UK cycling in easter
Comments
-
Wait and see where is going to have decent weather.
Exeter would be a good shout though - I did a day of Dartmoor and a day along the East Devon coast last year and both were great. Not much flat except the Exe estuary path but that was grand too.0 -
ProjectObject wrote:Svetty wrote:York? Yorkshire Wolds, North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales, interesting Roman city.......
I agree with Svetty. Yorkshire has some great routes and scenery. Good enough for Tour de France stage.
Lake district is good but not at Easter, every man and his dog are there over the Easter weekend.
You don't need a city for a good night out. Small towns are good night's out and the accommodation is cheaper.
Us northerners are used to the crap weather, most b&b's are set up for this and will dry your gear. They also advertise bike storage. I doubt you will get that in a city.
York is good. Lots of good pubs and not too big so not awful to get out. Easy access on the train from London which should be a plus.
I'm Manchester based and while I wouldn't recommend Manchester due to the "dead" miles getting in and out of town, the Peaks are really good - I spent Christmas in Buxton and did rides over to Bakewell etc.. A nice ride is up Long Hill, down to the Errwood Reservoir and up the Goyt Valley which is closed to motor traffic on Sundays (but that does mean there will probably be kids and loose dogs all over the place at Easter). Buxton has some good pubs too.0 -
Canvey Island."You really think you can burn off sugar with exercise?" downhill paul0
-
ugo.santalucia wrote:Fenix wrote:Chester. easy to get here and you can do wales or cheshire.
You've got to try harder than that...
We have the BIGGEST ICE CREAM FARM IN EUROPE in Cheshire - (who knew THAT was a thing) and you can do whopping great climbs in North Wales and visit the ontcysyllte aqueduct - a World Heritage site. Or go see Jodrell Bank - always lots of cyclists there too.
You can get to Shropshire too - or check out the Yellow Jersey collection in the Eureka Cafe at Two Mills on the Wirral.0 -
Fenix wrote:ugo.santalucia wrote:Fenix wrote:Chester. easy to get here and you can do wales or cheshire.
You've got to try harder than that...
We have the BIGGEST ICE CREAM FARM IN EUROPE in Cheshire - (who knew THAT was a thing) and you can do whopping great climbs in North Wales and visit the ontcysyllte aqueduct - a World Heritage site. Or go see Jodrell Bank - always lots of cyclists there too.
You can get to Shropshire too - or check out the Yellow Jersey collection in the Eureka Cafe at Two Mills on the Wirral.
Yeah, I'm not sure that's much of a recommendation actually.0 -
Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:Fenix wrote:ugo.santalucia wrote:Fenix wrote:Chester. easy to get here and you can do wales or cheshire.
You've got to try harder than that...
We have the BIGGEST ICE CREAM FARM IN EUROPE in Cheshire - (who knew THAT was a thing) and you can do whopping great climbs in North Wales and visit the ontcysyllte aqueduct - a World Heritage site. Or go see Jodrell Bank - always lots of cyclists there too.
You can get to Shropshire too - or check out the Yellow Jersey collection in the Eureka Cafe at Two Mills on the Wirral.
Yeah, I'm not sure that's much of a recommendation actually.
I know it's fashionable to be too cool for other cyclists, but it's quite nice cycling out that way. They go there because there's lots of quiet lanes and nice little villages etc.. Also it's pretty flat, so it won't help if you want to ride lots of hills (it's where we go when the weather is bad for the Peaks or I fancy an easy one).
If the weather is nice there will be hordes of cyclists down there, if that bothers you.
I've been meaning to do some of the North Wales climbs but it ends up being a 200km+ round trip
0 -
Portsmouth.
Close to London (compared to scotland, Devon etc)
Cycle friendly city.
Good range of shopping centres and restaurants.
20 mins and your on the isle of Wight (1 lap of is 65miles ish)
Easy to get to Brighton, Southampton and Bournemouth etc.
Go North 10 miles and you're in the South downs.0 -
courtmed wrote:Anglesey is a great shout. Although I'm surprised not many people have backed you up on Cardiff - I think Cardiff would be great for you. There are plenty of routes that could take you towards the Vale of Glamorgan on some of the quieter roads/lanes that Luke Rowe & Geraint Thomas can sometimes be seen on. Or you could head towards the valleys and up a number of quality climbs.
Never done it myself but I've heard of people cycling along the coast towards Swansea, pottering around the Gower and then catching a train back to Cardiff.
