route 6 Nottm to Sheffield

[Ned Ludd]

Hi
has anyone cycled this stage. if so was it fun or too windey and footpathy to be pleasant...Be grateful for comments..
cheers
Ned

[Ned Ludd]

It seems no one has, so today I'll be a true explorer and brave the frozen (well a bit chilly!) north.....If you don't hear from me by tea time, send a search party......

[ferdinand]

It seems no one has, so today I'll be a true explorer and brave the frozen (well a bit chilly!) north.....If you don't hear from me by tea time, send a search party......

I've touched on the bit near Mansfield/Sherwood Pines Cycle Reserve when I was aiming for somewhere else, and ran into some truly horrible sandy stuff, which was probably not the trail itself. Policemen confiscating Monkey Bikes, too. I think it is quite circuitous near there.

Sherwood Forest Golf Club had this brilliant sign on the locked gate about a new blood sport.

Ferdinand

[TrevA]

I've ridden it as far north as Clumber Park. It's good in parts. You follow the River Leen to Bulwell, then have to cross a rail footbridge, a bit of road, then an old railway path to Bestwood Mill Lakes. More roady bits then an old railway path to the back entrance to Newstead Abbey and through the Abbey grounds temselves. Then over to Ravenshead and Blidworth and another old Railway Path past Rainworth taking you into Sherwood Pines Forest Park, then follow old bridleways to Clumber.

The rural off road bits are mainly shale paths, varying in width. Some are tarmacked. It's a pleasant enough ride taking you through some of the Notts beauty spots.

[Ned Ludd]

Well I got as far as Worksop, and very much a mixed bag. Some lovely surfaces, especially near Welbeck, but some that were so rough I almost bounced off. And a fair few sections that were glorified footpaths. Some lovely scenery though....Average speed, on the flat ranged from 5mph to 18mph and I found that so annoying. Not a massive problem for me today as I was riding for fun, but it meant the ride took twice as long as it should have done. Sadly with better surfaces it would be very easy to get out of Nottingham to the Dukeries, but the rough tracks were not pleasant. I want to support Sustrans routes, and ride them, but some of those tracks were really not good for my bike. And it would have been a horrible grind on a laden tourer.
Most people would expect a national route to be to a high standard and I worry that some of these were bad enough to put people off using them. (and maybe the fact that I saw so few other cyclists on a lovely sunny day confirms that.)

[TrevA]

I've only ridden it once - on my tourer. I wouldn't even consider it on a road bike. If I want to get to Clumber Park, I'll go using country lanes via Southwell, Eakring, Wellow and Bothamsall and come back via Edwinstowe, Bilsthorpe, Farnsfield, Edingley, Halam and Oxton.