LEL 2022 proposed route - Unofficial Track

[yanto]

Going through Edinburgh (twice) is the reason why I'm not interested in LEL just the thought of it fills me with dread having ridden through it many times before often cheered on by some local wildlife and trying to negotiate some nasty road junctions.

I understand why going into the city is an attraction for the organisers and also the inability to actually make the centre the destination then come back south.

[toontra]

I now avoid Edinburgh on my annual London-Aberdeen jaunts, partly due to speed, but also the utterly abysmal condition of the roads iaround the city centre - some of the worst I've encountered anywhere in Europe.  Maybe things have drastically improved in the intervening 4 years since my last visit but I somehow doubt it.

[John Stonebridge]

As an Edinburgh dweller my 2p worth -

- Its long been anomalous that London - Edinburgh - London doesn't actually visit Edinburgh.  I know it doesn't really go to London either but it appears generally accepted that's a blessing not a curse.     

- City centre road surfaces in Edinburgh are poor.  When I do cycle in the city I feel more at risk from the surfaces and pedestrians acting randomly (esp in August when the city is full) than poor driving.  I actually find that taxi and especially bus drivers surprisingly cycle friendly though there's always exceptions.     

- For my 1000km in 2018 (and a different 1000km event scheduled for 2024) event start / finish is Haymarket Yards and take riders almost directly onto the Roseburn path which allows for a traffic free segregated tarmac based route pretty much all the way to the Forth Road Bridge.  Of course unlike LEL my events don't have the challenge of finding an exit to the south of the city. 

- Given the desire to extend the event to Dunfermline next time the suggested routes posted in this thread strike me as being as 0good as its going to get.  The permanent traffic jam that is Broughton Street leading to the Picardy Place tram works appear to be the biggest issue (the Drylaw safari might not be far behind) but Edinburgh is pretty small and its likely to be no less difficult than cycling through places Darlington, York, Cambridge or Brest.    If somebody were otherwise keen to ride LEL, my advice would be to proceed, sticking to the advised route and certainly not be put off taking part in the event by the idea of cycling through Edinburgh. 

LEL has never appealed to me, chiefly on the basis that the bit south of the Humber (approaching 50% of the ride?) is as dull as ditchwater. 

Therefore looking at the bigger picture an alternative solutions might be

(a) start the event in /around Edinburgh.  Anybody wanting to see the sights could do so before / after the event.   

(b) Ditch the idea of LEL completely and move the whole event further north.  Something like York - Aberdeen - York would be a much nicer ride.     

[alwyn]

I now avoid Edinburgh on my annual London-Aberdeen jaunts, partly due to speed, but also the utterly abysmal condition of the roads iaround the city centre - some of the worst I've encountered anywhere in Europe.  Maybe things have drastically improved in the intervening 4 years since my last visit but I somehow doubt it.

They really haven't alas. And now that Dumfries and Galloway have resurfaced the road to Moffat the section from Moffat to the Forth Bridge is a road surface lowlight. Happily we now skirt past the truly awful road surfaces near Roslin. We still need to pin down the final route through town but happily the offroad cycle tracks we propose north of the town centre are a joy in comparison.

I expect the AUK regulars will roll their eyes at the final route through Edinburgh, much as they did the route through Cambridge. Our friends in Europe and India (AIR riders remain our keenest customers) will absolutely love it though, just like they loved the route through Cambridge in 2017 (which was a surprising  hit if the rider feedback is true and correct.)

[alwyn]

(a) start the event in /around Edinburgh.  Anybody wanting to see the sights could do so before / after the event.   

(b) Ditch the idea of LEL completely and move the whole event further north.  Something like York - Aberdeen - York would be a much nicer ride.     

Thanks hugely for your tuppence worth - really useful to read. I've sent you a message replying to your very kind offer to help on that front. I'm afraid however that I'm going to file the idea of an Edinburgh start. It's very easy to start an event in central London, as we will this time, and relatively easy to route through Edinburgh, as we'll also do. Taking the event into and out of London at all hours would be impossible though. And if you think a ride to Edinburgh that stops in Dalkeith is bad, what do you think people would make of a ride to London that stops near Theydon Bois?

I have to challenge the notion that the route south of the Humber is 'dull as dishwater'. If by 'interesting' you mean hilly and remote, then Scotland is way more interesting. But the endless plains of Lincolnshire add to the variety of the route overall, as do the impossibly pretty villages of Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, the wolds in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire itself and the lanes dash back to Debden. 1500km of lowland foothills, on the other hand, would soon get boring.

