Somerset A361... avoid!

briantrumpet

Let's just say that I wouldn't choose to ride the A361 from Bradford-on-Avon to Shepton Mallet again. Looking at the map I didn't think it would be too busy, but it was a constant stream of fast-moving traffic complete with juggernauts whizzing by. I stopped at one point to see if there was a sensible alternative, but there wasn't, so I battled on. I've got a fairly high tolerance level for traffic, but this one scared the pants off me at times. No particularly rubbish driving, but just lots of it, heavy, and fast.

Fortunately the rest of my route from Shepton Mallet through to Taunton was much better. I guess it's just one of those things about knowing your local roads - there are a couple in Devon I've done that I wouldn't rush to do again - but that Somerset one wins hands down in the scary stakes.

Just in case you're planning a gentle little jaunt in Somerset...

andymiller

briantrumpet wrote:

Let's just say that I wouldn't choose to ride the A361 from Bradford-on-Avon to Shepton Mallet again. Looking at the map I didn't think it would be too busy, but it was a constant stream of fast-moving traffic complete with juggernauts whizzing by.

... but aren't most A roads like that?

briantrumpet

andymiller wrote:

... but aren't most A roads like that?

Not in Devon - there are some really quite pleasant ones - and even the 361 to the west of Shepton Mallet was fine - all the way down to Taunton, where I got on the A38 (which is also fine).

peanut

that road is a well know rat-run and the only viable road across East to West below Bath.
A38 is busy at times but its a nice old road and theres plenty of interest along the A38. There used to be a tv series/documentary about it many years ago .

I see you have a CAAD 9 :roll: been looking for one to buy for nearly 2 years. How does it compare with the Supersix ?

geoff_ss

peanut wrote:

that road is a well know rat-run and the only viable road across East to West below Bath.
A38 is busy at times but its a nice old road and theres plenty of interest along the A38. There used to be a tv series/documentary about it many years ago .

I see you have a CAAD 9 :roll: been looking for one to buy for nearly 2 years. How does it compare with the Supersix ?

The A38 passes about half a mile from our house and I wouldn't ride on it for anything. Here in Derbyshire it's a fast dual carriageway that, fortunately, takes the traffic from the old roads it bypasses. On the other hand the A6 isn't too bad, probably because the M1 and the A38 takes most of the long-distance traffic. A lot of Derby cyclists use the A6 for training so motorists aren't surprised by bikes.

It just goes to show that local knowledge is invaluable when planning a route.

briantrumpet

peanut wrote:

that road is a well know rat-run and the only viable road across East to West below Bath.

I thought that would probably be the reason - although Somerset has quite a lot of roads, there are limited options for reasonably simple ways across it. Devon, in contrast, seems to have loads of options, and some good dualled trunk roads to take the bulk of the heavy stuff.

I see you have a CAAD 9 :roll: been looking for one to buy for nearly 2 years. How does it compare with the Supersix ?

Both really nice - can't quite put my finger on the difference ... both nicely stiff & responsive, they move when you put the effort in. There is a difference on rougher surfaces, but unhelpfully I can't really say that one's 'smoother' than the other .... just different. Wouldn't want to be without either.

Geoff_SS wrote:

It just goes to show that local knowledge is invaluable when planning a route.

Indeed. Maybe there should be a catch-all "Don't ride these roads unless you're insane" thread in which we could list the worst stretches in our area. I suspect it would be quite a long list, but if someone fancied sorting them by area then putting it in table form, it could be quite useful in route planning in foreign parts (like Somerset).

peanut

Geoff_SS wrote:

It just goes to show that local knowledge is invaluable when planning a route.

it certainly does. :roll: we just planned a route to Powys from Somerset and the RAC route finder suggested driving through farm yards, cattle droves and peoples front gardens locally :shock:

The A38 must be one of the longest roads! I hadn't realised it stretched that far north. I wish I could remember the tv program series they ran about 25 years ago.

andymiller

My philosophy is that if you want a quiet interesting ride avoid A and B roads where you can. No doubt there are A roads that are worth doing, but unless you know the road or the map suggests it will be scenic, it doesn't seem worth the risk.

I'm posting this about 50 yards from the A38 as it heads towards Bristol (although I don't actually live here). At weekends it is occasionally used for bike raises and I guess there are some views over the Severn, but personally the nearby NCN seems a much more interesting option.

As for getting from Bradford-on-Avon to Shepton Mallet a glance at the map seems to suggest that there are plenty of alternative routes: so I'm not sure what the definition of 'viable' is here. The A361 actually looks like the long way round.

briantrumpet

andymiller wrote:

As for getting from Bradford-on-Avon to Shepton Mallet a glance at the map seems to suggest that there are plenty of alternative routes: so I'm not sure what the definition of 'viable' is here. The A361 actually looks like the long way round.

For me 'viable' is always a balance between speed & ease of navigation, amount of climbing, number of towns to go through, and the niceness of the roads. I'm happy on A and B roads if they are not too crowded & juggernauty. On this occasion I got it wrong as far as the niceness of the road is concerned (though the route got me from Bradford-on-Avon to Exeter in 5 hours, so it's quite fast, which is what I was looking for), but the alternatives would have involved quite a bit more climbing and having to check the map much more frequently.

But in the unlikely event that I do that route again, I think I'd opt for the more climby route across to Wells to get to Glastonbury and on down.

Mad_Malx

As a Bradford local I'm also baffled as why you would pick this route.
B roads to Rode and Beckington then back road through Mells far preferable, not too difficult to follow.

briantrumpet

Mad_Malx wrote:

As a Bradford local I'm also baffled as why you would pick this route.

Cos I'm not a local and didn't know. As I mentioned earlier, some of the A roads in Devon are sheer joy (e.g. A3072, A377 north of Crediton, A3124), and I've gone 10 miles on the beautiful Exe Valley A3196 back from Minehead without any traffic passing me. I wouldn't want to miss out on the pleasure of those just because they are A roads.

B roads to Rode and Beckington then back road through Mells far preferable, not too difficult to follow.

Thanks - I'll look that one up if I ever do a Somerset traverse again.