Leeds to Liverpool

addicted to Langbar

Does anyone have any experience or suggestions for cycling from Leeds to Liverpool without getting stuck on main roads for large parts of the journey?

I was originally considering two possible routes. One over the top out of north Leeds across the top of Bradford and down through Blackburn or Preston. Or out of South Leeds and trying to bypass Huddersfield (the one way system is bad enough in a car!)and over the top of the Pennines and skirting around the north of Manchester.

My main problem is not knowing the middle bit of the journey as I have always gone on the M62 when travelling by car so don't know the nice country roads that will get me away from the main A roads.

Any advice will be gratefully received.

jc4lab

Know only the Burnley to Blackburn Section...You have to leave the canal and re join it a few hundred yards down the road on a couple of Sections.Burnley Barracks and Eanam Wharf near Blackburn town centre Also its very varied in quality of scenery and path conditions ..Beautiful swans and such near Rishton.Mountain bike recommended.cos its a rough balancing act when the path disappears and it is cobbly under the bridges. Enjoyable though and definitely worth doing

beverick

As far as the route over the pennines is concerned, the run from Brighouse via Barkisland, over the M62 via Scammonden bridge and dropping into Oldham via Denshaw and Delph is one of my favourite runs (I did it in the winter and ended up walking about two miles as the road was covered in snow!). From then on the road through Oldham and around North Manchester isn't too bad (although it's a while since I rode that particular route).

From there I'd suggest going cross country via Leigh and Rainford dropping into Liverpool from the NE but I've never ridden that route:

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/gb/leeds ... 8808868785

Dropping down from Leigh towards Warrington and then via St Helens and Gatacre into the SE is also a fair route but it's some time since I rode round there.

Alternativelty, the Leeds Liverpool canal gives an unbroken if very long route from city centre to city centre.

Bob

addicted to Langbar

Wow, thanks Bob. That is a lot better (and a bit shorter and flatter) than I had come up with. I hope that it didn't take you too long.

All I need to do now is convince my legs that I can manage to do the 82 miles, plus a few extra once I have got the ferry over to the Wirral.

jc4lab - I had considered the canal route but it would have taken too long unfortunately. Maybe next time.

Thanks again.

beverick

Wirral? You said Liverpool.

If you're after the Wirral either drop down to the South East of Manchester (but the roads through places like Ashton under Lyne and Longsight aren't the best to cycle on) and then out via Altrincham, Lymm and Frodsham towards Ellesmere Port.

I've only ridden on the Wirral once (as an adult) and that was in the 90's. I do remember thinking that I should have stuck to the River Dee side though!

BTW, anyone with a tag of "addicted to Langbar" can only ever ask for more hills.....

Bob

addicted to Langbar

If time was no object cutting through Cheshire and up the west side of the Wirral through all the quaint villages near Parkgate and up to Hoylake and West Kirkby with the Clwydian hills to look at. But Moreton isn't that far away from the ferry at Seacombe.

I grew up in Wallasey and I agree that the right hand side of the Wirral isn't the most scenic for cycling unless you ride up the Prom from Seacombe Ferry and around the top sticking to the coast.

Yes, I am probably wimping out by avoiding the worst of the hills, but as I will be carrying a couple of full panniers, and I haven't done that many long rides this year, I am staying on this side of caution. I'll make up for it by going some hill repeats up the East Chevin at Otley!

beverick

addicted to Langbar wrote:

.......I'll make up for it by going some hill repeats up the East Chevin at Otley!

another favourite route of mine.

I haven't been much further out than Ilkley recently (as it's 30 miles from where I live at east Leeds) but I did an 80 miler to Bolton Abbey last summer. The return route was via Langbar, the Cow and Calf, East Chevin Road and Harewood Bank.

At least the height, incline and length of each hill reduces!

BTW, this route is 'only' 12-13 miles longer than Liverpool direct and I dare say you could cut off a few miles here and there.

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/gb/hoyla ... 9826957190

Bob

addicted to Langbar

And there was me thinking you were in East Timor! I've just spent 5 minutes trying to explain to someone in my office where East Timor was.

