Touring - Dual Carriageways in England

Hi, I'm also cycling from Halifax to the South of France and was wondering if any one could give me advice about cycling down "A" type roads in the UK especially dual carrageways.

Six of us plan to cycle in single file.

Firstly, is this very unwise? Is there a minimum speed we should stick to? Has anyone had any experience of doing this and have learnt any valuable lessons along the way?

Is it likely the coppers will hate us?

Not very pleasant, and mostly avoided with a bit of map reading.

The most dangerous sections are junctions. These expose you to turning and joining traffic for too long and the large rounderbouts can be really dangerous, with very fast cars crossing your path. Go as fast as you can.

Large trucks cause serious sidewind problems.

I've been taking the dual-carriageway to work for the last few weeks (I needed to start 15 minutes earlier, and couldn't face getting up 15 minutes earlier...).

The A2 is not a pleasant experience. The hard shoulder isn't continuous, and much of the time is full of debris, so best avoided.

If you take the whole lane you will undoubtably be hooted at, and you'll still probably get cars squeezing past. If you try and stay a couple of feet from the shoulder you get less hooting (although some drivers don't seem to understand you have a right to cycle there anyway), and you'll probably find cars squeeze past rather than changing lanes.

Articulated lorries, are probably your biggest problem - they're wide and whilst the drivers don't seem any worse (often better) than others the turbulance created when they pass you at speed is unsettling to say the least.

Before approaching a junction to pass, I'd advise trying to take the lane to limit those who cut infront of you.

Speed wise, as the maximum I've got up to is 39mph , I've almost always been slower than the passing traffic.

Don't expect drivers to slow down when they see you, but on a good note, visibility is generally pretty good.

when you take an exit, be wary of drivers trying to undertake you, and note that where a dual-carriageway becomes a single carriageway is probably the most dangerous point - it's too narrow for vehicles to pass you easily, but they won't slow down from the 80mph odd they've been doing.



Non-dual carriageway A roads vary from the not too bad, to the very narrow racing track.



With regard to major roundabouts, signal clearly but still expoect to be cut up, and remember they're a lovely place to be over/under taken by a white delivery van.



If you can avoid them I'd recommend it - maybe take a look at the Sustrans routes - they'll be slower but are almost always quite pleasant. Having said that I haven't been knocked off yet.

Richard

Originally posted by Richard D
If you can avoid them I'd recommend it - maybe take a look at the Sustrans routes - they'll be slower but are almost always quite pleasant. Having said that I haven't been knocked off yet.

Richard

What are the Sustrans routs?

Originally posted by Brooky


What are the Sustrans routs?


National Cycle Network - www.sustrans.co.uk

I've visited the sustrans site a few tiomes but just don't find it helpful - it is a nightmare to find your way round. If anyone has had a better experience please let me know what I'm doing wrong.

I bought the Lonely Planet book 'Cycling in Britain' which is pretty good and will get you around a bit - it has touirs within each region of the UK. worth having a look at in a bookshop at least

Originally posted by alexeicharkham
I've visited the sustrans site a few tiomes but just don't find it helpful - it is a nightmare to find your way round. If anyone has had a better experience please let me know what I'm doing wrong.


You're right - the site isn't wonderful, but I found the maps okay when I perservered and drilled down. The maps they sell aren't bad (and the book) - not up to OS standard but a reasonable guide.

Remember, the speed limit on dual carriageways is 70mph, which means that's a helluva differential between cars and you. Ok for short distances but as someone who used to commute on a d c, much prefer the quieter, longer way.

Brooky

Get to a good bookshop - There are a number of long distance routes that avoid 'A' roads

The one to look for is Sustrans route no.1 that goes from somwhere in Scotland (might be Berwick on Tweed or John o'Groats) to Dover

I follow a section of it every day and have followed it from Bishops Stortford (north of London) to Gravesend (Kent, east of London). It may be slow as it's on foootpaths, canal sides, backstreets but it's a load more plesent than an 'A' road, and a lot safer as well

The other option to get to France could be to look at Bike Express - They run luxury coaches that are fitted with a special bike trailer from Middlesbrough stopping every 50 miles or so to Dover and the over the France and down on several routes, again stopping every 50 miles or so.

It might be woth costing it out as it would save you days of not very plesent riding that costs money just to live.

http://www.bike-express.co.uk/

We used them last year to get from London to S.France and having done it once would not go on a French cycle trip any other way. Very good.

