Plans for a summer tour

[3wheeler]

This summer I'm planning to get away on a 2 week tour (please see attached map), and I'm hoping to follow as many country lanes and canal towpaths as possible. And it's like I've heard about cycle paths along the Grand Union canal, which I'm hoping to use from Birmingham to London, does anybody know if this is possible??

[whoof]

I don't know about the Grand Union canal but I see your route goes from Devises to Bristol. The section from Devises to Bath is on a canal path and from Bath to Bristol is on the tarmac Railway path. The canal section is narrow in places especially East of Bradford Upon Avon and can get very busy at the weekend. This is fine if you don't mind going at walking pace or stopping relatively often. Otherwise it might be best to do these sections mid-week if you can and if not make an early start.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TZnjlW9jLqs/hqdefault.jpg

[Heltor Chasca]

I don't know about the Grand Union canal but I see your route goes from Devises to Bristol. The section from Devises to Bath is on a canal path and from Bath to Bristol is on the tarmac Railway path. The canal section is narrow in places especially East of Bradford Upon Avon and can get very busy at the weekend. This is fine if you don't mind going at walking pace or stopping relatively often. Otherwise it might be best to do these sections mid-week if you can and if not make an early start.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TZnjlW9jLqs/hqdefault.jpg

Good advice. There is a section shut at Bath on the K&A and on the Bristol-Bath so keep an eye out for detours. (Or current news)..b

[Vorpal]

If you want to add a bit in the East of England, you could take NCN 1 from London Docklands that partly follows the Thames (towards Dover), then take the Gravesend - Tilbury ferry, and ride the back lanes to Chelmsford, where you can pick up NCN 1 again, or take the Chelmer and Blackwater towpath to Maldon. There are a couple of places where the rideable part of the towpath switches sides, and you have take a bike up some steps and over a pedestrian bridge. It can also be quite rough if there has been a very dry period, after a period of rain. I've ridden it on a road bike, but IMO you need something with 32 mm tyres or wider for comfort on that towpath.

There is also an on-road alternative. Either way, therre are two very nice cafes. One at Papermill Lock, and the other at Heybridge Basin.

You can either pick up the NCN 1 (on-road) again and carry on from Witham, or switch to NCN 16 to Braintree and the Flitch Way, which is a very nice route for an upright bike, but has some A Frame barriers, so isn't suitable for an especially wide bike.

If you don't want to use the Flitch Way, there are many lovely lanes in Suffolk and Essex.

Or if you are only going from Cambridge, and not returning, you can do what I suggested in reverse.

[whoof]

Good advice. There is a section shut at Bath on the K&A and on the Bristol-Bath so keep an eye out for detours. (Or current news)..b

That reminds me the Bath/Bristol Railway path is closed between Saltford and Bitton from 1st June for three weeks. The is no planned detour. An alternative is take the A4 from Saltford into Keynsham and then the A4175 from Keynsham to Bitton and rejoin the path. There are shared cycle/footpaths on both A roads but they are of variable width and quality.

[Vorpal]

There is a rail path on the former Witham - Maldon line, as well. http://www.gps-routes.co.uk/routes/home ... ycle-route

[kolb]

About 10 years ago I cycled along the towpath from west London to Birmingham. Very variable surface as you would expect from a towpath: lumpy grass, compact earth, hard surface. Apart from one section that was very muddy (sorry, can't remember exactly where, but it was towards the Birmingham end of the ride) it was OK on a mountain bike with front suspension. I used a publication from Wilde's Leisure Guides "Cycling & Walking Guide: Grand Union, Oxford and Kennet & Avon Canals" which included maps and information on tunnels etc. It also suggests road alternatives for some sections. If possible avoid weekends for the urban sections - it gets busy with walkers and anglers.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_nos ... rand+union

[mercalia]

From Bishops Stortford you can get to London along the (Lee and) Stort canal path - a very nice ride ( also joins with the Lee from Hertford also a nice ride. This ends up more or less at Victoria Park almost central London ( South Hackney). There is a YHA along the route. To Aldershot on the south side of London also a couple of canals that take u there ( Basingstoke Canal ) or to Guilford ( Wey Navigation ) both from Weybridge. On the Basingstoke canal I have only been as far as Aldershot but I assume it goes to ... Basing stoke? That is a nice ride.

[Heltor Chasca]

How about dipping down through the New Forest, hopping on a ferry and seeing the Isle of Wight. Not sure what it is, but doing a ferry crossing makes it feel like a proper adventure [emoji573]

[3wheeler]

Thanks for all the ideas as I'm sure I'll try and put them to good use.. To explain a little about this summers tour, it'll be on the Kona (please see attached photo) which is the bike I used whilst touring the South coast last year (Cambridge to Lands End and back).. Just this time I'll be hoping to follow a few more country lanes, canal towpaths and any other traffic-free trails that I find along the way.. And that's the other thing, as I live in Cambridge and so I enjoy cycling in traffic and history, which is why I can't wait to see a little more of England.. Most notably the Thames, Winchester, Stone Hedge, Birmingham, and of course following canal towpaths and dis-used railway lines..

[DevonDamo]

That scene looks familiar...

I regularly park my car at a public slipway just to the left of those flats in the background, jump in and go diving under all the yachts. It's over 30m deep around there, and although the underwater scenery is pretty boring/muddy compared to the main shore-diving site (a few hundred metres down-river), there's always the dream of finding a yachtie's dropped Rolex, plus there's an absolute monster of a lobster down there.

I can't think how this helps with your planned tour, other than to remind you to make a mental note not to fall into the canal - water can be deceptively deep...

[simonhill]

I would recommend the Kennet and Avon from Reading. Parts are rough and can be muddy, but there are plenty of excellent small roads running parallel.

A few year ago I did a loop up the Oxford Canal to Grand Union. Down the GU as far as Aylesbury spur. Along Aylesbury Canal to Aylesbury then small roads to Oxford. You may want to think about Ox and Ay canals as an alternative to GU.

[mercalia]

I never liked the GU canal, narrow in places, muddy in others, stoney and boring in many places also in London watch out for muggers. I have been out as far as Ivinghoe when used to be a YHA there

[3wheeler]

Here's the route that I did last summer, also whilst riding the Kona.. It was 1494 miles and took almost 4 weeks, and included the Lee Navigation, a short section along the Thames, Chichester shipping canal, South Downs, Isle of Wight, New Forest, Dartmoor, Exmoor, the Bristol to Bath cycle path, and then of course the last couple of days knocking out the miles following A-roads back to Cambridge.. So this summer I hope to plan another exciting route, heading towards Birmingham from London and of course this time it must be completed in two weeks.. So any ideas from Bristol to Birmingham, to London will be most welcome..

[tom84]

I recently did Andover-Winchester-Salisbury-Warminster-Malmsbury-Marlborourgh. I used the NCN routes almost exclusively apart from the end when I ran out of time and had to take an A road home to Andover. The 24 and 254 routes I can especially recommend though the 254 caused some grief because there is a diversion around a bridge rebuild and I found the signs hard to spot. Also I was surprised to find I was otherwise fine with an AA road map, seeing as I usually rely on Landrangers