NCN Route 11

Quoted message said:

That could take the best part of an afternoon, so I would be grateful
to hear if anyone has some better ideas.

Just get the relevant 1:50,000 OS maps, and pick smaller roads. I did
this to cycle from Cambridge to Kings Lynn, which is presumably similar
to what you're aiming for, and the route was fine. Given general
experience of Sustrans, I'd rate my (and presumably your) ability to
pick a decent route as being better than theirs.

Anthony

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In a month or so I shall be going from Cambridge north towards the
Norfolk coast. From the Sustrans website it seemed that Route 11 might
help me avoid some of the busier roads, but there seems to be no map. I
phoned Sustrans and their advice was to stitch together the maps of
areas on their site. If I do enough, I should be able to piece together
Route 11.

That could take the best part of an afternoon, so I would be grateful
to hear if anyone has some better ideas. And what does anyone think of
Route 11 anyway?

Many thanks

D P

Stick to minor roads and avoid the A10. Which bit of Norfolk you aiming
for - the coast is long - King's Lynn to Yarmouth and mean different
directions out of Cambridge

Cheers, helen s

"wafflycat" <w*a*ff£y£cat*@£btco*nn£ect.com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In a month or so I shall be going from Cambridge north towards the
Norfolk coast. From the Sustrans website it seemed that Route 11 might
help me avoid some of the busier roads, but there seems to be no map. I
phoned Sustrans and their advice was to stitch together the maps of
areas on their site. If I do enough, I should be able to piece together
Route 11.

That could take the best part of an afternoon, so I would be grateful
to hear if anyone has some better ideas. And what does anyone think of
Route 11 anyway?

Many thanks

D P

Stick to minor roads and avoid the A10. Which bit of Norfolk you aiming
for - the coast is long - King's Lynn to Yarmouth and mean different
directions out of Cambridge

Cheers, helen s

addition...

Mind you, I've cycled south on the A1065 from Hilborough to Mildenhall with
no hassle - but it was early in the morning on a weekend.

Cheers, helen s

depal1200 said:

In a month or so I shall be going from Cambridge north towards the Norfolk
coast. From the Sustrans website it seemed that Route 11 might help me
avoid some of the busier roads, but there seems to be no map. I phoned
Sustrans and their advice was to stitch together the maps of areas on
their site. If I do enough, I should be able to piece together Route 11.

I wouldn't try to follow a Sustrans or any other route withut an OS map,
50,000 or 25,000.

Quoted message said:

And what does anyone think of Route 11 anyway?

Be careful leaving Cambridge, there are two NCN 11s. The one west of the
Cam ends near Waterbeach and dumps you onto the really nasty A10. The
one east of the river takes a roundabout route to get to Ely. About 2km
of it looks as if it would be a mud-bath in bad weather, but the rest is
reasonably hard-surfaced. I have never found out how it traverses Ely,
but it's not by following the river, and I've only used public rods north
of there.

Wobbly John, who sometimes appears here, is the Ranger for the section
north of Ely.

Mike

Following on from wafflycat's message. . .

Quoted message said:

Stick to minor roads and avoid the A10. Which bit of Norfolk you aiming
for - the coast is long - King's Lynn to Yarmouth and mean different
directions out of Cambridge

Big place Norfolk.

What sort of refreshment stops are you looking for? If the answer is 'a
drop of real ale' then there might just be some in u.r.c. who can point
you in the direction of a few way-points. (Actually this knowledge
might also apply to other types of oasis.)

As others have said. Leave the red roads alone and you'll have no
problem.

--
PETER FOX Not the same since the bookshop idea was shelved
[email hidden]
www.eminent.demon.co.uk - Lots for cyclists

Thanks to all for the advice, particularly the idea of trusting OS
rather than Sustrans. When I am clearer about exactly where I'm going,
I will get back on here about suitable pubs!

D P

In article said:

Thanks to all for the advice, particularly the idea of trusting OS
rather than Sustrans. When I am clearer about exactly where I'm going,
I will get back on here about suitable pubs!

Another possible route through Norfolk you might want to consider:
http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/PeddarsWay/uploads/CyclingPeddarsWay.pdf

Links up with the Icknield Way, which I believe is a bridleway so allows
cycling the whole way: http://www.icknieldwaypath.co.uk/map.php

[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

[...] And what does anyone think of Route 11 anyway?

