Good 3 day cycle tour in England..?

[al_yrpal]

Get to Reading and go up Sustrans route 5 branching of to to the Cotswolds, cycle around that and back again. Some wonderful countryside through the West Chilterns and some good Youth Hostels, particularly the one in Stowe on the Wold which could be used as a base to go to Cheltenham, Gloucester and Bath. Then back again.

Al

 

[gussington]

Right Colin - Have now picked a weekend and we are just about to start booking up accommodation.

We are going on the first weekend of October, but riding Friday to Sunday - then staying overnight Sunday night before travelling home Monday.

Really looking forward to this now - but fair bit of training to do to make sure that I enjoy it as much as possible. Have recently discovered the London Boris bikes, which due to their weight are actually quite good strength training machines! Also - as they pretty much stop moving when you stop pedaling, you get quite a good work out in a short time!

 

[ColinJ]

Right Colin - Have now picked a weekend and we are just about to start booking up accommodation.

We are going on the first weekend of October, but riding Friday to Sunday - then staying overnight Sunday night before travelling home Monday.

Really looking forward to this now - but fair bit of training to do to make sure that I enjoy it as much as possible. Have recently discovered the London Boris bikes, which due to their weight are actually quite good strength training machines! Also - as they pretty much stop moving when you stop pedaling, you get quite a good work out in a short time!

Excellent!

I won't be cycling on the Saturday because I want to rest my legs for the Season of Mists audax event on the Sunday, but I might ride out to meet you if you'd like a guide to bring you in on the Friday! If we decide to meet up, I could see if anybody else can get the Friday off and we could make a forum ride of it. (No problem if you don't want me to do that!)

 

[gussington]

Shall have a chat to my mate Ed about timings etc. Sounds fun having a few people to ride with on the first day. We will be riding from Sheffield somewhere (wherever it is that he lives) at about 9am so getting a nice early (for me) start.

 

[ColinJ]

Points to note:

• When you get to the top of Kingsdale, the road just drops away below you and there is a fantastic view of Deepdale leading down to Dentdale.
• Er, when you get to the top of Kingsdale, the road just drops away below you! The descent is very steep, narrow, twisty and turny! Make sure your brakes are in good condition and descend with care.
• That road has several sets of gates across it! (At least 3, but it may have been more.) If conditions are murky, you may not see them until the last moment so keep your wits about you ...

Please don't take that warning lightly! In case you didn't read it elsewhere in the forum ... Land's End to John O'Groats cyclist dies in fall

Don't let it put you off that route - it's lovely, but you must treat that descent with the respect it deserves!

On a more cheery note ... if you can confirm that you will be setting off at 09:00 from Sheffield on the Friday, and let me know what kind of average speed you expect to be able to do over the hills, I'll see if a few people can get the day off work and ride out with me to meet you somewhere like Holmfirth. If we are going to do that, I'll swap phone numbers with you so we can coordinate the meeting.

 

[gussington]

Please don't take that warning lightly! In case you didn't read it elsewhere in the forum ... Land's End to John O'Groats cyclist dies in fall

Don't let it put you off that route - it's lovely, but you must treat that descent with the respect it deserves!

On a more cheery note ... if you can confirm that you will be setting off at 09:00 from Sheffield on the Friday, and let me know what kind of average speed you expect to be able to do over the hills, I'll see if a few people can get the day off work and ride out with me to meet you somewhere like Holmfirth. If we are going to do that, I'll swap phone numbers with you so we can coordinate the meeting.

Hi again Colin. Apologies for lack of reply - but haven't been on the forums much for a while.

Unfortunately - not been on the bike a whole lot either - although msotly for good reasons. Had a lovely 2 week holiday planned in South of France, then extended it by another half week, meaning that I only ended up with a little over a week between returning and attempting this tour!

Had a chat with my friend and have dicided that we are going to postpone our attempt to the Spring, when we can both put the proper training in and enjoy it properly. Looks like a shame now, as weather looks good!

I am still heading up to Sheffield for some riding, but at a gentler pace and probably South of Sheffield somewhere.

Thank you again for all of the help - and we really are going to get our arses in gear and do it soon!

Will post on here with date once we have decided on one. Planning to try and get my mate to commit to a date over this weekend.

 

[ColinJ]

Ah, okay!

I was just thinking how lucky you were to have picked this stable period of warm weather.

I was also wondering how you would cope with some of the big hills on my route so perhaps you are wise to put the ride off until the spring when you should be a bit fitter.

Well, now that I will not be riding out to meet you, I might do a decent ride on Thursday instead which will give me an extra day to recover for the Season of Mists audax on Sunday.

 

[saracen-panorama]

Hi, just come across this whilst looking for touring inspiration- looks awesome. Has anyone done this? are their any good camping spots?

 

[lpretro1]

The Lancashire Loop North - easy to get at by train to Lancaster - great scenery, plenty of places to stay, good pub food and friendly folk

 

[ColinJ]

Hi, just come across this whilst looking for touring inspiration- looks awesome. Has anyone done this? are their any good camping spots?

It would be nice if you had a go at this because I spent a lot of time planning it but I suspect that the ride never happened!