Edinburgh - London in May...

We're riding this in 4/5 days (depending on progress) in memory of a close friend and to raise money for a charity started by her fiance (http://www.justgiving.com/Edinburgh-to-London-Cycling) and looking to do something along the lines of - Edinburgh - Dunbar - Hexham - Ripon - Sheffield - Peterborough - Cambridge - London. Going to use the reverse of the route here http://www.ratraceroadtrip.com/course.html for some inspiration but really just wondering if anyone had any roads/sections of road/routes that they would particularly advise trying to hit or trying to avoid before I get intimate with a route planner and google maps satellite view...? We've got Cambridge to London sorted, so really only the earlier stages.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Cheers

The LEL route for this year has now been released. Someone has spent a long time thinking about it,

probably worth tracking down.

I did this:-

[ame]http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/266092[/ame

in 3 days back in March 2009 to do a recce of the London-Edinburgh-London Audax later on that year.

Notes:-

This was going North.
I missed a turn after Gainsborough and took a long cut, should be obvious.
1st night stop was at the Travelodge at the M18/M180 junction at Thorne (access via field rather than motorway!)
2nd night stop was at a B&B in Alston.
Avoid the A66, even for that short stretch it was unpleasant; go North from Middleton-Tyas and then via Melsonby.
Actually finished in North Berwick but the GPS ran out of space on the run in to Dalkeith.
South of Thorne is FLAT.

Day 1 was 320km, Day 2 220km, Day 3 220km.

Between Edinburgh and Middleton Tyas it's lovely.

I'd definitely recommend heading out of Edinburgh through Inverleithen, I've tried a few routes in and out of Edinburgh from the South and it's the prettiest of them.

If you do Hexham to Ripon (mebe hop over the A66 and into Richmond) then you'll probably hit Harrogate shortly after. Heading South out of Harrogate you'll see Weeton's deli on your left hand side (it's big and pale green, you can't miss it). Stop there for snacks.

I don't know if Sheffield is a rough waypoint, or a specific destination, but I'd probably avoid it unless you've a good reason not to. I reckon you'd have an easier time sticking further East.