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Trying to plan the back end of a route (roady) is the A6 useable or a no go? trying to get from Shap area back to Newby Bridge then upto Hawkshead..... any advice gratefully received
A6 is a big wide fast road with little traffic iirc
As TJ says, some tighter sections approaching Kendal but not much traffic and cars are generally respectful. Good climbs and descents if that floats your boat.
yeah, cheers, I can see its traffic free ish by google, komoot etc, but STW is always wiser
You could go Shap - Orton (Kennedys chocolate shop & cafe) - Tebay village - Grayrigg - Kendal ?
It's fine compared to a lot of A-roads, mainly because the motorway runs almost parallel. I'd still be getting off it before Kendal and taking to the lanes towards Staveley.
The road between Newby Bridge and Hawkshead will probably feel worse, full of bad drivers, either locals or holidaymakers, who don't know how to overtake bikes, or don't care about doing it safely. I would personally head across by the small stuff to Bowness and take the ferry.
I did a hill climb Kendal to Shap (well maybe not all the way to Shap) I don't remember any significant traffic and it was wide and mostly downhill back to Kendal.
A6 from Shap is great fun, watch the wind though, it can make the 60mph descent interesting.
If you head over Scout Scar and Underbarrow from Kendal, it'll bring you out at Gummer's Howe. After then the wobbly road from Newby Bridge to Hawkshead can be full of idiots, but you can branch off to Far Sawrey and take a simpler route.
It's a bit lumpy, but good run.
Ridden it many times, it's almost a default LEJOG route so most people along there are very used to seeing cyclists on it. Plus it's mostly wide lanes and good visibility and it's not really a busy road. Worst case will be something like a tractor with a queue of vehicles behind it but otherwise it's generally an easy road to ride.
I live in Shap , work in Kendal . The A6 is fine ,some narrower sections as mentioned above , but traffic is light ,and plenty of options for traffic to overtake .
I would do Staveley ,bike path next to the A591 to Windermere , down the hill and hop on the ferry ...
If you have to go to Newby Bridge ,Natland ,Sedgwick ,Levens ,Raven's Lodge ,Witherslack ,Meathop ,Lindale , then tiny roads to Newby Bridge .
I used to live in Colthouse (next to Hawkshead) - As said above ,the road from Newby Bridge to Hawkshead can be more nerve wracking .....
I used to live in Shap, and worked in Kendal. A6 in that direction is a nice ride. Not too much traffic, scenic, more descending than climbing. As mention earlier, be a little wary if the wind is strong over the top. It soon gets more sheltered on the Kendal side though.