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Land's End to Bristol

by powergoose
Mon, Apr 15, 2019 18:25
6

Hi all

I'm looking to do Land's End to Bristol in a onener...

....any advise on routes, prefably quick but avoiding as much A30 as I can???

Ta

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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6 comments

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richliv | 5 years ago
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The leg to Chepstow - if you want to avoid Cheddar (not saying you do but if you're loaded up...) I would go right at Wedmore and then directly north from Wells over the Mendips and join the route there. Wedmore to Wells is pretty, quiet and flat!  I also live in Somerset and did the Wells-Bristol bit last Saturday with a mate who was on a LEJOG with a tour group. It worked for me.

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cdean replied to richliv | 5 years ago
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richliv wrote:

The leg to Chepstow - if you want to avoid Cheddar (not saying you do but if you're loaded up...) I would go right at Wedmore and then directly north from Wells over the Mendips and join the route there. Wedmore to Wells is pretty, quiet and flat!  I also live in Somerset and did the Wells-Bristol bit last Saturday with a mate who was on a LEJOG with a tour group. It worked for me.

 

Personally I find the climbs north out of Wells to be worse than Cheddar Gorge, as the Gorge only has that steep bit at the bottom, then it's steady for the rest of the way and is at least scenic. Out of Wells, Old Bristol Road is fairly unpleasantly steep and Bristol Hill is a morale-sapping draggy sort of a climb that doesn't feel like a climb and doesn't have much to look at, as well as being well-used by motor traffic. 

 

The other way is to go via Shipham, or take the Strawberry Line to Yatton, which is an old railway line that's been converted to a cycle path with barriers and the like – very pleasant but not the fastest or most direct route.

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Canyon48 | 5 years ago
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I've lived in Somerset/Bristol all my life, so I can help with that leg of the route.

First, the bad bit, to get from Taunton to Highbridge via Bridgwater (a few miles north of Bridgwater) in the most direct and east hilly route, you'll have to use the A38, which is a fast, busy (lorries etc) road parallel to the M5. It's a truly awful road.

Alex Browns Waterloo Cross - Chepstow leg of his LEJOG route offers what I would suggest is the best route through Somerset to Bristol - it does add more distance, but it gets you off the awful roads and into the countryside.

It'll also add at least 10 more miles to the route and 3000ft more elevation, plus putting in Cheddar Gorge climb right at the end (25 miles before Bristol).

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Jack Osbourne snr | 5 years ago
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I did it as part of an unsupported, solo LEJOG in 2 and a bit days of riding without riding the A30 at all.

However, off the arterial road,  particularly if you're carrying gear, Cornwall and Devon are not without challenges, as there are countless sharp dips to negotiate.

Even tackling it as if it were a standalone audax ride, carrying minimal kit requires some thought and prep... It's over 200 miles with a lot of climbing.

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Alex Brown | 5 years ago
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I have a nice scenic LEJOG route that goes through Bristol:

https://ridewithgps.com/events/41611-lejog-2018

It's ~ 400km though so (esp. with the lumpy terrain) doing it in one stretch would be a fairly serious undertaking.

 

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peted76 | 5 years ago
1 like

What's a 'onener' ?

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