Cycling from Uni. of Edinburgh to Uni. of York

juanjaime

Hey guys,

I am going to cycle down to York from Edinburgh in Mid October but I have never done serious road biking before. Is there any nice route (with less traffic) and what would I need for the trip (clothing, food, emergency etc).

thanks,
Juanjaime
javascript:emoticon(':roll:')
Rolling Eyes

toontra

For the route go to Audax UK site and look for the LEL (London-Edinburgh-London) route. Use that as a basis, and then alter it slightly to get from Barnard Castle to York.

I've done this route a few times (including a detour to York) and it is extremely picturesque and, for the most part, very quiet (miles without seeing a car), but all on road. In fact it's one of my favourite journeys, especially going through Eskdalemuir (stop for tea at the Samye Ling temple cafe!) and the borders, and the amazing Pennines through Alston, etc.

nolf

Hello,

No idea not being familiar with the area, but i'm going off to study at York Uni as well, are you going to study there?

As for what you need for the trip- well bear in mind this trip would be a few days (unless you're very fit!) so whatever you need to stay overnight at a Youth Hostel or B&B (For me it's a bit cold to go camping).

For on the road- puncture repair kit, spare inner tubes, coat for when it rains , maps for the whole route. Consider getting a handlebar bag with a map holder so that you don't need to keep stopping and getting your map out.

If you are going to York Uni which course you doing?

amaferanga

I don't think you'll get the LEL route from the AUK website. Audax routes tend to be quite direct anyway and therefore use A-roads, which isn't what you want.

I can't help you much with the Southern bit, but I do know a nice route from Edinburgh as far as Gateshead.

From Edinburgh the easiest way south is to take the A7 for a bit. I'm sure you know how to get to the roundabout across the A720 where the A68 and A7 meet. If you take the A7 to just after Middleton then turn right (might be signposted for Innerleithen). Follow this road (long gentle climb) to Innerleithen then continue south on a minor road (probably signposted Traquair). Keep going on this, through a cross roads at the Gordon Arms Hotel until you come to the T-junction by Tushielaw. Right then left after a few hundred metres onto a minor road that will take you up over the moor past Alemoor water. The road ends at the A7 where you turn left for Hawick. Then you can pick up the route on Bikely.

Its quite a hilly route, but apart from the short stretch on the A7 from Edinburgh its entirely unclassified/B-roads and with some beautiful scenery.

The route from Hawick to Gateshead is on Bikely:

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Gateshead-Hawick

EDIT: I suspect that you probably don't want to go as far as Gateshead. I'd probably turn off the route and head south through Hexham, from Hexham to Stanhope, Stanhope to Barnard Castle,.....

pneumatic

What a brilliant idea! It'll be quite a tough and hilly ride, but very rewarding. I'm jealous. I work in York quite frequently, but never thought of riding down there.

My tip for October would be start out as early as it is light and build in 4 breaks a day for food drink and warming up. When touring alone, it can be tempting to push on when you're feeling good on the bike but that tends to make the last couple of hours of the day really grim and the next day worse than it needs to be.

toontra

amaferanga wrote:

I don't think you'll get the LEL route from the AUK website. Audax routes tend to be quite direct anyway and therefore use A-roads, which isn't what you want.

It certainly was on the Audax UK website until a few days ago, and has been for the last few years. If it's not there I have a copy and could send it.

As for A roads, as I said in my first post, apart from the first few miles on the A7 (which you are suggesting also - there is no alternative as far as I know), the rest of the journey is almost entirely on B or unclassified roads.

amaferanga

toontra wrote:

It certainly was on the Audax UK website until a few days ago, and has been for the last few years. If it's not there I have a copy and could send it.

As for A roads, as I said in my first post, apart from the first few miles on the A7 (which you are suggesting also - there is no alternative as far as I know), the rest of the journey is almost entirely on B or unclassified roads.

The LEL link now takes you to the LEL2009 site. And my apologies, I didn't realise the LEL route was quite so scenic.

Noodley

amaferanga wrote:

toontra wrote:

It certainly was on the Audax UK website until a few days ago, and has been for the last few years. If it's not there I have a copy and could send it.

As for A roads, as I said in my first post, apart from the first few miles on the A7 (which you are suggesting also - there is no alternative as far as I know), the rest of the journey is almost entirely on B or unclassified roads.

The LEL link now takes you to the LEL2009 site. And my apologies, I didn't realise the LEL route was quite so scenic.

