Sustrans Routes

[Clarky145]

Is anyone able to advise me if the solid green 'Other Traffic-free' Sustains routes are suitable for touring? I have a three day trip planned from Reading to Worthing via the Sustains 223 Route. The trip then takes a turn towards Lymington on Route 2 and then a return leg on Route 246 and then Route 4 to Reading. This is my first planned trip with Sustrans and although feel fairly confident with what the maps are telling me, I don't want to be leading the gang along routes that a will put them off cycle touring for life!
Thanks!
Andy Clark

[squeaker]

Is anyone able to advise me if the solid green 'Other Traffic-free' Sustains routes are suitable for touring?

On what? IME if on MTBs (or a 'cross bike?) then no problem, but based on the southern end of the Downslink, I'd not like to do it on anything else, especially if it's rained recently. The warning triangles are there for a reason
There are much nicer minor roads available with a bit of research, but obviously not 'motor free' if that's your objective.
HTH

[robgul]

Perhaps a little cynical ... but for the second part of your last sentence : the theory of Sustrans is great BUT on the ground it's all a bit different .... as suggested many of the surfaces are poor/poorly maintained - many of the routes are tortuous to say the least with weird diversions for no logical reason. I can see that being a barrier (ah, Sustrans again ) to enjoying the ride.

Quite a lot of the original Sustrans route planning had funding from LAs that had separate agenda and criteria that needed to be met, regardless of the obvious route - hence the deviation.

Rob

[mjr]

I think http://cycle.travel/map is the best presentation of surface types I've seen so far and the routing engine isn't bad.

[whoof]

I think http://cycle.travel/map is the best presentation of surface types I've seen so far and the routing engine isn't bad.

That's really useful. Just had a look at Bristol. Most maps just show if a cycle path is traffic free or not. From this I can see the difference between the Bath Bristol Railway Path, which is tarmacked and the route 41 following the Avon to Pill, which isn't.

Thanks.

[Clarky145]

Thanks Guys! It seems my suspicions may have some substance. Reminds me of the saying, 'if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!' Sustrans, as you say is a nice idea. Looks like a little more research is needed with a good bit of flexibility built into the trip!

[Mistik-ka]

There are a couple of ways to enhance cycle.travel's usefulness as a planning tool. (At least that appears to be the case; ask me again at the end of May when we get back from a five-week tour of unfamiliar parts of England.)

1) You can check the nature of on-road routes and the presence of Access Points to traffic free sections with the Street View function on Google Earth.

2) This from Richard Fairhurst, cycle.travel's creator in response to a recently posted question of mine http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=94782

You probably know this, but if you click a section of planned route on cycle.travel, you can see pictures taken by the lovely users of geograph.org.uk - often helpful in recce-ing surfaces and path width.

This works a treat in many locations.
The weak point in both techniques is that the information may be quite dated, but in planning at a distance (across the Atlantic) I find they offer some real advantages over the blind fumbling that has been my previous method.