On top of that Cardiff's a great city with loads to do as well as never feeling too congested/spread out.
Shhhhh! Don't let some of these ignorant Sais know about The Gower fgs!0 -
OP should also consider rail engineering works over Easter and possible replacement bus services or slower services - I don't think the bus driver will be happy about a bike on the bus.0
-
Gimpl wrote:courtmed wrote:Anglesey is a great shout. Although I'm surprised not many people have backed you up on Cardiff - I think Cardiff would be great for you. There are plenty of routes that could take you towards the Vale of Glamorgan on some of the quieter roads/lanes that Luke Rowe & Geraint Thomas can sometimes be seen on. Or you could head towards the valleys and up a number of quality climbs.
Never done it myself but I've heard of people cycling along the coast towards Swansea, pottering around the Gower and then catching a train back to Cardiff.
On top of that Cardiff's a great city with loads to do as well as never feeling too congested/spread out.
Shhhhh! Don't let some of these ignorant Sais know about The Gower fgs!
0 -
I agree with the suggestion of York - easy to get to on the train as it's straight up the East Coast Main Line from Kings Cross and straight there, no changes. Then York itself is quite small and easy to make your way out of.
You've got the Howardian Hills and North York Moors to the North and flatter lands to the South.
If you don't mind changing trains on the way back you could cycle from York to Whitby, over the North York Moors then get back on the train at Whitby.0 -
bobmcstuff wrote:Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:Fenix wrote:ugo.santalucia wrote:Fenix wrote:Chester. easy to get here and you can do wales or cheshire.
You've got to try harder than that...
We have the BIGGEST ICE CREAM FARM IN EUROPE in Cheshire - (who knew THAT was a thing) and you can do whopping great climbs in North Wales and visit the ontcysyllte aqueduct - a World Heritage site. Or go see Jodrell Bank - always lots of cyclists there too.
You can get to Shropshire too - or check out the Yellow Jersey collection in the Eureka Cafe at Two Mills on the Wirral.
Yeah, I'm not sure that's much of a recommendation actually.
I know it's fashionable to be too cool for other cyclists, but it's quite nice cycling out that way. They go there because there's lots of quiet lanes and nice little villages etc.. Also it's pretty flat, so it won't help if you want to ride lots of hills (it's where we go when the weather is bad for the Peaks or I fancy an easy one).
If the weather is nice there will be hordes of cyclists down there, if that bothers you.
I've been meaning to do some of the North Wales climbs but it ends up being a 200km+ round trip
It was a very poor attempt at a joke on my part, astronomers (I have an interest myself) having a reputation for being a bit anoraky!0 -
i'd avoid Scotland / the North as the weather will probably be sh1te (unless you get a particularly encouraging forecast). Stay in the south, Cornwall / Devon a good shout, or the Cotswolds, but you could even just base yourself in London and do plenty of good rides out into Kent / Surrey. Alternatively, get on a ferry and do a few days in Belgium / Northern France. Iconic roads, marginally better weather, more considerate drivers, cheaper hotels and great food / beer.0
-
BigMat wrote:Iconic roads, marginally better weather, more considerate drivers, cheaper hotels and great food / beer.
There is only one country that can boast worse food than Belgium and that is Holland. As for the North of France, I never found their cuisine particularly inspiring... things like l'Andouillette are particularly revolting even to an offal eater like myself.
As for the beer, well, Belgian Abbey beer is a perfect recipe for a terrible hangover.
Hotels can be cheaper, but you typically compromise on the quality... some Campanile are bearable, others are terrible, it's the lack of the draw, the one just outside Roubaix is nice, the one in St Quentin is a bog hole.
The countryside in Belgium and Northern France is uninspiring and unless those cobbled roads mean something to you, then it's all truly grim.
We grew to like these things because of a couple of races that mean something to us, but in truth they are lands which are still recovering from half a century of bombing and horrible fighting and they are still profoundly ugly places...
Roubaix excels at being bad... I think it was recently named the poorest and ugliest city in France... a well deserved titleleft the forum March 20230 -
ugo.santalucia wrote:BigMat wrote:Iconic roads, marginally better weather, more considerate drivers, cheaper hotels and great food / beer.
There is only one country that can boast worse food than Belgium and that is Holland. As for the North of France, I never found their cuisine particularly inspiring... things like l'Andouillette are particularly revolting even to an offal eater like myself.