Good effort on getting out to Bolton Abbey. My efforts this year have been few and far between after failing on the 100 mile Cheshire Cat and switching to the 67 mile route. You should give this one a whirl if you enjoy a bit of suffering - http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course. ... rse=118299

not done it myself yet but will have to give it a go when it comes around to the hill climb season.

beverick

I sort of do that route occasionally wandering back up and down the hills between Ilkley and Harewood. The other favourite "hill rep" is between Morley and the Bradford Dewsbury Road.

The favourite run out to the North of Leeds is to take the car to Otley and then ride up the Washburn valley to Greenhow and then via Pately Bridge and Summerbridge back to Otley (or reverse).

Bob

beverick

I sort of do that route occasionally wandering back up and down the hills between Ilkley and Harewood. The other favourite "hill rep" is between Morley and the Bradford Dewsbury Road.

The favourite run out to the North of Leeds is to take the car to Otley and then ride up the Washburn valley to Greenhow and then via Pately Bridge and Summerbridge back to Otley (or reverse).

Bob

addicted to Langbar

I did the reverse of that from home pre-Cheshire Cat as an all or nothing ride and that hill out of Pateley Bridge up to Greenhow nearly killed me! I will give it another whirl a bit later in the year when I am a bit fitter.

Cleat Eastwood

beverick wrote:

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/gb/leeds ... 8808868785

If you look on the directions at about mile 71, you're best going along South Boundary road and county road past the town centre ( we call it the towny ) and into valley road. Valley road has a wide cycle path that take you all the way up to about mile 75.

That way you cut out having to cycle through bits of housing estates, broad lane etc, I live here and I wouldnt want to go there on a bike togged up in lycra.

Also the roads up longmoor lane and into walton are atrocious, drove there on sunday, and weekdays/saturdays the traffic is V bad.

A better route is to nip down Lower Lane and onto the east lancs>Walton Hall avenue>Walton Lane>Everton Valley>Kirkdale Road then down boundary street and pick up the route there.

I'm not to sure either about the lanes between miles 68 and 70. I'll go out sometime this week and give them a looksy.

Incincidentally I did teh Liverpool 10 k running this week and it takes you under teh mersey tunnel and along to new brighton and I said to me brother at the time it must have great to been into cycling and to live on the wirral, theres so many hills and long long straights.

Whichever way you choose, good luck and safe riding.

beverick

Cleat Eastwood wrote:

beverick wrote:

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/gb/leeds ... 8808868785

..........it must have great to been into cycling and to live on the wirral, theres so many hills and long long straights.

Thanks for the comments on my suggestions around the route in the Liverpool area. Having thought about it I'd probably take the more southerly route from Leigh via Gatacre, towards Aigburth dropping down onto the riverside and then up to the pierhead. That way you can avoid north east Liverpool altogether (but you do go close to Toxteth so be prepared for a Cavendish-like sprint!.

BTW; hills on the Wirral. I don't understand that one at all?

Bob

addicted to Langbar

There are some hills on the Wirral, but they are short steep ones up from the sea wall into New Brighton. Portland Street that all the driving instructors used to use for hill starts springs to mind. Must have been at least 15%, but no more than 100 yards long. Kids used to take a running start at it on their BMX's from the flat bit at the bottom and try and get up it, don't remember many ever making it. Bidston Hill is a bit of a lump in the middle, but there is nothing like the Chevin, Norwood Edge or the Cow and Calf. Unfortunately I didn't really get into cycling (other than just being a means of transport) until I moved to the dark side of the Pennines so never made the most of the Welsh Hills when I had the chance.

Thanks for your suggested ammendments I will have a look later on.

beverick

addicted to Langbar wrote:

There are some hills on the Wirral, but they are short steep ones up from the sea wall into New Brighton. Portland Street that all the driving instructors used to use for hill starts springs to mind. Must have been at least 15%, but no more than 100 yards long. Kids used to take a running start at it on their BMX's from the flat bit at the bottom and try and get up it, don't remember many ever making it. Bidston Hill is a bit of a lump in the middle, but there is nothing like the Chevin, Norwood Edge or the Cow and Calf. Unfortunately I didn't really get into cycling (other than just being a means of transport) until I moved to the dark side of the Pennines so never made the most of the Welsh Hills when I had the chance.

Thanks for your suggested ammendments I will have a look later on.

My only cycling on the Wirral was a couple of evening circuits from Birkenhead or New Brighton across to Willaston(?) and back. I don't remember many hills but the headwind going back uptowards Hoylake was like cycling a 10 mile 20% incline!

Bob