Author Topic: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017  (Read 33101 times)

Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #50 on: 18 September, 2017, 06:09:53 pm »
Thanks for the update Andy, and I agree waiting is the better option!

Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #51 on: 18 September, 2017, 06:15:18 pm »
The route-sheet is more or less ready but I've had to change the route in and out of Glasgow. I wanted to re-check the route before posting the route sheet out. Better to wait a few more days than e-mail one that will need replacing a few days later.

Andy Corless
Thanks Andy  :thumbsup:
Eddington Number 75

Zed43

  • prefers UK hills over Dutch mountains
Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #52 on: 18 September, 2017, 06:20:48 pm »
Andy, will there be a GPX track in addition to the route-sheet? I already started fumbling in Basecamp but wouldn't mind a ready made one :)

Jay_70_One

  • Condor Road Club
Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #53 on: 20 September, 2017, 01:57:25 pm »
Do you really need one? Head North on the A6 and the B7076 for 300km, turn round and ride South on the B7076 and A6 for 300km.

tried that, best i could get was 787km?
Don't die wondering...

Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #54 on: 20 September, 2017, 06:09:07 pm »
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/25442217

PLEASE NOTE!

I have just thrown this together as quick as poss on a break at work, please please please don't blame me if it's not quite 100% yet!

Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #55 on: 20 September, 2017, 06:15:00 pm »
Do you really need one? Head North on the A6 and the B7076 for 300km, turn round and ride South on the B7076 and A6 for 300km.

tried that, best i could get was 787km?

Not bad for a 600km event!

Zed43

  • prefers UK hills over Dutch mountains
Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #56 on: 21 September, 2017, 08:41:48 pm »
So, judging by the North bound route-sheet, Shap is no longer a control. Good solution  ;)

I took Kev's hard work, split it into segments from one control to the next and duplicated it for the way back. This is the resulting GPX. I used the BP tankstation as the control in Carnforth; the opening hours are fairly lenient, from 7am to 11pm. As an alternative there is a 24h truck stop / Esso station a few miles North of Carnforth.

It will have to do, I'll be on my way to Blackpool early tomorrow morning.

Jay_70_One

  • Condor Road Club
Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #57 on: 22 September, 2017, 11:55:55 am »
So, judging by the North bound route-sheet, Shap is no longer a control. Good solution  ;)

I took Kev's hard work, split it into segments from one control to the next and duplicated it for the way back. This is the resulting GPX. I used the BP tankstation as the control in Carnforth; the opening hours are fairly lenient, from 7am to 11pm. As an alternative there is a 24h truck stop / Esso station a few miles North of Carnforth.

It will have to do, I'll be on my way to Blackpool early tomorrow morning.
great this thanks, I have it and look forward to seeing you all tonight. Does the spirit extend to riding this together for the group, or is it every man for himself  :D :D :D
Don't die wondering...

Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #58 on: 22 September, 2017, 05:47:52 pm »
Possibly too late to be useful but...

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/25497218

Includes the Longtown control on the return leg.

Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #59 on: 25 September, 2017, 07:48:57 pm »
Thanks Andy, I really enjoyed that.  :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

