London to Birmingham

[RoubaixCube]

A friend of mine is interested in doing a solo ride London to Birmingham near the end of this month. Since i'll be off for two weeks from the 16th of this month onwards I might go with him.

This is the same fella who did the DD ride with me on his 13kg, 2012, Limited Edition, badly maintained hybrid and quit at the axe & compasses. I could probably arrange for a small group of CC folk to join us but I know he wouldnt like it as he prefers to go at his 'own pace' and with that said, the pace might annoy some CCer's. Its more of a slow 'meander' to Birmingham more than anything else.

So with the interests of joining him for the ride im exploring routes we can take to get there. National Cycle Route 6 goes there - its about 140 miles but more or less traffic free which allows us to take it easy and enjoy the scenery. Ive googled this route, Ive also youtubed it to see if theres any footage available so i can get some idea of the kind of terrain we'll be cycling on.

I came across a few videos where the path isnt tarmaced over and is very very muddy due to the rain there or has its potholes filled with bricks by the local farmers.... These videos are a good few years old mind you so things could have all changed since then.

Have any of you taken the same route to Birmingham and can you let me know if the pathways are suitable for road bikes?

I want to take my Cube for the ride but if the terrain is going to be quite mixed or just bad then i'll be taking the Triban as its running Schwalbe tyres that ive taken on many towpaths without any issue.

Im sure there are quite a few of you here who have done a london to birmingham ride before and id appreciate any advice or tips given regarding the best route and stuff.

 

[uphillstruggler]

I've recently used cycle travel to plot euston to mk, it's a good route straight up. I've also ridden solihull to Milton Keynes, there plenty of options and lovely scenic routes, I don't have a copy of the route that I took but it did use some of the route you mention . The only issue I've had was getting round Coventry, it seems like there is loads of roadworks there at the moment. You could also use the grand union canal but be aware that the toe path can be rough in places.

 

[RoubaixCube]

I've recently used cycle travel to plot euston to mk, it's a good route straight up. I've also ridden solihull to Milton Keynes, there plenty of options and lovely scenic routes, I don't have a copy of the route that I took but it did use some of the route you mention . The only issue I've had was getting round Coventry, it seems like there is loads of roadworks there at the moment. You could also use the grand union canal but be aware that the toe path can be rough in places.

Thanks. One of his ideas was sticking to the river though with just the two of us, im not sure if that would be the safest option as we'll probably be motoring on all through the night, The last thing we both need is to have our bikes forcefully taken away from us.

The lack of food and water might be a small problem as with the DD run some establishments probably stayed open a little later just for that extra bit of business.

 

[uphillstruggler]

Is there any reason to do it in one go, seeing as your friend is not inclined to fast riding?

You could break the route in two and camp or b & b it half way.

You'll miss some great country side in the dark.

Best of luck with whatever you decide to do, let us know how you get on.