Favourite Roads

[Bush Tucker Man]

This topic has it's roots in a couple of postings between 'Range Rover Blues' & myself on the 'Truck Photo Required Please'
In one reply I suggested that a 'Favourite Roads' thread woud be a good idea.
Much like the 'Food Forum', we all like to drive (as well as eat), so perhaps the opportunity to seek out the best tarmac in other parts of the country might be a good idea?
I'm stating 'tarmac' as the 'Green-Laning' aspect already has its own forum

Contributions welcomed.

Similar stipulations as the 'Food Forum'?
Please name the road, the number, & map-refs (if known, or start/end locations.  
I know some might cause problems, due to their length - ie; 'The Great North Road'

[Guy90]

The Road To Amarillo :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

[landyman Ash]

The Road To Amarillo :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

How can you better that!!  :lol:

[Bush Tucker Man]

The Great North Road[/i]
Metaphorically speaking this must be the number 1 (quite literally it is :lol: )
Its origination (as a complete road) was as the route in between 'The General Post Offices' in London & (its counterpart) in Edinburgh.

It roughly covers 390miles, dependant on the actual route taken, allowing for whether the traveller sticks to the modern alignment, or traverses the old coaching/posting ways.

Out of the total distance, over a fifth of it is situated within the Yorkshire borders, a grand total of 80miles! (Bawtry to Cleasby)
There are numerous old stretches that still exist, complete with their clues to a grander past.
For example; this album shows 'The Swan' at Aberford which is on the old alignment. As late as the mid 60's, the 'GNR' passed through the town.
'The Swan' also shows its coaching past as the 'Post Horses' sign shows.


Further south, in Bawtry, Scrooby Retford & Newark, the 'GNR' has numerous remainders on show.

If anyone is interested in this English equivilant of Route 66, can I recommend a book?

'The Great North Road. A Guide For The Curious Traveller'
Frank Goddard
Frances Lincoln Publishing
ISBN 0-112-2446-3
£14.99

[beast5680]

the road to hell :D or the M25 as its commonly known

[Andy the Landy]

the road to hell :D or the M25 as its commonly known

Another song - Chris Rea :D

[Andy.]

The Road To Amarillo :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

 :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

Or 'Road to no where' Talking Heads  :D

[Andy the Landy]

I get my kicks on Route 66

[Bush Tucker Man]

There's alway one (or more as the case may be) :roll:  :roll:
If we're talking songs about roads, what about the best ever?

This one is pretty good as well, with lines like;
'Straighter Than A Preacher & Longer Than A Memory'

[Manicminer]

A5  London to Ireland via Holyhead

http://www.ukroads.plus.com/f99/5.html

A magnificent construction by T. Telford.

http://www.britannia.com/bios/telford.html

A few steel bridges worth seeing.

Waterloo bridge       Betws-y-coed
Menai Bridge           Menai Straight
http://www.anglesey-history.co.uk/places/bridges/
http://www.welshdragon.net/resources/places/menai.shtml


Other Bridges built by Telford include

Ironbridge
Pontcysyllte


More recent bridges include

Britania                   Menai Straight

[lee celtic]

yes the A5 is a great road but when you have to go somewhere and the only way out means driving the A5 or A55 they can be a little dull the only other way is the coast road and thats not good either. :shock:

there are lots of nice roads in north wales one of my favs is from capel-cerig to beddgelert and another that goes from the ugly house in betws (A5) to Llanrwst (B5106)

Me and the kids have a os map of our area around Llanberis and we highlight ALL the roads we have driven in an attempt to drive them all (I know it would take forever but it gives us somthing to do together on a sunday when the weather is bad ) (All the time ) It gets us to places we wouldn't normally go and we have found some great places ie, waterfalls, parks, GOOD PUBS and views , and Ryan my Nine year old gets to navigate and can't get us lost because getting lost is the point :D

[Bush Tucker Man]

North Yorkshire (but commences in West Yorkshire)
A65

Thisis essentially the major route from industrial West Yorkshire up to Cumbria (the Lake District)
Known to generations of travellers for its undulating features & epic scenery.
It starts in Leeds as 'Kirkstall Road', passing through several outlying districts of Leeds, before gaining open countryside to the west of Otley.

