton is the best route IMO.

You can drop southeast a bit from Macc and then go through Macc Forest if you want a bit more gravel (LOADS of routes through there!) and then out the other side will take you up to C&F at Peak View Cafe.

Thanks all! I’ll check the app jekkyl. Stop before Macc is Stoke. Or at least where I’d have to change trains onto a stopper for Macc.

I’ll check Macc forest as well, cheers cl.

The weather will probably be the it deciding factor, and how much on I want to stay and chat to people at the wake.  The ride from Stoke looks lovely, but from the look of the forecasts available now, it doesn’t look likely that it’s going to be a gorgeous, itinerary-extending kind of day!

I wouldn’t ride the Cat and Fiddle if I could avoid it, and there are plenty ways to avoid it

You can canal and quiet road to the Manifold trail from Stoke, it’s really nice. I ride it frequently. Then north to Longnor.

I looked at the canal path NW from Stoke, looked nice but probably slow going? And added a few miles as well. If I do take the long route, it can’t be long and slow as well!  Need to get back to family at a decent time.

My mate sometimes road rides to Longsdon from Stoke then we jump on the canal there.

Cheers Mick, I’ll check that route.

I’d make sure you have proper mudguards if going the canal route with how the weather has been of late.

Cat and Fiddle – nice on a dry, still day, in the week. Total hell on a weekend, or if its rainy or blowing.

I’d make sure you have proper mudguards if going the canal route with how the weather has been of late.

Randonneur has full guards, so that’ll be another deciding factor!  Even more given that I’ve got to ride to the wake in the morning as well.

Cat and Fiddle – nice on a dry, still day, in the week. Total hell on a weekend, or if its rainy or blowing.

5, 6,7pm on a Thursday, weather tbd!

weather = reasonable, dry and even a tailwind, Need to change trains at trains at Stoke anyway for Macc, so the longer route from Stoke only adds 20mins or so. Sticking to roads as far as poss given the recent weather and 26 miles earlier in the day.

https://www.komoot.com/tour/1506047744

and f*** cancer, obvs.