London to/from PlanetX/On One(sheffield)

Planning out my holidays for the year and during the summer I plan to hopefully do a cycling holiday, 4-7 days with most of them on a saddle. A coast to coast looks fun but I don't live by the coast and it adds an extra day before I even set off so I picked planetX/on one as a destination. They might also if I ask nicely enough ship my bike back so I don't need to struggle with it on the train/coach but that's a detail for nearer the time. Could also be the other way so travel up and then come back(maybe new bike and ride it home if funds allow) but either way whatever.

I have already planned some training rides for myself so on weekends I will be doing London-Brighton or London spiral type routes, some weekends I do 30 miles on a saturday but will need to push that higher. I have also been doing my usual 12 miles a day to work and back with an additional 10-15 miles to shops which as the weather gets better will have more laps of commons and longer routes added, I think planning to do 60 miles a day for 4 days is a pace I can make without putting myself at risk or having no time to enjoy it as I ride.

Also I was planning with camping in mind but the more I think about it the more the idea I will get worn down over a few days or get an awful nights sleep and ruin a the next day. Has anyone done long rides while camping to give a rough idea just how much harder it could make it? It does give the added bonus of being able to just roll up at a campsite.

Any "no go" areas? Unusual I know but anywhere between London and Sheffield that's exceptionally bad at road planning or anything?

Lastly which bike do I plan to ride on. I have a single speed racer type bike that isn't great for luggage but can rack up the miles fast, could add a trailer thing maybe? or my mountain bike that has panniers and gears and junk but is obviously slower/more effort, could put some slicker tyres on it but the 26' wheels are bad right? New bike and ride out the shop would likely be a 29er or a single speed racer, likely built outside/in carpark as I'm cheap like that. Hopefully riding with bags of shopping often can simulate the luggage weight well enough.

Which coast to coast were you planning? From what you are saying you want to do a touring type holiay, in which case I'd go with whatever bike will cry stuff most comfortably, in terms of wheels, 26" is perfectly good, and riding 60 miles a day fully loaded would be fine, though I personally wouldn't go with too much more in terms of mileage! You'll obviously be much slower than riding an unloaded road bike, but who cares, it's about touring, not racing!

I didn't like any of the coast to coast routes so the idea at the moment is a more "spine" shape london to sheffield, google maps gives a few routes that tend to follow the M1 on lesser roads to the sides, 200miles roughly but I would bulk that out a little with stops/detours so hopefully 240/250miles when I finish up the plan.

Yeah the 60 miles is a nice realistic aim. I usually average near 15mph around London but then that's not very hilly riding. If I do 10mph for 6hrs a day for 4 days in a row then I'm happy but I'm sure some sections I will loose hours to extreme hills/punctures ect just without the danger of running out of hours in the day.

60 miles a day should equate to about 4.5 to 5.5 hours on the bike, which a pleasant half day ride. I went through Spain last year at that pace but stayed in hotels and the like each night. I was very grateful to be able to get dry as it rainded most mornings, if it rains and you camp then that would be pretty grim... Cheaper certainly but maybe have a backup plan of staying in a cheap hotel here and there.

Any particular reason you want to go to Planet X? It's on a not particularly lovely industrial estate, reached by shitty, glass-covered roads that are full of HGVs.

Sheffield Road which takes you to Planet X is one of the most moribund stretches of road I have encountered.

I have a single speed racer type bike that isn't great for luggage but can rack up the miles fast

Take it into the countryside for a few days, stay in inexpensive B&B's (if you book them now) and get your new Planet X delivered to your door.

Any particular reason you want to go to Planet X? It's on a not particularly lovely industrial estate, reached by shitty, glass-covered roads that are full of HGVs.

Wondered what the shop was like, maybe meet the people who sorted out my orders loads of times. I checked out wiggle when I was down that way in the summer lol but is more just a place the right distance away ect.

Hopefully the route can have plenty of nicer roads, country lanes, weird trail/path things, many many hours looking at maps between now and then. I think I'm going to start with sustrans maps to find good sections of cycle routes then join them up best I can.

What about using part of this route - http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/13-312/#more - to plan a coast to coast, this goes to some really nice places, and you'll be able to get a copy of either a paper route sheet or gpx easily. You could start anywhere en route and ake it from there, plenty of places to camp along the way as well.

60 miles a day should equate to about 4.5 to 5.5 hours on the bike, which a pleasant half day ride. I went through Spain last year at that pace but stayed in hotels and the like each night. I was very grateful to be able to get dry as it rainded most mornings, if it rains and you camp then that would be pretty grim... Cheaper certainly but maybe have a backup plan of staying in a cheap hotel here and there.

Have to be honest I overlooked the dry part a bit. I have been to plenty of campsites where a good shower and stuff wasn't an issue but being damp for days is another thing.

I'm likely going to go along these types of routes. Can sort of pick out a mostly traffic free route but the offroad sections might make the road bike suck.

www.sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map

Agreed that the Magna Strip is very grim. I've spend about five weeks this winter commuting up it which was hideous. However, it is possible to approach Planet X via the canal and, if you're coming up in summer and it's been dry then it would be doable on a road bike.

If you're coming to Sheffield then you really are doing yourself a disservice if you don't take the opportunity to come via the Peak District. I'd recommend heading up towards Oxford close to the Thames and then heading north through the Midlands to Ashbourne before coming in to Sheffield via Fox House.

Of course if you want something flatter then follow The Great North Road towards Lincoln and then come in via Sherwood Forest and Bolsover. The last few miles will be a bit dismal but unless you approach from the Peak District then that will always be the case.

TSK is right, you should at least flirt with the peaks, if not just for the lovely riding, scenery, etc, but for Bakewell pudding and Bradwell Ice Cream, and a cool down swim in Hathersage.

Agreed that the Magna Strip is very grim. I've spend about five weeks this winter commuting up it which was hideous. However, it is possible to approach Planet X via the canal and, if you're coming up in summer and it's been dry then it would be doable on a road bike.

If you're coming to Sheffield then you really are doing yourself a disservice if you don't take the opportunity to come via the Peak District. I'd recommend heading up towards Oxford close to the Thames and then heading north through the Midlands to Ashbourne before coming in to Sheffield via Fox House.

Of course if you want something flatter then follow The Great North Road towards Lincoln and then come in via Sherwood Forest and Bolsover. The last few miles will be a bit dismal but unless you approach from the Peak District then that will always be the case.

Will take a look at those areas for routes. I think the peak district might be higher on the list as I know camping spots and some of them have rental tents so I can camp that night but B+B the next.

Trying to work out a way I can book places or if I should just have a long list of places on route and hope for spaces. If I set a stop at 60 miles on the first night then I might find I had 80 miles of go in me at the time, rather be able to do more and get ahead than be rigid and fall behind later.

I have to be honest with most of my cycling done in/around london it makes most changes good. I'm not a fan of dancing with HGVs or being alongside cars doing 50mph+ but cycling past the usually half closed parts of our industrial heritige isn't bad at all. Is probably bad but can't think of a recent holiday that hasn't had a factory tour on, admittedly chocolate and cars and stuff but still factory tours lol