The weather just about played ball although it did rain from time to time but nothing too horrendous, The climb of Shap fell was interesting on the out bound leg as visibility at the top was about 10 feet!!  :o infact it was so bad I hadn't realised I had reached the top until I thought hang on I need the big ring. The guy in the petrol station in Penrith was super friendly we met him twice and was a good laugh. Carlisle was interesting on the way out with a full on riot on the main strip, seeing fist fights I took a diversion down a side street to avoid and then a cycle path through a park to re-emerge on route. Asda's was a sight for sore eyes and after filling up it was off and into Scotland, quick photo stop and onwards. Daylight broke around Lockerbie,the road surface through the Dumfries forest gave m y mind something to moan about. There was a cycle path along side and I quickly took to it as the surface was smoother, in fact it was great, the services at Abington was next with the least appetizing fried breakfast ever seen, the Bacon needed longer in the fryer as it was still oinking.
The stretch afterwards was great as well with another excellent cycle path with great views then started the populated bit, the first bit was great as there were some more excellent cycle paths and I really enjoyed them, through a lot of traffic lights and soon at the turn Toryglen Asda.
We took it in turn to look after the bikes whilst others went in and got food, I got split from the small group through the populated bit so just rode my own thing stopping at Blackwood for a costa in a filling station before tackling the rather strong headwind out of town. It was at the next climb that I came across the most energy sapping road surface I have ever come across, the climb was quite steep any way but this road surface sapped any forward momentum that you had with no smoother part to find, it wasn't pot holed more like a negative of a golf ball rolled flat it was horrible.
Afternoon tea was a Burger king at Abington before setting off into the headwind again, I found Jason with his bike upside down just outside Beatock having had a twin puncture (show off) he was concerned as he had used his two spare inner tubes and wasn't convinced he had properly fixed one of them, he was going to keep pumping it up, I said that perhaps he should fix the one now before it got dark and made the process harder, I gave him a pack of glueless patches which allowed him to fix the puncture and as far as I know he was ok after that. Whilst sorting out Jason a small group arrived and we all left together and rode at a good pace, I at this point started to feel a bit rough so left them at their pace and I slowed meeting them again in Longtown the next control, after a bit of food I left the group bedding down to sleep for a couple of hours, I wanted to get a bit further into the ride before doing the same, looking back I should have stayed there. The lure of the golden arches lured me in at Carlisle and after a good hearty (sic) meal I rode through Carlisle without incident, the A6 out of Carlisle seemed to be nothing but uphill and into a headwind so I got to a place called High Hesket or something like that, although at the time I didn't know its name, I found a field with my name on so took my sleep stop there in a field. About an hour or so later the group I ad been with cycled past no knowing I was there so I decided it was time to get up as I wasn't really sleeping anyway, in the process of packing up I managed to lose my phone and no amount of searching would produce said phone. So i resigned myself to losing the phone in the dark and continued to Penrith and another costa at the filling station (those machines are great). Conversation at this control centered around the monster that is Shap Fell, I tried not to dwell on it whilst drinking my coffee and eating my sarnie. I carried on away from Penrith and it seemed to climb constantly never having a flat bit to rest before the climb, in fact at one point I saw a sign that said Shap (the village) the start of the climb was 2 miles away and I swear those two miles were all up hill before the climb had even started. Once on the climb I got into a good rhythm and it didn't feel too bad, I just told myself that once at the top I had cracked the ride.
The crossing of the summit this time was clear I could see the milky way above and Kendal and surrounding villages below along with the group that had started away from the control just before me, they were enjoying the descent with their red lights creating a great effect as they zoomed down. I was soon zooming down the descent myself and it gradually got colder and colder to the point I wished I had been wearing full fingered gloves, just as my already battered legs got cold there was a small rise on the descent I found that really hard to get them going again, I had heard that the south side of Shap Fell is 9 miles and I think that cant be far off as I was descending for quite a while, losing all of the altitude that I had seemed to be gaining from Carlisle.
I don't really remember much about the next section to Carnforth but I was glad to reach the truck stop for another coffee and yet another sarnie, I sat outside as the warmth of the shop was making me sleepy which must have made me look anti social to the group sat inside, but I just needed to stay awake for one last 50km section. The group set off just ahead as by this time I just wanted to plod back to the finish with plenty of time in hand it didn't feel right to rush, the group took the wrong turn out of the truck stop and headed in the wrong direction heading north and not south it was only after looking at Strava flybys that I found this out, but I made a navigational error in Lancaster and bumped into them again in the lanes near the finish. All in all a great event.

Edit: I nearly forgot to say, after the event I decided to go back and see if I could find my phone (80 miles away) I drove back up the M6 to Penrith and back along the A6 to where I had slept and the field I went back to where I had led down and there in the grass facing down was my phone  :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Eddington Number 75

mr ben

  • Some routes may be arduous.
    • ramblings and randonees
Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #60 on: 25 September, 2017, 07:59:10 pm »
Well, no SR for me... :'(

Made it back to Blackpool just after 3 pm (an hour late) having 'toured' from Penrith after the dozies and a flat (requiring tyre boot) put me out of time. So glad I continued rather than taking the train home though, going back over Shap in the light was wonderful.   Also had my first hallucination, so that's something to celebrate.

