TOW PATH QUERY

[David Cooper]

Hi

 

I am considering doing a sponsored bike ride for charity from Northampton to London down the Grand Union Canal towpath.

 

I dont know the route and would be grateful if anyone who knows the route can advise if there are any difficulties with the towpath that would make this impracticable.

 

Thanks

 

Dave

Edited February 21, 2009 by David Cooper

[sueb]

Hi

 

I am considering doing a sponsored bike ride for charity from Northampton to London down the Grand Union Canal towpath.

 

I dont know the route and would be grateful if anyone who knows the route can advise if there are any difficulties with the towpath that would make this impracticable.

 

Thanks

 

Dave

I suggest you contact BW and/or look on waterscape.com for help.

Sue

[alan_fincher]

Dave,

 

I've cycled all of this multiple times, though much of it not for a few years, I'll admit.

 

These days if you want to stay strictly legal you will find that cyclists are not permitted anywhere on the towpath in the Milton Keynes area. I have no idea why. I don't mind where a MK "red route" parallels it, and you can use that instead, but for quite a bit of the barred length there is no parallel off towpath route.

 

Personally it's a daft change, and one I'd be happy to ignore.

 

Otherwise

 

1) The grass towpath on the 5 mile Northampton Arm itself can be hard work, depending upon when last cut.

2) You obviously have to go over Blisworth Tunnel, not through it (!) The route is obvious.

3) From Stoke Bruerne to about Cosgrove progress depends entirely upon when the grass was last cut. Easy if recently, nigh on impossible to pedal if it's a foot high.

4) There are a few grassed stretches between Leighton Buzzard and Marsworth, but generally the surface of the towpath south of Milton Keynes is good, (bits of Tring summit and around the ornamental bridge at Cassiobury can get muddy, but seldom badly).

5) If you ride into central London along the Paddington Arm, much of it is a concrete slabbed surface where cables were laid beneath. This causes some cyclists to think they are in a velodrome, and ride at inconsiderate speeds, that give the rest of us a bad name.

 

In my opinion, having used both a hybrid bike, and a full mountain one, (hardtail), the latter is a better choice for the trip, though not essential.

 

If you think I can add, feel free to PM me, but it's a great way to see the canal, and a lot cheaper than owning a boat.

[bargiepat]

Hi David,

 

You could have fun by doing the trip with ' Google Earth '

 

It probably won't show the mud but you will get a good idea of scenery.

 

Regards,

Patrick.

[nigel fryer]

Hi

 

I am considering doing a sponsored bike ride for charity from Northampton to London down the Grand Union Canal towpath.

 

I dont know the route and would be grateful if anyone who knows the route can advise if there are any difficulties with the towpath that would make this impracticable.

 

Thanks

 

Dave

 

Im sure BW will be happy to receive any money raised from your charity ride .

As you will be aware the towpaths are in a pretty bad way .

[David Cooper]

Im sure BW will be happy to receive any money raised from your charity ride .

As you will be aware the towpaths are in a pretty bad way .

 

 

Thank you to everone for all of the very useful information.

 

For anyone concerned about cyclists on towpaths I would advise that I am a very considerate rider and appreciate that some arent similarly minded.

 

I was hoping to raise the money towards a project wishing to purchase a community narrowboat

[alan_fincher]

Im sure BW will be happy to receive any money raised from your charity ride .

As you will be aware the towpaths are in a pretty bad way .

Actually quite a few of the towpaths described on that route are in a considerably less bad way than they might be, were cycling not allowed on them.

 

As well as stretches that have received Sustrans, Groundwork or council money for serious upgrading of the surface, there are also more localised bits, such as through Berkhamsted, where local council, county council and BW have shared the cost of upgrading to a multi-use path.

 

If anybody should have paid, it's not the cyclists, but either BW who made a lot of money out of allowing the whole thing to be ripped up and devastated laying fibre optic cables some many years back. Either that or the cable company itself. Outside organisations have had to fund something they should not have done, in my view.

 

If David gave his charity money to BW, no doubt they would spend it "wisely" on something like "keep of the cills" signs to replace those already ripped off by passing boats. Or some nice bollards to knock the problem cyclists of their bikes.

 

He'll do far more for the canals by donating to a community narrowboat than he ever will by donating to BW (IMO).

 

Good luck with it David - it's a good ride.