Aye the bit (bit covering quite a bit) around "E" is scenic.

juanjaime

Thanks for all the advice,

I am actually a second year student from the University of Edinburgh, I had a bet with a girl and she said if I biked down to her University at York, she would give me something more than a kiss, a lot of motivation in that mysterious reward, so I decided to give it a shot.
I can leave at 4pm on a Thursday from Edinburgh and stay overnight half way and bike further on Friday. Any idea where it is a good half way point with a decent hostel?
I am also worried about what are the equipments I should have.

Somebody suggested this route:

Edinburgh
Lasswade
Innerleithen
Hawick
Kielder forest
Hexham
Stanhope
Barnard Castle
Richmond
Ripon
Boroughbridge
York

Any comments / suggestions on that?

Thanks,
James

ash68

I hope she's worth it mate. That's quite a ride for someone who's not cycled much.The part of the route i'm familiar with is Kielder, then presumably through Bellingham and on to Hexham.It's quite challenging terrain, up and down hills all the way.Then from Hexham up to Slaleyand Stanhope is hard. Probably the hardest climb on my section is out of Stanhope towards Barnard Castle.I've done this climb on a racer with triple chainset and it's tough.Around here your up on open moorland alot and it can be pretty bleak in october :roll: . Don't mean to put you off,' just be prepared with your clothing,keep supplies of food and drink as shops can be few and far between.Be worthwhile having lights on the bike, even small led's are better than nothing.Where abouts you thinking of stopping after the first day?

julk

JUANJAIME,

This looks like an exciting trip.

Edinburgh to York is 183 miles taking the direct line - mostly A68. I have driven this as far south as the Tyne valley by Hexham and even the main road is extremely hilly.

The nicer route which avoids main roads where possible is going to add a few miles and a lot more hills. The gradual gradients are reserved for the main roads.

The first part of the route can be cycled as Sustrans NCR1, Edinburgh to Innerleithen. It avoids main roads and takes you south over the Granites on the B7007/709 to Innerleithen. A nice run, but hilly.

You are possibly looking at 100+ miles both on Thursday evening and again on Friday. Maybe you will choose to do less miles on Thursday and more on Friday with the full days light available.

Mid October is getting cold and dark by evening. You need windproof/waterproof and reflective clothing, plenty of food & drinks, maps and lighting equipment to cope with riding in the cold, dark and possibly wind & rain for 7 hours. Riding at 10mph uphill, 14mph on the flat and downhill at 25+mph, split 33 miles uphill , 34 miles flat and 33 miles downhill takes around 7 hours.

in the dark on the Thursday evening will need good front lighting to go safely at 25+mph on any route. Preferably dynamo or dynohub with backup battery lights for map reading and emergencies.

Make sure your bike is in good order before you set off and also take some repair kit, at least a couple of spare inner tubes, tyre levers and a pump. There is a lot more you could take, but it might be worth getting the CTC rescue insurance as a get you home/York option in the event of a larger bike repair being needed.

If you can fit it in, I would recommend a trial ride, say Edinburgh to Innerleithen and back (~60 miles) one day after 4p.m. to see how you get on - this can then help determine how far you expect to ride before stopping on the Thursday night. Again, if part of this ride is in the dark with lights your average speed will be realistic. You will also get a feel for how your body stands up to the riding.

juanjaime

I am a real amaetuer biker, actually I'm looking for the easiest route down rather than picturesque since it's like my first try. What do you think will be easiest way of biking? Since biking for 2 days is already a challenge for me.

How long do you think it would take to get to York if I leave Edinburgh at 4 on Thursday, stay over half way and then bike 8 in the morning. What time do you think I will reach York that way?

Thanks a lot, your advices are really helpful

toontra

juanjaime wrote:

I am a real amaetuer biker, actually I'm looking for the easiest route down rather than picturesque since it's like my first try. What do you think will be easiest way of biking? Since biking for 2 days is already a challenge for me.

How long do you think it would take to get to York if I leave Edinburgh at 4 on Thursday, stay over half way and then bike 8 in the morning. What time do you think I will reach York that way?

Thanks a lot, your advices are really helpful

The ways we've suggested are the easiest. Whether you want a pretty route or not, it's advisable to avoid busy A roads, especially at night.

Personally I would think carefully before making a trip like this your first long ride. Almost all of the first day will be in darkness, and quite possibly a fair bit of the second day. It will probably be quite cold, and this terrain is renowned for rain and mist. It's also very hilly in parts.