Funny you mention Bishops Stortford Brains I live just down the road and I cycled down the A120 and A10 today. It was ok but boring. You have to keep your wits about you especially with fully loaded panniers.

Stopped at a junction and this car pulled. This bloke leaned out the window and said "Excuse me, do you know the way to BLAAARGH!" Must have thought I was foreign!! :) What a to**er!

Still getting neck pain after 140 miles training!! Starting to worry me a bit.

brains - about the bike express - have you ever flown there? I just did and it was ok - only 15 quid to put yr bike on the plane each way (plus abt 30 for the ticket one way). also fairly quick.

how long did it take to get down there? I'd expect it takes up a good day of yr hol each way (altho I guess flying also does in reality...)

Ask me in a month about bikes on planes - never done it, but we are doing LHR to Munchen in September - To do the Danube trail down to Vienna. Flying with Lufthansa - cost for the bikes is €68 each return (about £40)

Last year we were cycling in S.France and one of the party flew from Exeter to Carcasonne with Ryan Air - I forget what the bike cost but it was in the order of £20 or so, all that needed to be done was to turn the handle bars in line with the frame and remove the peddals

My main issue with short haul flights, is all the hassel at the airports at both ends, I used to commute London/Paris on almost a weekly basis at one time, and therefore did the flights, the drives and the trains and the coaches.

The plane was usually marginally faster door to door time (by 15 mins or so), Trains was second, coaches third (by a long way) and driving fourth (by an even longer way). But in terms of comfort and hassel free travel, the train was best and the coaches second, cars third, and I'd only now use the plane out of desperation (or, since 11th September, because it was so cheap as to make the other options look expensive)

good stuff all round. it's not necessary to remove the pedals, or turn the handlebars round. I've flown twice and they didn't make me do it either time (altho I was ready to do it both times, as the travel agent had told me I'd need to.)

[I've just reread yr message and seen you've done it b4, but I'll leave this stuff on as you might not know it, or someone else migyht read this. I'm having a nightmare postin stuff so have to try abt 10 times to get anything on...]

you will need to deflate yr tires a bit. be careful when reinflating - you must let the rubber warm up b4 doing it.

I don't wrap/pad my bike at all, and they seem to treat it pretty well. a few scratches tho. insulation tubing probably a good idea if you are precious abt scratches etc.

have a fantastic trip, and pls tell us abt it when u get back. cost, distance, difficulty etc

good luck sir

The one to look for is Sustrans route no.1 that goes from somwhere in Scotland (might be Berwick on Tweed or John o'Groats) to Dover

I follow a section of it every day and have followed it from Bishops Stortford (north of London) to Gravesend (Kent, east of London). It may be slow as it's on foootpaths, canal sides, backstreets but it's a load more plesent than an 'A' road, and a lot safer as well.

Would I be able to follow the bike path from Dover to London without buying the map? In other words, are there enough bike path signs posted along the way? Thanks all.

Dual Carriage way, surely you can avoid this, its not nice, get yourself a map from http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/ you will be able to pick up a better route & saffer. The sustran map are very specfic, if you wander off by taking a wronge turn you will go off what the map covers. I would fly , if you book with Ryan air 6-8 wks in advance then its only 0.50p for the ticket airport taxes 15 quid & to take the bike its also 15 quid. You can book the return from a different airport, eg last year I landed in Venice cycled to Florence, Pisa and then made it to Rome for my flight back, I did travell parrell to the railway line incase I had problems and needed to take the train to get to the airport in time. Its best not to cover the bike as the baggage handlers will take more care, had to remove the pedals, straighten the handel bars, but I did not let the air out of the tyres as requested, all was fine the other end.

My tuppence worth. I grew up in Britain, and did my first biking there, and I don't think I have ever seen a bike on a dual carriageway. Bikes are not legal at all on motorways (M-roads), and many dual carriageways are built exactly the same way, which means motorists would not be looking out for you, and it certainly wouldn't be fun. Britian has many, many minor roads, and the Ordnance Survey maps are the best there are. Buy the maps, and plan out a route on minor roads and you'll have a much better time.

Dual carriageway riding? Only as a last resort. Where's the fun in getting blasted by passing trucks and heavy densities of car traffic? Roundabout junctions are scary, because of the fast approach speeds of vehicles, who are looking beyond you and not expecting you to be there in any event.

Stay away from DC's as much as possible, there are usually plenty of lanes and quieter roads in the area as well.