Due to geographical (& enviromental) constraints the bottleneck at Ilkley is due to remain indefinately. On weekends & Bank Holidays this can add over an hour to journey times.
Major towns & villages on the route include;
Ilkley
Skipton (bypassed)
Gargrave
Long Preston
Settle (now bypassed)
Coniston Cold (home of 'LR Experience' Yorkshire)
Hellifield

Kirkby Lonsdale is a notable place on the route as the River Lune is crossed adjacent to a beautiful old  bridge

Upon reaching the M6 a few miles to the north of Kirky Lonsdale, the A65 becomes the A591 (to Windermere, Bowness, etc......)


Overall, a great road journey, if you allow for the mixture of traffic, from; caravanners, HGV's, tractors to mad motorbikers.
Speed restrictions are enforced by unmarked cars & bikes, so please don't treat the open sections as racetracks

[NiceBlueWellies]

The Road To Amarillo :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

How can you better that!!  :lol:

Follow the yellow brick road  :lol:

[Mace]

B6318 from Thirlwall Castle (NY658653) to Heddon on the Wall (NZ136670) runs parallel to a69 and alongside Hadrians Wall. A Roller-Coaster of a road if ever there was one.

Not forgetting the Hardknot Pass in The Lakes

[Bush Tucker Man]

West Yorkshire/Derbyshire
A6024
Holme-Moss

This is one of the (if not the) biggest steepest hills in West Yorkshire.
It runs from Holmfirth (south of Huddersfield) over to join the Woodhead Pass (A628)
It is reknown amongst Yorkshire cyclists as a tough challenge, be it from either side.
When the professional races like the 'Tour of Britain' (or the defunct 'Leeds Classic') come up into Yorkshire they always pass over it. A lot of Eurpoean riders are taken by surprise as they don't expect it, the hill usually instigates the winning 'breakaway'

Once Holmfirth is left behind the climbing begins, that's even with about 5miles to go before the 'Moss' itself is reached!
Once the small village of Holme is reached the climbing begins in earnest.  
Some members on here may know the green-lanes around the base of the 'Moss' from trips with the 'DOC'.

Once the summit is attained (520metres) the views to the north are stunning - in good visibility (Ice-cream van usually up there as well) However, in winter, it's usually one of the first roads to be closed over the Pennines.
Vehicles can get trapped up there for several days at a time

It can be dangerous, as the southern side is unfenced & Sheep abound.
I know from personal experience what a Sheep hit at about 40mph can do & it's not nice :shock:  
A friend once hit one on a ride out & coming off in Lycra at that speed hurts no matter what the surface. We never saw the Sheep again, but his bike was totalled & he had a few weeks in Hospital


Multi-Map

[Bush Tucker Man]

Snake Pass
A57
Derbyshire

One of the wonders of the north, this old turnpike route passes between Manchester & Sheffield. However, the interesting section lays to the east of Glossop.
The Pass climps up quite severely away from Glossop gaining height rapidly.
Look out for the 12" poles on the roadside that tell snow-plough crews where the road surface lies!!!  
It's sinuous turns seem to suggest that its name is eponymous with the reptile, but  the name comes from a Snake appearing on the Coat Of Arms of the land owning family.
The Snake Inn is  the only pub on this road until LadyBower reservoir, it's worth visiting if only for the pictures from previous harsh winters showing the depth of the snows.
Its is not a road to be taken lightly as an inspection of some of the slopes below the road may reveal vehicles that have missed a corner.

Once LadyBower reservoir is reached, the harder section is disposed off. If you turn off up the (yellow) side road to the left, you will come to the Derwent Dam. This is where 617 Squadron ('The Dambusters') practiced for their attacks.
If you are very lucky, or have pre-planned due to publicity, you may witness a Lancaster from the 'Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight' doing a fly-past for the anniversary.
I have been lucky enough to see this once & the echo around the valley is unforgettable.

617 Memorial on Derwent Dam

[Bush Tucker Man]

'ButterTubs Pass'
Unclassified?
North Yorkshire

Another exquisite piece of the roadmakers art. It passes between Wensleydale, at Hardraw (famous for its Brass Band competitions) & Swaledale (at Thwaite)

It varies between blind crests to wide open sweeping corners that make you wish for another 40mph & 300bhp!  