Thanks to Andy for an excellent early autumn ride, it's probably an 'easy' 600 km (all relative of course) with straightforward navigation and clever use of daylight. Great routesheet instructions through the complicated bits (town centres). Possibly could be renamed 'ride of the traffic lights' after the Weegie section?  ;)
Think it possible that you may be mistaken.

mr ben

  • Some routes may be arduous.
    • ramblings and randonees
Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #61 on: 25 September, 2017, 10:06:14 pm »
I'm impressed you found the right field Clemo, never mind your phone!
Think it possible that you may be mistaken.

Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #62 on: 26 September, 2017, 12:09:10 am »
An interesting ride and kudos to Andy for sitting in his car for god knows how many hours waiting for tail end charlies like me to straggle in on the limit. My main lesson learnt - if you arrive at sevice station just after a coach load of school children, move on.

Zed43

  • prefers UK hills over Dutch mountains
Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #63 on: 26 September, 2017, 11:00:41 am »
Really enjoyed reading your ride report Richard, thanks for the detailed account! Slightly bummed I missed that riot in Carlisle, would have made a great story back home  :D

We did take a two hour nap in Longtown, a cosy spot behind the municipality center (recommended by the friendly lady at the tank station) where i was envied by the rest of the group for bringing a sleeping bag and air mattress. Needless to say I slept like a baby. We did worry a bit about climbing Shap hill, the fast descend still in our memories, but this turned out to be easier than expected. In fact, the climbing between Carlisle and Penrith felt harder, as was descending Shap hill. While the temperature was a fairly decent seven degrees, the humidity and strong head winds made the descend a truly shivering affair.

Oh, and that wrong turn after leaving the truck stop at Carnforth? That was actually a cunning strategy to make sure I would end up with 600+km on Strava  ;D (mission accomplished: 602km)

Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #64 on: 26 September, 2017, 07:16:26 pm »
Really enjoyed reading your ride report Richard, thanks for the detailed account! Slightly bummed I missed that riot in Carlisle, would have made a great story back home  :D

We did take a two hour nap in Longtown, a cosy spot behind the municipality center (recommended by the friendly lady at the tank station) where i was envied by the rest of the group for bringing a sleeping bag and air mattress. Needless to say I slept like a baby. We did worry a bit about climbing Shap hill, the fast descend still in our memories, but this turned out to be easier than expected. In fact, the climbing between Carlisle and Penrith felt harder, as was descending Shap hill. While the temperature was a fairly decent seven degrees, the humidity and strong head winds made the descend a truly shivering affair.

Oh, and that wrong turn after leaving the truck stop at Carnforth? That was actually a cunning strategy to make sure I would end up with 600+km on Strava  ;D (mission accomplished: 602km)
Ahh small world  :thumbsup:

Your bivi set up really did make a lasting impression on Jason as he was after a similar set up on the Bike and Bivi facebook page last night  ;D he didn't realize I was a member also.

Eddington Number 75

Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #65 on: 27 September, 2017, 07:33:36 am »
Quote
Carlisle was interesting on the way out with a full on riot on the main strip, seeing fist fights

Ah yes, another typical Friday night down Botchergate.  :thumbsup:
I am often asked, what does YOAV stand for? It stands for Yoav On A Velo

Lee Killestein

Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #66 on: 27 September, 2017, 03:46:43 pm »
Well, that was fun! A little lumpier than we were led to believe but overall not too bad. Headwind for about 150k of the return leg was a nice touch, I'm just thankful that when I go to Shap it had died down!

So, see you all again on 21st September 2018, if not sooner!  8)

Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #67 on: 28 September, 2017, 04:38:35 am »
Thought I ought to add my account of what was a highly memorable ride...

I saw this ride in the calendar way back in June, shortly after discovering the joys of Audaxing. I figured it to be a birthday treat, coinciding as it did with the 35th anniversary of my emergence into the world.

