London to Manchester - help please

[adventuredon]

Wanting to convince the strife thsat there are nice routes up tnorth, apart from M1 etc...so I go to Via Michelin and ask for a scenic route...yep...M1, M6, M42...any help to avoid long tedious stretches welcome
please...

 

[Wapping]

Don't give up just because a bit of dumb software doesn't dish you up a 'great roads, mate' route at the push of a buttom.

Get a map

In fact, if you are already looking at Via Michelin, you have a map of sorts in front of you. The rubber men have even gone to the trouble of bordering some of the roads in green.... Suggesting they might well be scenic. Whether they are actually any good to ride is another matter entirely.

Avoid anything that looks vaguely like a motorway (the letter M).....Get really extreme and avoid anything that looks like even a main road (the letter A)..... End up on lesser roads (B is the letter) or anything that doesn't have a letter at all.

It will be great practice for when you really go adventuring.....

 

[STUBBS]

M40

 

[adventuredon]

M40

Yeah I get the routing and avoiding....but looking for a time saver / recommend here. Will def avoid the usaul but thought it worth asking...

 

[Greg Masters]

Just set your sat nav to 'shortest' route.

Allow a couple of days for your journey (seriously! ).

 

[paul08]

The A road from Donnington Park on the M1 over to Stoke on the M6 is nice and cuts out a large chunk of the M6.

Alternatively, from Donnington Park head due NW up through the Peak District. Bloody lovely area

 

[tuftywhite]

Try the A41 from about Watford, you can plan a route up through Aylesbury, Bicester, then Aynho, Banbury, Gaydon to Warwick. I used to use this route to Leamington quite a lot.

Great roads and if you're not making enough time, you can just pop back on the M40.

 

[rce]

I do "the back way" home to Sheffield from Surrey when I get chance, be doing it again on Wednesday.

Henley, Banbury, Fosse Way, Hinckley, Barton-Under-Needwood, Ashbourne

 

[Jester]

I once took the A6 from Luton to Carlisle, via Matlock, Buxton, Manchester ... 9 hours ... nicer road than the M6 that's for sure!

 

[Rushy]

Northern bit.....you MUST pick up the A515 just north of Lichfield and then follow it to Ashbourne then Buxton . Then take the A5004 out of Buxton ( Long Hill , not the A6) to Whaley Bridge, then pick up the A6 for the boring run into Stockport and Manchester.

Look for a place called Alrewas just north of Lichfield on the A38 for a slight detour and stop off here ;

http://www.thenma.org.uk/

 

[Hairnet600]

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

....is it me ? ...

 

[Wapping]

....is it me ? ...

For a moment

The Who


PS It's an epic (peg scraping) journey he's embarking on and his wife is far from convinced it's even possible. He needs your support. Be a cobber and sort him out.... He's up a gum tree.

 

[adventuredon]

Thanks all. Will map out your suggestions. Wife now going by train so ill be sure to enjoy those routes without whining now.

 

[Wapping]

She's not daft, that wife of yours.

 

[Wreford Miles]

I do "the back way" home to Sheffield from Surrey when I get chance, be doing it again on Wednesday.

Henley, Banbury, Fosse Way, Hinckley, Barton-Under-Needwood, Ashbourne

I use to drive to Manchester a couple of times a week, got board with the M6 ( it was before he toll road) so from the above I'd pick up the above from Ashbourne blat straight upto Buxton then take the Cat & Fiddell pass and up into Manchester.

If you want to make it really interesting look at a map and you'll see a natural route to the left of the Ashbourne - Buxton road which will bring you out on the Cat&Fiddle and you can follow that for a while before dropping of to the right into the Goyt Valley and go into Manchester via places like Pott Shrigley

Came back that way last year with my son in the MX5, a mad blast:

 

[Greg Masters]

I use to drive to Manchester a couple of times a week,

Get back to the beach and post some decent pictures ....

 

[adventuredon]

The route

Thanks for the towns/waypoints. That was exactly what I was after. A start on what sort of minor towns etc. Here is my route if you really really really want to ahh...

 

[rce]

Adjust your route to go via

Princetown, Brinklow instead of Rugby

Burbage, Hinckley, Barwell, Staplton, Market Bosworth instead of Fanny Drayton

Barton Under Needwood, Yoxall instead of Burton upon Trent

 

[adventuredon]

ok thanks, will do.