Multi-Map

[Bush Tucker Man]

Ribblehead
B6255
North Yorkshire

A swooping roller-coaster of a road, that runs from Ingleton to Hawes (pronounced like 'the ladies of negotiable affections' :lol: )
It has sharp climbs, sweeping 5th gear corners, sump scraping dips :D
The surface is in a good state of repair for its isolated position.
There's not many other roads (that I know of) that make me wish for something like a WRX Impreza to tackle it in.
The last time I drove it 'enthusiastically' was in the wifes (pre- Fabia) Astra TD. Even that was a 'blast' over it :D

One other feature of note is the Ribblehead Viaduct (on the Settle- Carlise railway) you may strike lucky & see a 'steam special'



Multi-Map

[Mace]

Blimey BTM, do you realise you made more than one reference to 'non-yorkshire' in your posts  :lol:

[matthew]

A701 Moffat to Penicuik (just outside Edinburgh) approx 50 miles of very fast road with sweeping bends and plenty of opportunity to overtake :D and very few trucks as they use the A702.

Snake Pass is too busy to be interesting.

As for more local shorter fun stretches;

Blackburn to Haslingden Grane Road A6117 and the parallel
Blackburn to Haslingden B6236
Road from Bolton to M65 via Belmont and Abbey Village A675
Helmshore to Holcombe road B6214

Except the first three of these are now 50mph limit as muppets kept throwing themselves into ditches    

[Bush Tucker Man]

'Shibden Wall' (correctly named  Lee Lane)
Unclassified
West Yorkshire

Not a long road by any means, but a short, nasty climb. It starts innocently enough by a 17th century mill that is now a pub & proceeds to corkscrew upwards, perhaps with a ruling gradient of 1-in-3 to 1-in-4.
Oh, did I mention that it's cobbled as well? (lots of wheelspin in the wet!
It arrives up on Swales Moor Road, by the dry-ski-slope. The views over halifax are quite good from up here.
To the north is a pub called 'The Starving Rascal'.
There used to be an off-road site there(in a quarry) as well, but now it's a land-fill

Multi-Map

It was used in the 'Kellogs Tour Of Britain' cycle race & some of the poor professionals has to resort to walking up it pushing their bikes (in the dry)

[the loon]

B6318 from Thirlwall Castle (NY658653) to Heddon on the Wall (NZ136670) runs parallel to a69 and alongside Hadrians Wall. A Roller-Coaster of a road if ever there was one.

Not forgetting the Hardknot Pass in The Lakes

B6318 from Thirlwall Castle (NY658653) to Heddon on the Wall (NZ136670) runs parallel to a69 and alongside Hadrians Wall.

was going to mention that one
its a excelent drive out as only about 20 minutes from me
that and the milliary raod.
Goes up to otterburn and take a lot millitary traffic to the ranges around that way but think was originaly built to get troops direct to scotland when there was still cross border fighting

useless fact of the day.
if you go on to hadrians wall at NY 756 676 GB(closest car park is at  Steel Rigg NY 751 676 GB) theres a sickamore tree on the wall.
under this tree they filmed the part in Robin hood prince of theives where Robin has just returned from the crusades with his friend (Morgan freema's charector) and they stop when the little kid gets chased up the tree by the sherifs men for poaching
I was a youth leader a few years ago and the kids loved that bit of useless knowledge

[Range Rover Blues]

West Yorkshire/Derbyshire
A6024
Holme-Moss


It is reknown amongst Yorkshire cyclists as a tough challenge, be it from either side

You're not kidding, my Cavalier would only go up there in first and the Rangie seldom makes it out of second.

 
coming off in Lycra at that speed hurts no matter what the surface

If you ignore the opertunity to be rude at that one then I'd have to agree, which is why I normally break the fall with my head :?

[Bush Tucker Man]

West Yorkshire/Derbyshire
A6024
Holme-Moss


It is reknown amongst Yorkshire cyclists as a tough challenge, be it from either side

You're not kidding, my Cavalier would only go up there in first and the Rangie seldom makes it out of second.




If you ignore the opportunity to be rude at that one then I'd have to agree, which is why I normally break the fall with my head :?