It's a mix of on-road and new-build near King's Lynn, so fairly fast
apart from the stupid gates between the power station and South Lynn.
IIRC, it's a relatively recent addition, so only the sections with
active rangers (mostly near the towns) are signed well and parts have
alternative routes which can confuse.
--
MJR/slef
http://mjr.towers.org.uk/proj/cyclynn/

Anthony Jones said:

Given general
experience of Sustrans, I'd rate my (and presumably your) ability to
pick a decent route as being better than theirs.

Anthony

Quite right. I bought one of Sustrans route maps a few years ago but
found it unusable because I discovered t too late that the map is
split in a series of ''panels'' but every panel of the map is drawn
at a different orientation.
The whole extremely expensively produced series had been presumably
designed by illiterates who neither know nor care the difference
between North and South. Or the designers' in their conceit of the
graphic brilliance of squeezing bits of the map onto a folded A2 sheet
never actually tested the effect of what happens when you're travelling
with it and when you get to the end of one panel have to figure out
how the hell to change over to the next bit- whose North direction
might be anywhere on the page, top, bottom, left, or right, who cares.
Another Dome-like ''Millenium Project '' disaster.

B

MJ Ray said:

[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

[...] And what does anyone think of Route 11 anyway?

It's a mix of on-road and new-build near King's Lynn, so fairly fast
apart from the stupid gates between the power station and South Lynn.
IIRC, it's a relatively recent addition, so only the sections with
active rangers (mostly near the towns) are signed well and parts have
alternative routes which can confuse.

.... so probably best to avoid the whole thing and keep to the roads.

--
Don Whybrow

Sequi Bonum Non Time

One tentacle, one vote.

Alan Braggins said:

Another possible route through Norfolk you might want to consider:
http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/PeddarsWay/uploads/CyclingPeddarsWay.pdf

Links up with the Icknield Way, which I believe is a bridleway so allows
cycling the whole way: http://www.icknieldwaypath.co.uk/map.php

On the OS 25,000 part of the Icknield Way is marked as bridleway, but
long sections are only "National Trail or Recreational Path". The
legal status of cycling there is anyone's guess. In fact the Peddars Way
is similar on the maps, although the website says that most of it is
legally cyclable.

Personally I'd stay on the roads -- but that's 'cos I only have road bikes.

Mike

Don Whybrow <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

.... so probably best to avoid the whole thing and keep to the roads.

Only if you are incompetent with maps, prefer slopes to flat or don't
slow down for junctions anyway. Otherwise it's a time gain over the
alternative road route.

Mike Causer <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

[...] In fact the Peddars Way
is similar on the maps, although the website says that most of it is
legally cyclable.

Personally I'd stay on the roads -- but that's 'cos I only have road bikes.

If you try a road bike on Peddars Way, you are likely to sink in
places, most of the year (but maybe not this weekend).

MJ Ray said:

Don Whybrow <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

.... so probably best to avoid the whole thing and keep to the roads.

Only if you are incompetent with maps, prefer slopes to flat or don't
slow down for junctions anyway. Otherwise it's a time gain over the
alternative road route.

Eh! are you barking?

You stated that:

Quoted message said:

only the sections with
active rangers (mostly near the towns) are signed well and parts have
alternative routes which can confuse.

Do you honestly believe that a system like that is faster than a road route?

Get your head out of the backside of this organisation and smell the
fresh air of reality.

--
Don Whybrow

Sequi Bonum Non Time

"Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if
there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than
that of blindfolded fear." - Thomas Jefferson

Don Whybrow <[email hidden]> wrote: [...]

Quoted message said:

Do you honestly believe that a system like that is faster than a road route?

Yes, if you know the route. As previously mentioned (but maybe not
directly enough for a red-mist-reader), most of it *is* a road route
anyway, but isn't signed in any other useful way because TPTB want to
encourage cars onto the trunk roads.

Quoted message said:

Get your head out of the backside of this organisation and smell the
fresh air of reality.

Stop spewing bile from yours onto the newsgroup.
--
MJR/slef