Advice needed: Glasgow to Warks

[richie_b]

I'm currently considering to the above c300mile ride at the end of March when I head down South to visit my parents.

I'm thinking of doing it as 3 c100mile chunks with a B & B in between each leg, so:
Day 1: Glasgow to Carlisle
Day 2: Carlisle to (not sure, but somewhere near Manchester I'd guess)
Day 3: Finish up.

I have TrackLogs Scotland, so there's no bother with the route to Gretna.  Not sure about Gretna to Carlisle but.
I have no idea where to stay on the 2nd night, nor whether to go through Manc or to skirt round or how to.  Final leg, I'm fine once I get to Tamworth or thereabouts, but will struggle with the intervening bits.  I'd take my Greenspeed X5 recumbent trike.  I'll need to avoid too many hills since the trike (well, actually the rider, especially when on the trike) isn't happy climbing. So the questions:
-How realistic is this run for someone of moderate fitness on a heavy, loaded bike who's about to start some moderately intensive training?
-Which route Gretna to Carlisle?
-Any nice places to stay near Carlisle?
-Where to stop on the 2nd night & B & B recommendations?  I've not been to Manchester for many years & have never cycled there, so have no idea if it's quicker to skirt round or to go through.
-How to cycle from Manchester-ish to Atherstone-ish?  Google maps recommends going through Leek, but I'm not sure how hilly this is (I've not been to Leek for 26  years)

Google maps gives me: this & this for day 2 & 3 (assuming Manchester), are these routes OK?
I assume Gmaps to GPX is my friend when trying to convert these maps to files for my Garmin GPS...

This looks like about 5 topics now I've written it.  I hope it makes sense & thanks in advance for recommendations.

[Pedro]

I live near Macclesfield and the main roads south from Manchester tend to be quite busy, and not particularly fun to cycle on - although mostly they're fairly wide so the traffic has room.

If you want peace and quite - and not hills you may be best going between manchester and liverpool and into the chesire plain. Hard to say exactly where, but Northwich - Nantwich - Market Drayton kind of way - there's a lot of nice roads around there.

I've cycled upto glasgow from south manchester once - I went Manchester - Preston - Lancaster - Kendal - Keswick - Carlisle - Dumfries - Newton Stewart - Ayr - Glasgow

I know you say you don't like hills - but the ones through the lakes aren't all that bad if you go on the main roads. And it really is a nice place to go. So you might want to reconsider your route through the lakes. Mind you the road over Shap is pretty nice (although it's quite a hill).

When I went from Carlise to Gretna I went toward Longtown - I seem to remember some sort of cycle track, but don't remember too mch about it. Don't know if the new road that's being built gives any options.

Anyway - good luck on the ride - whatever you decide.

[julk]

Gretna to Carlisle has 2 options -
 
Main roads, A6071 East to Longtown then A7 South to Carlisle. Not too bad as long as you like being in the traffic on main roads. One big traffic lighted roundabout A7/M6 interchange thingy to navigate across at Carlisle.

Back roads, join NCR7 at Gretna and follow it to Carlisle. You could miss the first bit out and A6071 to Longtown. Just a mile or 2 south of Longtown the route follows a path which crosses a river via a footbridge and this bit of the route is narrow at first and can be a bit muddy. To miss this path you can divert to the A7 for a couple of miles before turning back to join NCR7 on the South side of the river at the other end of the path.

If you fancy the NCR7 route, I can take a snapshot of that bit of route and e-mail it to you - let me know if you would like that.

[Chris N]

Leek - Atherstone, I'd ride this.  It's a bit lumpy between Leek and Rocester, but Red Road into Alton is worth riding and there's a nice cafe (Rambler's Retreat, W of Alton).  Then there's a steep climb up Marchington Cliff, just SE of Uttoxeter, but it'd be nicer than the A515.

[Basil]

I quite like the A515.  But a different bit.
I have riden between Ashbourne and Lichfield a few times.  I quite like that bit of road.