With my folks living just down the road in Inskip and offering free use of their sofa, I opted to travel up late on Thursday and try to sleep as late as possible on the Friday. In reality, this meant me arriving at about 3am and sleeping (fitfully) until 8am, with too much nervous excitement to get any cat naps in before the start. Oh well, at least I was in a relaxed environment and able to keep well fed and hydrated, unlike my riding partner, who battled north from Swindon through 6 hours of heavy traffic, to arrive in Lancashire around 5pm.

After a good feed of pasta, we drove to Bispham to meet our fellow riders. There was definitely an air of nervous tension, but everyone seemed in good spirits and its always fun to marvel at the variety of bike on display. Of particular interest were people's lighting set ups. I, rather rashly, risked only a single front light (Fenix BC30 with spare cells) and 3 rears. Most had at least one back up and some had enough to floodlight Wembley!

Our timing was excellent, as the soft rain died away just before the start, leaving us only with damp roads to contend with. The temperature was positively balmy, but I still opted for leg warmers and a long sleeved jersey plus gilet, as the relaxed pace kept my body temperature modest at best.

The group stuck more or less together until we hit the A6 after Lancaster, then began to slowly string out as people stopped for a pee/food and the odd climb appeared. I was really quite enjoying myself, nibbling Revels from my top tube bag and swigging lemon electrolytes from my bidons. Despite the lack of sleep, the yawns were kept at bay for the time being.

Our first major obstacle came in the form of Shap Fell. The climb was a nice opportunity to generate some body heat, but sadly this was negated by the thick, damp clag surrounding us. With my glasses properly fogged, I was more or less trusting to The Force to stay on the road and away from potholes. Thankfully, the fog was limited to altitude and soon cleared as we descended, although I was struggling with cold after becoming damp through exhertion and the mist.

Our first control was Penrith, where the all night Esso provided temporary refuge. The bloke running the shop seemed to take this bunch of nutters in his stride and was brilliant in allowing us to loiter in the warmth while we snaffled sarnies, coffee, red bull and god knows what other junk to fuel us onwards.

The next leg was short 20 odd mile blast to Carlisle and an all night Asda. We were treated to several kicking out time spectacles in the town centre, including a number of totally comatose revellers and a bit of handbags at (pre) dawn. We did get a few incoherent shouts in our direction, but nothing too threatening. At Asda, i discovered I'd lost/forgotten my chamois cream and bought some Sudocrem, along with some more beige crap to keep the fires burning.

Carlisle marked the end of the A roads for a while, with the B7076 seeing us safely to Gretna Green, where we took the obligatory snaps at the border sign. We now had a pretty long slog to the next control at Abington, with a pretty long uphill slog on some crap road surfaces. My companion started to suffer as dawn broke around us and we slowed pretty much to a crawl. To be honest I was a bit frustrated as I was still feeling strong and was yearning for a dirty fry up at the services at Abington. Still, we stuck together and my mate rallied as the sky got lighter and the climbing abated.

Within a few minutes of our arrival, the lead group were heading back out, but we opted for a leisurely stop and a 20 minute catnap to allow the grease to start working its way through. We could have had longer, were it not for the PAINFULLY slow service! After our snooze, my buddy was just preparing to nip to the loo for a cheeky download when the fire alarm went off! Fortunately we were able to gather all our stuff before being hustled out, but my poor mate still needed to offload before departure. Fortunately, there was a loo in the on site petrol station, but lots of others had the same idea and we lost a good 20 minutes as he queued for the reportedly horrific facilities.

So, onwards to the turnaround point in Glasgow. It was as we left Abington that it became obvious that we were getting a pretty healthy tailwind and were mainly descending the last 50km. I'd be lying if I said the return leg wasn't starting to play on my mind, but enjoyed the fast miles while I could, despite varying quality of the road surface. (Thankfully there were some great cycle paths to be had.) All was going well until Hamilton, where the traffic lights smashed our average speed to pieces! Truth be told, the final few miles to the control were a misery, as was the control itself, where the clientèle seemed to consist mainly of mutants! My bike had also developed a worryingly noisy rear wheel, so after a feed, it was with some trepidation that we began the Southbound leg.

