Road Q…route from Manchester – Chichester (West Sussex)

Right heres the deal…I will be driving up t’north to spend some time with my father before he heads back to NZ.

My partner has to leave on the Sunday evening – and I will stay on to see him off on his flight at Mcr airport on Monday morning.

Plan

Take touring bike with me and pedal back from Mcr – Chichester in West Sussex. Im not back at work until Thursday…so 2.5 days basically.

I dont relish the prospect of just following A roads and would love to plan a route that takes me through some nice places (countryside). I could shorten the route/ start from somewhere else by catching the train to another start point…

Ideas please

That’s 250 miles according to AA maps: http://www.theaa.com/route-planner/classic/planner_places_redirect.jsp

I would avoid the Midlands and start somewhere south of Brum.

This weekend I did a long road ride where I found googlemaps a good route outliner, I then dragged the marker points away from city centres on the way and traced that route onto some AA map pages. I made a few bits up as I went (minor roads used when a A-road turned out to be more main than I wanted) and when I checked the mileage, all the added diversions only put 7% or so on the overall distance. Nice to have the freedom to do that if time isn’t a limiter.
250 miles over 2-2.5 days should mean you can take the scenic route at a steady pace and the midlands isn’t too bad, I found some nice roads there but it’s impossible to avoid some dull sections over that kind of distance.
Edit to add, if you’re on the right side of mcr the peak dist would be a cracking start for heading SE.

Thanks guys…

I have always wanted to cycle from N to S wales along some of the less travelled roads…and this is niggling away in my brain. Its a bit of a detour away from Mcr though (?train to Rhyl) then would mean a train the end from Cardiff … which might be a bit too tight on time?

Chester to Cardiff ?

But like the idea of door to door so to speak…ahhhh choices

I’m sure you can easily piece together a ‘back roads’ route from door to door, just spend a couple of hours on Google Streetview/Bike Hike checking out roads, agree the Midlands will be your issue. I’d go west of Birmingham, then down through Oxfordshire/Berkshire.

How about heading SW out through Cheshire into Shropshire, down through Ludlow and Hereford. Either fork left to go through the Malverns and down through Gloucester or carry on down through the Forest of Dean to Chepstow then to the old Severn Crossing and go over the cycle path there.

After that, see if you can find the route map from the Endura Lionheart Sportive cos that uses some beautiful country lanes through the Wiltshire countryside down towards Salisbury.

Edit: route map HERE
Pick it up at Longleat and follow it SE towards Salisbury, it’s all on gorgeous little lanes. Once you get to Salisbury though, you’re on your own, I don’t know that area!

I’ve done Reading to Chichester on rural roads, ploting a route was easy enough just gogole maps and avoid anything that looks busy.

If I were you I’d plan it like this.

Day 1) (half day) Train to somewhere ~50 miles from Bristol or Bath, ride to Bristol or Bath, stay at a YHA.
Day 2) Ride to Reading, IIRC there’s two options, a quiet ish road route or the cannal.
Day 3) Reading – Chichester

Alternatives to Reading would be a good idea, it’s a s*** hole. I only suggest it as I know it links quite well to Bristol/Bath and Chichester.

Crazy-legs…yep thats the one. I lost my dear mother this year ( suddenly to aggressive Ca) and she died in a hospice in Shrewsbury.
I would lie to include a visit to the hospice if possible.

So yep that part of the country is a must.

I remember cycling through that part of the world during my JOGLE in 2007…will try and avoid the busier roads this time.

You genius loving the Kennet Avon canal suggestion

Though starting in Shrews is going to be a long trip – 268 miles= not doable in time frame.

Brack, I’ve got some gpx files from doing LEJOG earlier this year, we went through Ludlow and most of it was on pretty quiet roads. Tell me your email address, I’ll send through the relevant files (but bear in mind you’ll need to reverse them – we went over the Severn then through Chepstow and up the Wye Valley and had an overnight in Ludlow).

The Kennet & Avon Canal is dull dull dull (apart from Caen Locks) and a pita when you have to cross roads and path changes from one side of the road to another.

Mind you, going mid-week would avoid Joe Public and their dogs and children,

Surface is good though but I understand that from around Pewsey onwards it changes and not for the better.

Agree with crazy-legs re the Wiltshire lanes – gorgeous part of the county although you may wish that you were riding off-road!

OK 😕