[richie_b]

Julk
The last bit of the NCR route looks like it's preferably to doing the M6/A7 interchange, if you could PM that to me, that'd be great.
Chris N,
the route you've given is pretty much what I'd thought of.  I was hoping to avoid lumpy, but it doesn't sound too awful as you describe it....  The climb out of Mancetter into Nuneaton after Atherstone should be fun after those climbs but.
Pedro,
I was going to avoid the lakes as much as possible since this journey will be as functional as it is for fun.  I'll be on a heavily loaded trike, so I'm trying to keep it as flat as possible.  I'm also going to go far more directly between Glasgow & Carlisle: following the M74 on the wee roads.  I shall have a look at your suggestions for skirting Manchester, cheers!

[muddyfox]

Re Gretna to Carlisle.
The stretch of A74 between Gretna and carlisle has been upgraded to motorway and is now M6.
A new road runs alongside the motorway between Gretna and Carlisle but it is not signed as a direct route between the two. This road won't be marked on any maps.

To access the new road, take the B7076 out of Gretna towards Longtown. You will cross over  the river Sark which marks the border between Scotland and England. Take the first right turn at the Gretna Chase Hotel signed Metal Bridge Mossband and Floriston (and cycle route 7). Once on this road you can either follow the cycle route 7 signs which will take you to Carlisle , or, you can follow the new bit of road alongside the motorway which is signed Carlisle. This will bring you into Carlisle at Kingstown Industrial Estate. You can then take the A7 southwards towards the centre of Carlisle.
It is worth using the pavement cycle lane as you cross the river Eden in order to avoid the roundabout at Hardwick Circus (circus is a good name for it). There is an underpass which will take you to the city centre.     

[richie_b]

Re Gretna to Carlisle.
The stretch of A74 between Gretna and carlisle has been upgraded to motorway and is now M6.
A new road runs alongside the motorway between Gretna and Carlisle but it is not signed as a direct route between the two. This road won't be marked on any maps.

To access the new road, take the B7076 out of Gretna towards Longtown. You will cross over  the river Sark which marks the border between Scotland and England. Take the first right turn at the Gretna Chase Hotel signed Metal Bridge Mossband and Floriston (and cycle route 7). Once on this road you can either follow the cycle route 7 signs which will take you to Carlisle , or, you can follow the new bit of road alongside the motorway which is signed Carlisle. This will bring you into Carlisle at Kingstown Industrial Estate. You can then take the A7 southwards towards the centre of Carlisle.
It is worth using the pavement cycle lane as you cross the river Eden in order to avoid the roundabout at Hardwick Circus (circus is a good name for it). There is an underpass which will take you to the city centre.     

Google maps keeps giving me this, is this the route?  That's a lot easier if yes....
Cheers for the advice BTW 

[muddyfox]

Re Gretna to Carlisle.
The stretch of A74 between Gretna and carlisle has been upgraded to motorway and is now M6.
A new road runs alongside the motorway between Gretna and Carlisle but it is not signed as a direct route between the two. This road won't be marked on any maps.

To access the new road, take the B7076 out of Gretna towards Longtown. You will cross over  the river Sark which marks the border between Scotland and England. Take the first right turn at the Gretna Chase Hotel signed Metal Bridge Mossband and Floriston (and cycle route 7). Once on this road you can either follow the cycle route 7 signs which will take you to Carlisle , or, you can follow the new bit of road alongside the motorway which is signed Carlisle. This will bring you into Carlisle at Kingstown Industrial Estate. You can then take the A7 southwards towards the centre of Carlisle.
It is worth using the pavement cycle lane as you cross the river Eden in order to avoid the roundabout at Hardwick Circus (circus is a good name for it). There is an underpass which will take you to the city centre.     

Google maps keeps giving me this, is this the route?  That's a lot easier if yes....
Cheers for the advice BTW 

Yep. That's it