I used to be able to sprint most of the way up from the Holmbridge when I was riding my Dyna-Tech (titanium) road bike - then want to 'hurl chunks' at the top  :lol:
Obviously the weather played a big part. Wearing just a 'Skin-Suit' in summer made it a pleasant affair.

In winter having thermal tights, 2 shirts, over-shoes, gloves & a thermal jacket made you feel like a 'Boil In The Bag Chicken' :roll:

[Range Rover Blues]

Snake Pass
A57
Derbyshire

Just to put you right it goes From Sheffield to Manchester :D
Great road, being on my doorstep almost I tend to forget what a great road, I sometimes take learners along it :shock:
I also like to drive out to glossop along the snake and head back along the Woodhead (A628?) or through Hathersage and past Fox House (burbage if you fancy a green lane).
Whilst you're there why not detour to take in Whinnets pass? another 1st gear climb, and have a laugh at the road up Mam Torr (shivering mountain), past the Blue John mine, that lasted about a fortnight before sliding down the hilside.  I've done that on a mountain bike too!

[thermidorthelobster]

There is a "jeep track" through Canyonlands National Park, which is accessed through Moab, Utah.  You disappear into the desert on a dust track and come out 80 miles later;  you then get onto a deserted tarmac road and the whole route is about 120 miles.  The scenery is stunning, and it's only accessible by 4x4, trail bike or if you are a seriously hairy-arsed cyclist.

You can see some pictures here:
http://www.nps.gov/cany/gallery/index.htm
"Bikers on the White Rim Road" gives you an idea of what it all looks like, as does this:

No idea what the grid reference is, but if you go to the National Park office in Moab they can point you in the right direction.

Theoretically it's a couple of days' drive, but I can testify it's possible in 8 hours in a hired Jeep Cherokee :)

[Bush Tucker Man]

b]Snake Pass[/b]
A57
Derbyshire




I also like to drive out to glossop along the snake and head back along the Woodhead (A628?) or through Hathersage and past Fox House (burbage if you fancy a green lane).
Whilst you're there why not detour to take in Whinnets pass? another 1st gear climb, and have a laugh at the road up Mam Torr (shivering mountain), past the Blue John mine, that lasted about a fortnight before sliding down the hilside.  I've done that on a mountain bike too!

4

Been up Winnats a few times on the bike as well, what a swine of a climb!!

Fox House. If you mean the actual pub, I haven't been in it, but been past on the way to Grindleford Cafe.


Hathersage churchyard repputedly has the grave of Little John, Robin Hoods mate. You know that outlaw who really belongs to Yorkshire :lol:  :o

[JeepCher53]

The route for grokels and emmets:  M5 southbound   Every Bank Holiday, kids holiday, sunny week end it starts.  Accident south bound, accident north bound and to top it all some burk usually stuffs the A417 (Glos to Cirencester) up near the Air Balloon Pub or at Nettleton Bottom (where the road runs into a steep decline).  Used as a sort of short cut from the M4 (Swindon) to the M5.  Never mind, we've found a sneaky route under the dual carriage, down a few RUPPs and we're out to freedom :(biglaugh):

[the loon]

The route for grokels and emmets:  M5 southbound   Every Bank Holiday, kids holiday, sunny week end it starts.  Accident south bound, accident north bound and to top it all some burk usually stuffs the A417 (Glos to Cirencester) up near the Air Balloon Pub or at Nettleton Bottom (where the road runs into a steep decline).  Used as a sort of short cut from the M4 (Swindon) to the M5.  Never mind, we've found a sneaky route under the dual carriage, down a few RUPPs and we're out to freedom :(biglaugh):

was around Cirencester week last week as had been visiting family in devon and on the way home.
That bit of M5 is cursed for me. 1st time we drove it had a punture on the motorway and had to pay £150 to get towed and have it fixed  (needless to say joined AA after that) and last time was on it there was a "tink" noise and we got a 2 foot crack in windscreen of our vectra. Fortunatly it didnt come through and was still able to get home to newcastle.

[Bush Tucker Man]

A6
Cumbria

Essentially the section between Kendal & Penrith over Shap Fell.
Originally the only route between Scotland & England on the west coast.

A reknown danger road before the opening of the M6 & also a constant victim of the weather in winter