Author Topic: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on  (Read 34694 times)

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #125 on: 21 January, 2020, 06:08:18 pm »
Oh yeah and fucking Woodhead Pass, I've only done a few small stretches of not the whole thing but fucking Woodhead Pass.

Having had a couple of interesting moments up there in a car, that's on my list of places to ride iff they close it to motor traffic (for reasons other than foul weather).

I concur - Woodhead pass does suck muchly...
Trouble is, you absolutely cannot avoid 1.1km of it if you come down off Holme Moss and want to get to Glossop  :P

Yeah, that or if you choose to use the Longdendale Trail coming and you have to get to the Dunford Bridge turn off. Yuck!

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #126 on: 21 January, 2020, 07:47:43 pm »
he Woodhead pass sort of breaks the TPT railway paths unlike you like rocky steepy bridleways with horse-steped antimotorcycle gates halfway down a rocky slope.

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #127 on: 25 January, 2020, 12:24:29 pm »


The M40 on my early morning spin. Traffic volumes were very low, and it was 2.2 miles (of which 0.8 was on the main carriageway).

I think the fact that it doesn't make my top 5 scariest roads (I'd rank the A34, A40 Westway, A420, A507, and A31 higher), is fairly telling.
I didn't even get tooted at, which happened on the A1307.

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #128 on: 25 January, 2020, 12:51:46 pm »
Have I got this right: you cycle on a motorway?

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #129 on: 25 January, 2020, 01:41:34 pm »
Have I got this right: you cycle on a motorway?
A wrong turning, yeah.

Hopefully a once in a lifetime experience!

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #130 on: 25 January, 2020, 01:48:08 pm »
How? That’s the M40 off slip to Oxford. I can’t see how you can end up on there without jumping a fence.

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #131 on: 25 January, 2020, 01:54:27 pm »
Emergency Vehicle Access gates by the A329 left open?
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #132 on: 25 January, 2020, 01:55:21 pm »
How? That’s the M40 off slip to Oxford. I can’t see how you can end up on there without jumping a fence.

Desperately trying to get off the motorway?  Is it about 2 miles from the previous one where a mistake was made?

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #133 on: 25 January, 2020, 01:56:39 pm »
How? That’s the M40 off slip to Oxford. I can’t see how you can end up on there without jumping a fence.
I think some Highways England folks left the gate at Milton open. So no statuatory motorway signs. So that's where I entered, and I went straight for Oxford after that.

In fact, I've been there in the daytime, but it all looks a bit different at night (notice the gate is open!)

How? That’s the M40 off slip to Oxford. I can’t see how you can end up on there without jumping a fence.

Desperately trying to get off the motorway?  Is it about 2 miles from the previous one where a mistake was made?
Not exactly desperately, just expediently. If it had been utterly terrifying I'd probably have hopped the armco and walked. As it was, I at least knew that it was < 1 mile to the next junction, so just went onwards, instead of turning around and confusing everybody.

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #134 on: 25 January, 2020, 02:09:22 pm »
Glad you are safe!

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #135 on: 25 January, 2020, 02:10:19 pm »
Some other folk on YACF have ridden on motorways and report that big, busy A-roads are much scarier. It can be quite difficult to find the northern end of the cycleway over the Avonmouth Bridge late at night and before smartphones, allegedly.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #136 on: 25 January, 2020, 02:18:08 pm »
Some other folk on YACF have ridden on motorways and report that big, busy A-roads are much scarier. It can be quite difficult to find the northern end of the cycleway over the Avonmouth Bridge late at night and before smartphones, allegedly.
At least I now have an experience to back up that prediction... Although in fairness, I was straight onto the A40, and that was only a little scarier. Given the time of night, it would probably have been more dangerous riding down poorly sighted country roads potentially being used as a racetrack!

Glad you are safe!
:thumbsup:

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #137 on: 25 January, 2020, 04:18:04 pm »
I'm not sure if I've cycled on a motorway in the dim and distant past. It's quite easy to follow road signs in the dark and end up on a motorway. Sometimes LEAVING the flow of motorway-bound A road traffic is more scary than staying with it...

Kim

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Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #138 on: 25 January, 2020, 04:43:49 pm »
I've narrowly avoided ending up on the Aston Expressway a couple of times, due to roundabout exit confusion before I knew my way around.  At least there's enough light in an urban area to see that you're going wrong before passing the point of no return.

