Bikes and trains

[manxaccie]

hi, I have been taking my boy(8) cycling at the weekends and combining with his other passion - trains. He can only really cycle 10-12 miles in one go and needs to be flat. We live Glasgow area. So have done the likes of lochwinnoch, Paisley, Hamilton etc and coming back via local scotrail trains. I’m looking for a route near express train lines- virgin, cross country etc. Not to travel on, but just to watch fly by Shen cycling. Are Lockerbie or Abington areas fairly quiet and flat for kids? Cheers in advance, Stan.

 

[OneArmedBandit]

I don't know the area but my advice - from lots of days out with the trailer - would be

Check www.cycle.travel - this only ever suggests quiet routes suitable for kids and I have never encountered any steep hills.

Or check on RidewithGPS and look at routes with low metres climbing.

C.T is my favourite for kids routes though.

 

[Brandane]

hi, I have been taking my boy(8) cycling at the weekends and combining with his other passion - trains. He can only really cycle 10-12 miles in one go and needs to be flat. We live Glasgow area. So have done the likes of lochwinnoch, Paisley, Hamilton etc and coming back via local scotrail trains. I’m looking for a route near express train lines- virgin, cross country etc. Not to travel on, but just to watch fly by Shen cycling. Are Lockerbie or Abington areas fairly quiet and flat for kids? Cheers in advance, Stan.

Abington is not in a flat area, and not near any train stations unless you plan to drive to somewhere nearby. The west coast main line runs beside the nearby A702 but as that is the main trunk road leading from the M74 to Edinburgh it doesn't make for pleasant cycling.

Lockerbie is a better proposition. It has a train station, and there is good flat(ish) cycling from there. North towards Moffat (18 miles) is one option, and if you take the minor roads towards Wamphray then you will go under a few rail bridges and follow the line for sections. There are Virgin trains every few minutes (it seems) as they head to/from Glasgow and Edinburgh. Trans Pennine also use the route from Manchester to Glasgow.

You could also park in Moffat and cycle the few miles to Beattock where the West Coast Main Line passes through, and watch the trains for a bit. The pavement that runs alongside the A701 from Moffat to Beattock is wide and IIRC has a marked cycle lane, to join up with NCN 74 at Beattock. If not, there is an alternative minor road you can take. Google maps will show that.

 

[manxaccie]

Abington is not in a flat area, and not near any train stations unless you plan to drive to somewhere nearby. The west coast main line runs beside the nearby A702 but as that is the main trunk road leading from the M74 to Edinburgh it doesn't make for pleasant cycling.

Lockerbie is a better proposition. It has a train station, and there is good flat(ish) cycling from there. North towards Moffat (18 miles) is one option, and if you take the minor roads towards Wamphray then you will go under a few rail bridges and follow the line for sections. There are Virgin trains every few minutes (it seems) as they head to/from Glasgow and Edinburgh. Trans Pennine also use the route from Manchester to Glasgow.

You could also park in Moffat and cycle the few miles to Beattock where the West Coast Main Line passes through, and watch the trains for a bit. The pavement that runs alongside the A701 from Moffat to Beattock is wide and IIRC has a marked cycle lane, to join up with NCN 74 at Beattock. If not, there is an alternative minor road you can take. Google maps will show that.

Great, thanks for the advice.