York Aberdeen York would be interesting, though perhaps a little niche for LEL. The ride I'd be interested in is Manchester to Inverness and back, but I shall defer to my colleague Andy on that score.

[Andy Corless]

For information purposes; there used to be a York - Oban - York 1100 km (I think 1100 km anyway) permanent. Don't know whether it's still run and I ain't got 3 days to trawl through the new AUK website looking.

"The ride I'd be interested in is Manchester to Inverness and back, but I shall defer to my colleague Andy on that score".

If that's me then for information purposes next year's Inverness 1200 is set for 25-29 September 2022. Details here somewhere:

https://burnleyccevents.com/

Good luck with next year's LEL assuming it's going to go ahead .... I haven't decided yet whether or not to ride.

Andy Corless

[grams]

Edinburgh-Loughton-Edinburgh would be even sillier than London-Gracemount-London was.

[postie]

Alwyn.  As a AUK regular there was no rolling eyes from myself regarding riding through Cambridge, imy fellow wheelman and myself rather enjoyed our tour through Cambridge. . 

No doubt i will also enjoy touring Edinburgh as well.

[Lightning Phil]

The repurposed disused railways from Edinburgh towards the Forth road crossing are indeed excellent.   Used them on the West Highlands 1000.  As long as the tramlines are bypassed I’m sure a crossing of Edinburgh with add interest at far end.

[John Stonebridge]

looks like Ive got myself a wee project over the next week or so!

[Feanor]

The location of Feanor Outposts in Embra on this route are going to remain a closely guarded secret!

But yes, the cycle paths from central Embra to the Forth Bridges are very good.

[abc123]

Great work on the route.

As mentioned above, you could cut a corner off the main road route through Edinburgh by taking the Roseburn cycle path from Silverknowes down to Haymarket (which worked well on the WH1000) rejoining the currently plotted route at the National Library. The disadvantage would be getting around Haymarket and up to the Grassmarket, which is probably a bit harder to navigate if you don't know roads, and you would miss the views on the existing route up The Mound.
I really wouldn't worry about cycling through Edinburgh, however. It's a city, and the cycling infrastructure in the centre is not great, but it's not a big place, and getting through the town is a pretty small part of the overall experience.

One (very minor) point about crossing the Forth Bridge; rather than cutting through the hotel grounds at the north end of the bridge, I would recommend staying on the cycle path to join the B981 north of the hotel (and rejoin the bridge the same way on the return). This takes you directly past the pedestrian crossing point at the north end of the bridge. There are cycle paths on both sides of the bridge, but typically only one of them is open, while they work on the other side. If you use the west cycle path exit to the B981 to leave and join the bridge, it doesn't matter which path is open in August next year; you can just cross to or from the appropriate side at the pedestrian crossing.

[alwyn]

One (very minor) point about crossing the Forth Bridge; rather than cutting through the hotel grounds at the north end of the bridge, I would recommend staying on the cycle path to join the B981 north of the hotel (and rejoin the bridge the same way on the return). This takes you directly past the pedestrian crossing point at the north end of the bridge. There are cycle paths on both sides of the bridge, but typically only one of them is open, while they work on the other side. If you use the west cycle path exit to the B981 to leave and join the bridge, it doesn't matter which path is open in August next year; you can just cross to or from the appropriate side at the pedestrian crossing.

This is definitely already the current planned exit north of the bridge. We have been experimenting with using the roundabout heading south, which worked well on the first few recces but I was less certain of it when I rode it with my husband a few months ago. And since the bridge seems permanently closed on one side, trying to create a loop of the bridge is perhaps pointless. My concern is that the north exit ramp is relatively steep and narrow, and although perfectly safe in one direction, perhaps introduces an unacceptable risk of collision when made bidirectional.

Over the last 10 years I think I've spent more time on working on the Edinburgh bits of this route than the rest put together. We will get there though, I'm sure. I'm determined to make this section a success.

[alwyn]

looks like Ive got myself a wee project over the next week or so!

I feel obliged to point out JS's quiet but effective test riding of the Scottish bits of the route since 2016. Thank you JS!

[abc123]

If you're using the west cycle path exit from the bridge, that won't be a problem. It is constantly in use by lots of cyclists, and I'm not aware of any issues. I think your proposed route from there to Dunfermline via Ferry Toll Road is fine; that's the way I would go.

I don't think I can remember the paths on both sides being open simultaneously in recent years, so I would expect riders to be using the same side of the bridge going north and south. You won't know which side is open until closer to the event next year, but it's easy to cross to the west exit via the pedestrian crossing at the north end of the bridge if the west path is closed for maintenance.