We now faced not only the traffic lights and a more or less relentless climb back to Abington, but a pretty toothsome headwind. Only a few miles into the return journey, my compadre really hit the wall and we were crawling again. I stuck with him for as long as I could bear, but I'll freely admit that I'm a very selfish rider and when he couldn't hold my wheel at 9mph on the flat my frustration took over and I suggested that we split. I'm pretty sure he wasn't delighted at the thought, but we had pre-agreed that we might end up splitting and the thought of the lost time was killing me; I wanted to get back to Abington where I'd booked us a room for a few hours kip and we were hemorrhaging  sleep time! Anyway, after waiting at the top of a climb somewhere near Hamilton, he finally told me to push on, which I did, despite a twinge of guilt. I started to really enjoy the ride again, treating the wind, gradient and crap roads as adversaries that I would overcome no matter what. My morale soared as the miles began to tick by again, in spite of the difficulty. Before long, I caught sight of another rider in the distance and made winding him in a target. I caught him about 5 miles before Abington, then eased off and rode with him back into the control, where I gladly checked into the hotel and texted my mate the room details before having a glorious shower and collapsing into bed where I passed out immediately.

Three hours of blissful sleep later, I woke to find my riding partner readying to leave. He'd arrived about an hour after me, and felt a bit better, but wanted to get a head start. I opted for another half an hour in bed, before a quick once over of the bike (still noisy) and a massive plate of Steak Pie with chips and gravy. As I left, the darkness was once again closing in, but I felt fresh and motivated to catch my mate, so set off at a fair old lick, aided by a goodly reduction in the strength of the headwind. Even though I knew he'd be a fair way up the road, as time went on, I began to get more and more annoyed every time I crested a rise or rounded a bend and couldn't see any tail lights. I wouldn't say I hallucinated exactly, but its surprising what you can interpret as a distant cyclist when thats all you want to see! Eventually, I did spot not one set, but probably a dozen in the far distance. With renewed vigour I gave chase and finally caught up near Lockerbie to join a mini peleton who were trundling along with my mate on the front. With spirits once again high, I enjoyed their company for 20 minutes or so, then pushed on again, hoping to get to the next control in Longtown in time to find an open food outlet. In the event, I found a kebab shop in Gretna, where I spent a fair amount of time explaining to the proprietors just what the hell I was up to over cheesy chips with mayo and a coke. I probably spent a good 50 minutes there before pushing on to Longtown, once again catching the group I'd left after Lockerbie, who'd obviously passed while I scoffed.

After a quick ATM control in Longtown, I set off on the short hop to Penrith, where sleep deprivation began to catch up with me, to the point where I actually tried for a room in the Premier Inn. With hindsight, it was probably a good thing that they had none as I might not have got going again, but the miserable sod on the desk wouldn't even let me sit in reception for a snooze. Ah well, our friendly Esso garage attendant saved the day and let me slump inside for a few minutes while I waited for the pro-plus to kick in. To my surprise, the group who I'd imagined to be way out in front then arrived, having slept in a field in Longtown (I think). With the caffeine kicking in though, I bade them farewell as I wanted to get Shap Fell out of the way and ultimately, get this thing finished!

Despite breaking a rear spoke shortly after leaving, I was feeling pretty good up until the descent off Shap, where both temperature and morale plummeted. I threw myself a cracking little one man pity-party as I rode through Kendal, just wanting more than anything to get off this bike which had come to feel like an instrument of torture! (My Brooks Swift Saddle, which previously had been great, was really giving my arse a pasting by now. Is it possible for it to be worn in too much?) Time slowed to a crawl and I resorted to some music for the first time on the ride. A mix of late 90's pop punk (yeah, I know, pathetic) saw me into the truck stop at Carnforth, where the absolute legend of a bloke in the shop found me a chair where I passed out for 20 minutes or so. I doubt he realised just how much he helped me, but I was pathetically grateful for that chair!

