Old Trafford to Wembley Stadium

[Wantaway]

Today I purchased tickets to see my team (non-league Bristol Rovers) play in the play off final next Sunday and I am considering making the trip from Manchester to London by bike.

My Dad was a huge Rovers fan and missed the last final we played as he had booked a holiday months earlier on the same day, it was during that holiday that he had a stroke from which he never recovered (he lost speech and movement). For several years I have toyed with the idea of cycling from Manchester to Bristol to raise funds for the Stroke association The need to get to London for an occasion so linked with him has made me seriously contemplate if this is the time to stop putting this off and to finally itch this particular scratch.

There is a lot to think about and not much time to organise. However I first need to know what the practicalities are. I figure that I will use Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning to complete the 200mile trip, staying at B and B's for the 2 nights.

Where is the best place to go for information to plan the route and to be aware of any issues (cramping / fatigue, fuelling, safety, boredom) I assume that using a rucksack is ill-advised and the small amount of stuff would be better off in a pannier. Is there an idiots guide to this sort of cycling trip?

This will be a challenge – I am relatively fit, I cycle daily (about an hour in total) but never really such long distances. It could be put off for another occasion but I am not sure it will ever be such a strong motivation.

[pwa]

On the Audax UK website calendar is the Windsor - Chester - Windsor 600km event, complete with a downloadable routesheet. Some of that route may be of use to you. I know Chester is not Old Trafford, and Windsor is not Wembley, but it could still be a useful starting point for your own route.

[TrevA]

You could just cycle down the A6 which would keep route planning to a minimum and it's probably the quickest route. It's fairly busy in parts and you'd be cycling through a few cities along the way. My son rode up the A6 from London to Leicester last year and didn't find it too bad.

[stu1102]

I suggest you use this site to plan your route http://cycle.travel/