As for the beer, well, Belgian Abbey beer is a perfect recipe for a terrible hangover.
Hotels can be cheaper, but you typically compromise on the quality... some Campanile are bearable, others are terrible, it's the lack of the draw, the one just outside Roubaix is nice, the one in St Quentin is a bog hole.
The countryside in Belgium and Northern France is uninspiring and unless those cobbled roads mean something to you, then it's all truly grim.
We grew to like these things because of a couple of races that mean something to us, but in truth they are lands which are still recovering from half a century of bombing and horrible fighting and they are still profoundly ugly places...
Roubaix excels at being bad... I think it was recently named the poorest and ugliest city in France... a well deserved title
Well that's me told! Seriously though, what's not to like about frites, moules, steak, chocolate and beer (obviously not all at the same time). For the record, the worst meal I have eaten this year was Italian fine dining in Rome - glace vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers etc), seriously WTF??!!0 -
Next time you want to eat well in Italy you drop me a line first... What were you thinking?BigMat wrote:ugo.santalucia wrote:BigMat wrote:Iconic roads, marginally better weather, more considerate drivers, cheaper hotels and great food / beer.
There is only one country that can boast worse food than Belgium and that is Holland. As for the North of France, I never found their cuisine particularly inspiring... things like l'Andouillette are particularly revolting even to an offal eater like myself.
As for the beer, well, Belgian Abbey beer is a perfect recipe for a terrible hangover.
Hotels can be cheaper, but you typically compromise on the quality... some Campanile are bearable, others are terrible, it's the lack of the draw, the one just outside Roubaix is nice, the one in St Quentin is a bog hole.
The countryside in Belgium and Northern France is uninspiring and unless those cobbled roads mean something to you, then it's all truly grim.
We grew to like these things because of a couple of races that mean something to us, but in truth they are lands which are still recovering from half a century of bombing and horrible fighting and they are still profoundly ugly places...
Roubaix excels at being bad... I think it was recently named the poorest and ugliest city in France... a well deserved title
Well that's me told! Seriously though, what's not to like about frites, moules, steak, chocolate and beer (obviously not all at the same time). For the record, the worst meal I have eaten this year was Italian fine dining in Rome - glace vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers etc), seriously WTF??!!left the forum March 20230 -
BigMat wrote:Well that's me told! Seriously though, what's not to like about frites, moules, steak, chocolate and beer (obviously not all at the same time). For the record, the worst meal I have eaten this year was Italian fine dining in Rome - glace vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers etc), seriously WTF??!!
You forgot Waterzooi! (Aquatic chaos) best likened to a thick soup or a thin stew... never had a bad one... and of course waffles, perfect recovery food 0 -
Much better than Bristol. Although I do some riding out of north Bristol, it's a little way to get properly out of town, and I don't find the immediate countryside and routes enticing, other than popping over the old Severn Bridge to Chepstow and beyond. I'm spoilt for choice from Exeter, though if you want flat routes you'll be stuffed. Lots of ideas in my Ridewithgps routes here: https://ridewithgps.com/users/67154/routes (you can sort by name - look for ones starting with 'Exe' or 'Top' - or by length).SloppySchleckonds wrote:First Aspect wrote:
OP, god knows why you want to base yourself in a city anyway, but if you do, go to EXETER. It is small, pretty, friendly and on the doorstep of Dartmoor, which is cycling heaven, plus there are hardly any Welsh people. Absolute no-brainer if you ask me.
Good suggestion0 -
You're a Kiwi right?
Euston to Rugby = 1 hour c.£30 return if booked on line
See the home of the game, the rugby hall of fame, rugby museum, rugby school where it all began.
Then 50 mile loops from the town could take you through the edge of the Cotswolds (south), rolling Leicestershire (west), beautiful Northamptonshire (west) or leafy Warwickshire (east).
Although getting on a train and heading North for anything over an hour would get you somewhere infinitely better to ride than London I would imagine.Wilier Izoard XP0 -
laurentian wrote:You're a Kiwi right?
Euston to Rugby = 1 hour c.£30 return if booked on line
See the home of the game, the rugby hall of fame, rugby museum, rugby school where it all began.
Then 50 mile loops from the town could take you through the edge of the Cotswolds (south), rolling Leicestershire (west), beautiful Northamptonshire (west) or leafy Warwickshire (east).