With the knowledge that dawn wasn't too far away, plus a flat run back to the finish, I set off like a scalded cat, trying and failing not to obsess about ticking off each mile. Dawn broke shortly before Lancaster, but I was so thoroughly ruined by now that I took little pleasure in the emerging view of the Bowland Fells and the pancake flat run to the coast over the marshlands of the Fylde. My mood only lifted when I finally crossed the River Wyre to roll the final handful of miles into the home control at Bispham. On speaking to Andy, I learned that I was only the 2nd rider home, half an hour or so after the 1st. Andy had been there all night, expecting us to have been trickling in from shortly after midnight! And there was I being delighted with a 33.5 hour finishing time!

A few days later, all the pain has faded sufficiently to view the event for what it was; a thoroughly enjoyable, if gruelling, challenge. Riding through 2 nights on little sleep really pushed me, but I was always able to dig in and find something extra when needed. I learned that I really don't mind headwinds or climbing, but that I need to be able to go at my own pace to avoid building frustration. This would extend to the shoe being on the other foot; I'd much rather faster riders left me to plod through a low patch than feel guilty for holding them back.

Overall, a cracking event for my first 600!

n.b. My mate finished about 2 hours after me. A cracking effort, given that I honestly thought he was going to pack it in on the return journey!

mr ben

  • Some routes may be arduous.
    • ramblings and randonees
Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #68 on: 28 September, 2017, 06:37:55 pm »
Nice account Kevin Sp8. I loved the mist on Shap Fell but then I'm fortunate enough not to need glasses.

My post-ride fettle has revealed that I'd threaded my chain incorrectly through the rear derailleur, so I spent the whole fecking 600 km with added unnecessary friction...what an idiot. Ah well, it's something to blame my slowness on!
Think it possible that you may be mistaken.

Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #69 on: 15 July, 2018, 06:30:01 pm »
Hi Andy, just wondering if the route will change this year to avoid the hideous traffic light gauntlet run-in to Glasgow?

FifeingEejit

  • Not Small
Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #70 on: 16 July, 2018, 11:16:33 am »
In a fit of post Snow Roads optimism I've signed up for this despite the midway mark being in Refrewshire...
As well as wondering how on earth to get my bike on the train down from Dundee, and whether that makes it easier to bail and should I have the car in Bispham so I have to go back for it... The tales of last year reassure me that it's as bonkers an adventure as I was expecting.

Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #71 on: 16 July, 2018, 11:39:13 am »
Hi Andy, just wondering if the route will change this year to avoid the hideous traffic light gauntlet run-in to Glasgow?
I don't really think there's another way into Glasgow. Where is the control in Glasgow (and where's the one before it?).

Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #72 on: 16 July, 2018, 01:30:12 pm »
From memory, it was a big Asda in Paisley. I was more wondering if the route my change to be somewhere near, but not quite in, Glasgow. Last year’s ride was good but the last few miles into Glasgow were a traffic filled, red light nightmare!

FifeingEejit

  • Not Small
Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #73 on: 16 July, 2018, 01:30:46 pm »
Gives Paisley on the website;
So from Abington, head to Lesmahagow then head for Stra(th)aven from Lesmahagow, A726 to EK, A727 then back on the A726 into Paisley; avoids Larkhall and Hamilton anyway...
(I've not measured that, there's also yellows on the map from Stra-ven via Eaglesham into Paisley via Barrhead)

As an idea of where the weegieland carnage will be on the Saturday Hamilton are at home to St Mirren; Celtic are away to Killie, and Rangers are at home to St Johsntone.

Edit: Big ASDA, Bing indicates that's at Linwood, so even further west, hm.

Re: Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 22nd Sept 2017
« Reply #74 on: 16 July, 2018, 01:34:01 pm »
Hi Andy, just wondering if the route will change this year to avoid the hideous traffic light gauntlet run-in to Glasgow?
I don't really think there's another way into Glasgow. Where is the control in Glasgow (and where's the one before it?).

There is various options when coming in from Abington, but best way to avoid the crap is via Strathaven then out the other side and round the back of East Kilbride via Auldhouse. Not the shortest but much better than Larkhall, Hamilton etc. What he said above, i use those roads all the time. But wouldn't go via Barrhead, too busy
Mind of a cyclist, body of a dart player.