[Mountain Goat]

Going through Edinburgh (twice) is the reason why I'm not interested in LEL just the thought of it fills me with dread having ridden through it many times before often cheered on by some local wildlife and trying to negotiate some nasty road junctions.

I understand why going into the city is an attraction for the organisers and also the inability to actually make the centre the destination then come back south.

Having lived in Edinburgh and currently East Lothian the route from England to South of Edinburgh is stunning and well worth the journey.  Edinburgh itself is a small City and you can travel reasonably quickly from one end to the other.  The road surface is not great but the traffic speeds are usually slow and although not ideal, it is the way to Dunfermline and over the bridge.  The cobbles are the real challenge, but they can be avoided too.  Adding one of the most beautiful Cities in the World into the LEL will offer another aspect or dimension to the whole journey.  Hope that helps. 

[Longstaff]

If you're using the west cycle path exit from the bridge, that won't be a problem. It is constantly in use by lots of cyclists, and I'm not aware of any issues. I think your proposed route from there to Dunfermline via Ferry Toll Road is fine; that's the way I would go.

I don't think I can remember the paths on both sides being open simultaneously in recent years, so I would expect riders to be using the same side of the bridge going north and south. You won't know which side is open until closer to the event next year, but it's easy to cross to the west exit via the pedestrian crossing at the north end of the bridge if the west path is closed for maintenance.

What's the width of the path ? I will be on a trike with a 32 inch width over the wheels and have found a fewt dedicated cycle paths to be a bit of a squeeze.

Paul

[Feanor]

If you're using the west cycle path exit from the bridge, that won't be a problem. It is constantly in use by lots of cyclists, and I'm not aware of any issues. I think your proposed route from there to Dunfermline via Ferry Toll Road is fine; that's the way I would go.

I don't think I can remember the paths on both sides being open simultaneously in recent years, so I would expect riders to be using the same side of the bridge going north and south. You won't know which side is open until closer to the event next year, but it's easy to cross to the west exit via the pedestrian crossing at the north end of the bridge if the west path is closed for maintenance.

What's the width of the path ? I will be on a trike with a 32 inch width over the wheels and have found a fewt dedicated cycle paths to be a bit of a squeeze.

Paul

Here's the East side path, which is the one which is usually in use:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.9969494,-3.4040855,3a,75y,16.93h,86.86t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipOyB8Ly5THtbG6zwsW9jJhtewTWl32WmF5ZkT2a!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOyB8Ly5THtbG6zwsW9jJhtewTWl32WmF5ZkT2a%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi0-ya16.696775-ro-0-fo100!7i11264!8i5632?hl=en-GB

[John Stonebridge]

looks like Ive got myself a wee project over the next week or so!

I feel obliged to point out JS's quiet but effective test riding of the Scottish bits of the route since 2016. Thank you JS!

I am here to serve (unlike Novak  ). 

[Longstaff]

Here's the East side path, which is the one which is usually in use:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.9969494,-3.4040855,3a,75y,16.93h,86.86t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipOyB8Ly5THtbG6zwsW9jJhtewTWl32WmF5ZkT2a!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOyB8Ly5THtbG6zwsW9jJhtewTWl32WmF5ZkT2a%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi0-ya16.696775-ro-0-fo100!7i11264!8i5632?hl=en-GB

Many thanks 

Paul

[Bagman]

Just read the article from the person who did the route check and he made a few navigation errors so beware they may be in the proposed routres I have posted.

[GPS]

Just read the article from the person who did the route check and he made a few navigation errors so beware they may be in the proposed routres I have posted.

Hi - that was me !

Yes - there were a few minor deviations from the track I'd been given to test ride ... but it wasn't the definitive route, so I'd expect changes to it and wouldn't trust any track except the final one supplied by the organiser, which should become available some time around March.

And, as it says on the audax.uk event page: "This event has a mandatory route - you should follow the route instructions as closely as possible."

[alwyn]

Going through Edinburgh (twice) is the reason why I'm not interested in LEL just the thought of it fills me with dread having ridden through it many times before often cheered on by some local wildlife and trying to negotiate some nasty road junctions.

I understand why going into the city is an attraction for the organisers and also the inability to actually make the centre the destination then come back south.

TBF you only pass through once. Northbound the route passes east of Livingston.

[saplex]

does anyone know if the start location is the same for everyone?  i`ve heard that earlier starters maybe starting from the Guild Hall ?

[Ajax Bay]

does anyone know if the start location is the same for everyone?  i`ve heard that earlier starters maybe starting from the Guild Hall ?

I recommend you read the LEL website FAQs (answered). This one is for you:
https://londonedinburghlondon.com/faq#faq17