Although getting on a train and heading North for anything over an hour would get you somewhere infinitely better to ride than London I would imagine.
I happen to be a citizen of the Midlands and I wouldn't recommend the cycling round here as anything worth travelling for, there is better cycling just outside London. As you say, a 50 mile loop will at best get you to Edge hill... for a decent Cotswolds loop you are looking at 100 milesleft the forum March 20230 -
ugo.santalucia wrote:laurentian wrote:You're a Kiwi right?
Euston to Rugby = 1 hour c.£30 return if booked on line
See the home of the game, the rugby hall of fame, rugby museum, rugby school where it all began.
Then 50 mile loops from the town could take you through the edge of the Cotswolds (south), rolling Leicestershire (west), beautiful Northamptonshire (west) or leafy Warwickshire (east).
Although getting on a train and heading North for anything over an hour would get you somewhere infinitely better to ride than London I would imagine.
I happen to be a citizen of the Midlands and I wouldn't recommend the cycling round here as anything worth travelling for, there is better cycling just outside London. As you say, a 50 mile loop will at best get you to Edge hill... for a decent Cotswolds loop you are looking at 100 miles
I too am a citizen of the Midlands . . . I can easily find cycling in the area as good as picturesque and as enjoyable as anywhere else I've been. The OP asked for a "city". The OP is a NZer. The OP will be into the game of Rugby and was travelling on the train from London.Wilier Izoard XP0 -
laurentian wrote:
I too am a citizen of the Midlands . . . I can easily find cycling in the area as good as picturesque and as enjoyable as anywhere else I've been.
On this we differ. I have only been here 18 months, but I am already bored of the featureless countryside of Warwickshire. Heading into the Cotswolds it gets better, at least there are a few climbs that break the monotony of the gentle and constant up and down and some truly pictoresque villages, like Snowshill or Bibury
Would you say Warwickshire compares with the Lakes, The Peaks, the Dales, the Bracon Beacons and so on?left the forum March 20230 -
It depends what you want from the city, if it's just a night out then Exeter, Sheffield, Cardiff and Bristol are good with great riding right on your doorstep. All good rail links to London too.
If you want something a bit more cultural in your city, then I'd rate York and Bath very highly; also both with great riding on the doorstep. They're smaller cities though.
Chester is a good shout, but it's a decent amount of flat before you get to the really interesting terrain of Wales.
There's some great riding in Scotland and North Wales but more than the weather concerns it's just quite a bit more travel for a weekend trip. Lakes is actually not too bad to get to on the train... but for a bank holiday Easter weekend that just means it's absolutely packed!
The suggestion of Portsmouth is actually very good. A 20 min boat trip to IoW which has excellent riding. You have the flat Langstone / Chichester harbours to the east and the South Downs immediately North. The city itself is pretty good culturally with the Naval Dockyards, as well as the seafront castles well worth a visit. Some good bars in Southsea and night life in Gunwharf quays.0 -
thomasmorris wrote:It depends what you want from the city, if it's just a night out then Exeter, Sheffield, Cardiff and Bristol are good with great riding right on your doorstep. All good rail links to London too.
.
Sheffield is a good call... nice lively city with loads to do... 15 minutes and you are in the Peak District... there is a nice loop that will take in Winnats and Mam Nickleft the forum March 20230 -
Exeter
Great riding up on Dartmoor with plenty of pubs and cafes to stop at. Flat routes down towards Topsham, Exmouth etc. Can head north towards Barnstaple or east to Honiton, each with plenty of good riding.0 -
ugo.santalucia wrote:laurentian wrote:
I too am a citizen of the Midlands . . . I can easily find cycling in the area as good as picturesque and as enjoyable as anywhere else I've been.
On this we differ. I have only been here 18 months, but I am already bored of the featureless countryside of Warwickshire. Heading into the Cotswolds it gets better, at least there are a few climbs that break the monotony of the gentle and constant up and down and some truly pictoresque villages, like Snowshill or Bibury
Would you say Warwickshire compares with the Lakes, The Peaks, the Dales, the Bracon Beacons and so on?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder mate.
I've been to all of the above and, yes, the scenery is lovely. Mountains, valleys and lakes make that beauty very obvious. Perhaps its a more subtle beauty - but if you don't get the same joy from looking at rural central England I would say you are missing out . . . perhaps you've been spoilt.
