Bristol - London route suggestions

[zigzag]

mrs z has accepted a 6-month job contract in bristol(frenchay) starting february, which means there will be a fair bit of travelling seeing each other on weekends. she is getting a car for trips to london, and i'll be going there by train/bike. my plan is to take a train there on friday evenings and cycle back to london on sundays.

now i've checked the route and most of it would be on a4. there are also couple of routes on bikely from event action100, also mainly on a4. is that a good/safe road for cycling? any suggestions which sections should i avoid and which ones to stay on? many thanx for your advice!

 

[Panoramix]

mrs z has accepted a 6-month job contract in bristol(frenchay) starting february, which means there will be a fair bit of travelling seeing each other on weekends. she is getting a car for trips to london, and i'll be going there by train/bike. my plan is to take a train there on friday evenings and cycle back to london on sundays.

now i've checked the route and most of it would be on a4. there are also couple of routes on bikely from event action100, also mainly on a4. is that a good/safe road for cycling? any suggestions which sections should i avoid and which ones to stay on? many thanx for your advice!

The A4 is a pretty busy road and I would try to avoid it.

If you are lucky enough to have a GPS, you can try a more laney option:

http://maps.cloudmade.com/?lat=51.3...0390625&travel=bicycle&styleId=1&opened_tab=1

Otherwise try smaller A and B roads.

 

[Vikeonabike]

Sustrans route 4! London to Bristol and beyond!
Route 4

 

[dellzeqq]

since it's you, ziggers, the A4 is fine. I'd branch off to the left just before it goes under the M4, go in to Datchet, then in to Windsor, and then take the B3024 to Twyford. You could then cross the A4 and go through Sonning and Caversham to avoid the worst of East Reading, but this would add a mile or so to the route.

Going in to Newbury it pays to go straight ahead at the big roundabout, up the Old London Road, Old Bath Road and Speen Road to avoid the unpleasant inner ring road.

As for the rest - there are bits of the A4 that aren't pleasant, particularly just to the west of Newbury, but it's a broad two lane road and you get a good deal of space. Some of the tarmac is rumbly, but there isn't much by way of potholes. There are alternatives between Bath and Bristol.

Susie and I went down to Hungerford not so long ago on the A4, and, while she found the traffic noise wearing she managed fine - and you know that she isn't the most confident cyclist in the world.

 

[Flying Dodo]

Heading back towards London, there's a noticeable deterioration in the quality of the roads as soon as you get into West Berks.

If you wanted to stay off the A4 and experience some nicer countryside, here's a route a few of us used from Bath to London last year, which would just need tweaking at the start to go from Bristol, and then for the bit south of Reading, simply go direct to Ascot, rather than going up (as that had a detour for a lunch stop).

 

[zigzag]

many thanks for your advice, there certainly are alternatives to a4!
panoramix - i do have a garmin vista hpx which i use on longer trips. i've tried to export your route onto my pc and save it as gpx file, but mapsource software gives an error opening it. maybe i need to sign up to cloudmade website to get more options? these are very nice
vikeonabike - funnily enough sustrans route 4 goes past my house! this type of route would be nice to do over two days on mtb, as it is quie a bit longer and goes over different kind of surfaces, including cobbles, gravel and mud.
dellzeqq - i'd be going from bristol towards london, and yes, b3024 is more direct from twyford than a4.
flying dodo - i've saved your route from bikely, i'll give it a go from marlborough onwards.

i'll plot three different routes, save them on gps, then probably take a420/a4 and if they appear to be very unpleasant/dangerous take alternative route. haven't been out on my bike in december, now can't wait to stretch my legs!

 

[e-rider]

I've cycled the Bath to Hungerford part of the A4 many many times. 20 years ago it was a lot quieter than it is today. However, the section I've mentioned is fairly safe in general and parts of it are very scenic. Especially around Cherhill and Marlborough. It's a long ride though! There are numerous options to take short cuts along country lanes and NCN route 4 (although most of that isn't suitable for a road bike).

 

[the snail]

I've cycled the Bath to Hungerford part of the A4 many many times. 20 years ago it was a lot quieter than it is today. However, the section I've mentioned is fairly safe in general and parts of it are very scenic. Especially around Cherhill and Marlborough. It's a long ride though! There are numerous options to take short cuts along country lanes and NCN route 4 (although most of that isn't suitable for a road bike).

+1 I usually take the a4 east, NCN 4 going west (I find the cycleroute going from Calne to Avebury hard going on my tourer) the a4 is fast, but wide, a bit unnerving but cars seem to give me plenty of room. Box hill is a hoot, and a stupendous view (going west at least!)

 

[User482]

Between Bath and Reading, the A4 is absolutely fine - wide and not massively busy. The lack of junctions and traffic means that you can hold a really high average speed too. From Theale on, follow Dell's advice. You can get on the railway path at Bath which takes you right into the middle of Bristol.

 

[Panoramix]

Between Bath and Reading, the A4 is absolutely fine - wide and not massively busy. The lack of junctions and traffic means that you can hold a really high average speed too. From Theale on, follow Dell's advice. You can get on the railway path at Bath which takes you right into the middle of Bristol.

It is faster to take the A431 between Bitton and Bristol

 

[the snail]

I was thinking that if you are starting from frenchay, it would make sense to head E towards Sodbury/Swindon rather than Bath?

 

[User482]

It is faster to take the A431 between Bitton and Bristol

Not much though, and I much prefer the path. No cars or traffic lights.

 

[zigzag]

I was thinking that if you are starting from frenchay, it would make sense to head E towards Sodbury/Swindon rather than Bath?

that's an alternative, but it would be a detour, as i'll be heading towards se london and swindon is a bit too far north. i wouldn't be going down via bath either; chippenham would be the first town out of bristol.

 

[User482]

that's an alternative, but it would be a detour, as i'll be heading towards se london and swindon is a bit too far north. i wouldn't be going down via bath either; chippenham would be the first town out of bristol.

The main road to Chippenham was fast and busy, IIRC.

 

[the snail]

that's an alternative, but it would be a detour, as i'll be heading towards se london and swindon is a bit too far north. i wouldn't be going down via bath either; chippenham would be the first town out of bristol.

yes, I was thinking of avoiding Bath and heading E, rather than going through Swindon (best avoided at any time imo) you could take the cycle path out to Warmley, then A420 to Chip?