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #139 on: 25 January, 2020, 05:15:09 pm »
Due to having a large-scale Michelin map with little detail of alternatives, I cycled on what felt like a de-facto motorway at the bottom of the Cotentin Penninsula a couple of times. Fortunately, it was mostly downhill and only for a few clicks. A couple of cidres in Grandcamp Maisy calmed the nerves.
Haggerty F, Haggerty R, Tomkins, Noble, Carrick, Robson, Crapper, Dewhurst, Macintyre, Treadmore, Davitt.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #140 on: 26 January, 2020, 12:32:25 pm »
Some other folk on YACF have ridden on motorways and report that big, busy A-roads are much scarier. It can be quite difficult to find the northern end of the cycleway over the Avonmouth Bridge late at night and before smartphones, allegedly.
It can be quite difficult to find even in the daylight, when you live maybe five miles away and have been over it numerous times before. But I've never ridden on the M5 itself either. TBH, the Avonmouth Bridge is unpleasant due to the noise, but it's also useful.

As for terrifying roads I've cycled on, I've been trying but I can't think of any. Individual moments of terror, certainly, but it's usually just one or two terrible drivers among the merely averagely crap. If I had to nominate something it would be either Tog Hill on the A420 between Bristol and the A46 upwards into a low, rising sun at morning rush hour, or the A429 Malmesbury to Chippenham.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #141 on: 27 January, 2020, 09:22:43 am »
Because i live in Holland, and have done on and off for 30 years, its hard to relate to a lot of the stories here. We are simply not
allowed to ride on trunk roads or there is a suitable (sometimes poor) seperate bike path. Of course there are close calls on country lanes
but nothing like the stories here of people having to ride on major A* roads - I have thought a few times about coming over to ride an Audax
event but topics like this dont help  :facepalm: ( i Know that organisers do their best to risk assess routes etc)

Many years ago when i was a young man (and UK resident) I had a regular training run from my home near Warrington via Widnes/Runcorn
and into cheshire and back, my Mersey tour as i called it. As i remember crossing Runcorn Bridge was pretty harrowing, but this was the late 80's
so nothing like todays traffic.
Regards,

Alan

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #142 on: 01 February, 2020, 07:50:58 pm »
Any uphill dual carriageway.  A483 Chester-Wrexham sticks out in my mind.

I once accidentally strayed onto the North Circular.  Wouldn't want to repeat that.

Further afield, downhill through Yosemite Tunnel.   30+mph, too slippery to brake, and dazzled by oncoming headlights.

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #143 on: 02 February, 2020, 09:35:26 am »



I once accidentally strayed onto the North Circular.  Wouldn't want to repeat that..
Even as a brave (stupid) teenager living in North London in the 70s, I very quickly learned to avoid the North Circular.

I have memories of being forced off a French N road by lorries in a village somewhere during my first (1973) foreign tour, but couldn't name the road, so cant count it in this thread.
Too many angry people - breathe & relax.

bhoot

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Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #144 on: 02 February, 2020, 02:16:26 pm »
Probably not the absolute most terrifying, but one that really sticks out was the A228/B2016 in Kent en route from Yalding to Wrotham Heath. I guess I should have know better (or bothered to look at street view) than a straight A road, continuing into a straight B road up a slight hill but it seemed like the best way to get where I needed to go on a DIY. The surface was very poor, making me even slower than normal. It takes quite a lot to make me stop, put a hi-vis on during the day and take to the pavement (where it existed). The worst bit was in fact the B road not the A road section.
That won't be a DIY repeated in that format.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #145 on: 02 February, 2020, 02:40:26 pm »
Mike's reminded me of when, aged 19 or 20, I tried to ride from Stroud to Bath on the A46. I got as far as Dunkirk/Petty France, which is actually probably over half way, before turning round. In fact, a bike with water bottle cage bosses would have been helpful.

Ed: The A46 between, I'd say, Nailsworth and the M4 junction, is actually not terrifying at all. Nailsworth to Stroud is a bit narrow and twisty, M4 to Bath is much busier. But the bit I actually rode along wasn't really that bad, it was just the close, fast passes which I wasn't accustomed to on top of lack of water.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #146 on: 02 February, 2020, 04:14:11 pm »



I once accidentally strayed onto the North Circular.  Wouldn't want to repeat that..
Even as a brave (stupid) teenager living in North London in the 70s, I very quickly learned to avoid the North Circular.

I have memories of being forced off a French N road by lorries in a village somewhere during my first (1973) foreign tour, but couldn't name the road, so cant count it in this thread.

The westbound North Circular, from Brent Bridge to Hanger Lane, was on my 5.30am summer 'fast commute' route. Would not have touched it later in the day but it was great for speed!

Pingu

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Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #147 on: 02 February, 2020, 07:17:11 pm »
It may have the high street in Cowdenbeath at chucking out time.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #148 on: 02 February, 2020, 07:31:44 pm »
The Clyde Tunnel terrified me when I used it in 1989. It was isolated, devoid of CCTV at the time and muggers were reputed to lie in wait at its deepest points. I was TERRIFIED  of being unable to ascend into the light and safety...

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #149 on: 02 February, 2020, 07:39:36 pm »
In that respect, it would have to be the now thankfully closed and filled in (pedestrian) subway underneath Bristol's Old Market roundabout.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.