Apart from the fact I am from the Midlands, it was the fact that the OP is a NZer (and therefore bound to be nuts about the game of Rugby), wanted to take a train (cheap and less than an hour non-stop from London, and fancied a bit of cycling (I am pretty familiar with the area) that made me suggest it.
It would be daft of me to suggest he went to Crewe, Dunbarton or Merthyr as I know nothing about the towns or the area tey are in, the cost or time of the train or any matters of interest to him that may be there.
Where abouts in the Midlands are you?Wilier Izoard XP0 -
laurentian wrote:
Where abouts in the Midlands are you?
Soli-dull... you can look me up on Strava and see where I go... mainly is towards Edge hill or south towards Mickelton and then into the Cotswolds. Long days on the saddle get me somewhere nice, but 3 hours rides are typically quite dull.
I am spoiled and probably do miss out, but I am the kind of person that in Kim Kardashian doesn't see beyond a fat ass... left the forum March 20230 -
ugo.santalucia wrote:laurentian wrote:
Where abouts in the Midlands are you?
Soli-dull... you can look me up on Strava and see where I go... mainly is towards Edge hill or south towards Mickelton and then into the Cotswolds. Long days on the saddle get me somewhere nice, but 3 hours rides are typically quite dull.
I am spoiled and probably do miss out, but I am the kind of person that in Kim Kardashian doesn't see beyond a fat ass...
We agree on something then!!
Actually, you've probably got to go a fair way from Solihull to get off the beaten track - always fancied a pedal up and around Alvechurch/Redditch/Lickey Hills/Drotwich/Worcester area as I used to have an office there . . . the right places looked alright.
I'd be more East Midlands than you (east of Rugby in Northants)Wilier Izoard XP0 -
laurentian wrote:ugo.santalucia wrote:laurentian wrote:
Where abouts in the Midlands are you?
Soli-dull... you can look me up on Strava and see where I go... mainly is towards Edge hill or south towards Mickelton and then into the Cotswolds. Long days on the saddle get me somewhere nice, but 3 hours rides are typically quite dull.
I am spoiled and probably do miss out, but I am the kind of person that in Kim Kardashian doesn't see beyond a fat ass...
We agree on something then!!
Actually, you've probably got to go a fair way from Solihull to get off the beaten track - always fancied a pedal up and around Alvechurch/Redditch/Lickey Hills/Drotwich/Worcester area as I used to have an office there . . . the right places looked alright.
I'd be more East Midlands than you (east of Rugby in Northants)
I'd love to head west of Birmingham into Shropshire and Worcestershire, but either I get up at 5 AM (which I might do in summer) or I go around the city, which is nearly as busy, crap and adds probably another 30-40 miles to the ride. Being in Solihull, south and east seem the obvious ways to go. How is Rugby to live in? Far cheaper than here, but not worse, from what I have seenleft the forum March 20230 -
ugo.santalucia wrote:laurentian wrote:ugo.santalucia wrote:laurentian wrote:
Where abouts in the Midlands are you?
Soli-dull... you can look me up on Strava and see where I go... mainly is towards Edge hill or south towards Mickelton and then into the Cotswolds. Long days on the saddle get me somewhere nice, but 3 hours rides are typically quite dull.
I am spoiled and probably do miss out, but I am the kind of person that in Kim Kardashian doesn't see beyond a fat ass...
We agree on something then!!
Actually, you've probably got to go a fair way from Solihull to get off the beaten track - always fancied a pedal up and around Alvechurch/Redditch/Lickey Hills/Drotwich/Worcester area as I used to have an office there . . . the right places looked alright.
I'd be more East Midlands than you (east of Rugby in Northants)
I'd love to head west of Birmingham into Shropshire and Worcestershire, but either I get up at 5 AM (which I might do in summer) or I go around the city, which is nearly as busy, crap and adds probably another 30-40 miles to the ride. Being in Solihull, south and east seem the obvious ways to go. How is Rugby to live in? Far cheaper than here, but not worse, from what I have seen
I don't actually live in Rugby (I'm out in the sticks a bit - about 10 miles east) but I do go there a lot as I play rugby for a club there. There are an awful lot of houses being built in and around Rugby at the moment including a whole new town on the western edge (Houlton). Theres quite a bit of investment going into the town centre and road/rail links are fantastic for Birmingham and London. As far as cycling goes, I wouild imagine it would be a better starting point than Solihull and yes, probably cheaper.Wilier Izoard XP0