I'm a fairly experienced distance rider and have done this journey a few times, but personally I wouldn't do it in the circumstances you have outlined. I would definitely allow 2 full days so you would at least have the benefit of daylight.

There is also the problem of maintenance and repairs. You will be many miles away from the nearest village for sections of the route. What happens if you have a mechanical failure and it's cold, dark and possibly wet? Do you know how to do basic repairs? Do you have good lights suitable for dark rural roads? How do you plan to read the route maps (especially a problem in pitch darkness)?

Sorry to sound negative, and you'll probably ignore me, but at least bear these things in mind. Good luck.

BTW, as for how long it would take, considering the hills, allowing for breaks and presuming you haven't done any specific training, I think you would be doing well to average 12 mph (but this could drop if you are unlucky with the wind). The distance is around 200 miles, so you're looking at 16 - 18 hours.

Noodley

I doubt if you'll be fit for more than a kiss.

nolf

Take a train or bus to Near York- make sure you have all the stuff you would have if you had done the whole trip, pedal the final part and act really really really tired.

reyserf

This sounds the best advise of all


Have a look at http://tinyurl.com/29l67k from Google groups which includes a ride report where someone journeys from Dundee to York, using train to Edinburgh then attempting the cycle the rest. Admittedly he is carrying quite a load.

juanjaime

nolf wrote:

Take a train or bus to Near York- make sure you have all the stuff you would have if you had done the whole trip, pedal the final part and act really really really tired.

to be honest, I did think of that.

I have two weeks to train up, so fingers crossed. So I will stick to the advice given:

Edinburgh
Lasswade
Innerleithen
Hawick
Kielder forest
Hexham
Stanhope
Barnard Castle
Richmond
Ripon
Boroughbridge
York

Any idea where is a good stop for over night?

Cunobelin

As a thought........................

[cynical old fart]

Is she worth it ?

If this is the "First Test" of your commitment what will the second be. It will not be eaiser, I can assure you. This sounds like a demanding relationship and most ofthe demanding by her

[/cynical old fart]

On a more serious note.
and
I would be reluctant even with my experience to undertake this trip with this timetable, not because it is impossible or dangerous if it all goes according to plan, but because it is exactly that - impossible and dangerous if anything adverse happens.

As an example the Innerleithen area is classic mountain terrain. A puncture or mechanical breakdown for an ill equipped or inexperienced cyclist is potentially disastrous and in bad weather hypothermia is a problem.


By all means do this, but be careful, plan escape routes and be honest about your skills and abilities should things go wrong.

amaferanga

I think the only thing you'll be doing when you arrive in York is sleeping.......for a long, long time.

If you had two full days then I'd day you have a chance. Starting at 4pm Thursday, and assuming you take about 8 hours to do 83 miles (which you might just manage if you're already quite fit) means you'll be arriving somewhere at about midnight. Shower and some grub then up again at 7am. Set off at 8am, you'll be tired and there are some nasty hills beyond hexam, so you'll be looking at about 10 hours to do the remaining 100 miles IMO. So arriving York at best at 6pm.

Good luck

amaferanga

For an overnight stop there's Kielder at 86 miles. There's a campsite and a YH. Nothing between Hawick and Kielder as far as I know and then nothing from Kielder until possibly Bellingham (campsite and I suspect some B&Bs). The road from Hawick to Kielder is exposed and hilly. Hope you've got some good lights and a headtorch.

juanjaime

I've decided to shorten the route a bit, take a train down to Newcastle and start biking from there, and split the journey into 3 days.
It should be a lot safer, easier and I can enjoy the scenary as a first timer. Google map says it is 81.7 miles if I avoid highways. Anyone know a good route instead of just relying on google map?
How many hours you think it would take me on a all purpose bike (not road bike).

Thanks for all the help, I just can't wait to get everything planned out and start my virgin bike trip!

Last note: I am a rational person, I don't do this for a girl's kiss. (I might for my girlfriend if I had one), I do this for the challenge and the FUN!

reyserf

Have a look at the Sustrans Three rivers roure as far as Middlesbough then pick up the Sustrans "The White Rose" route as far as York.

The three rivers route passes through South Shields, Sunderland and on to Middlebough and uses a number of disused railway lines. The White Rose route starts at Middlesbough and gives the option of some nice North York Moor hills whilst heading for York. We cycled from South Shields to Yarm on the first day then on to York the next day, brilliant weather (this was July 2006) and excellent views and the days were not to long.

Rey