Sustrans 51 Query

Had a trundle along the Sandy - picked it up at Blunham / Tempsford
beside the A1 having dropped down the back roads from St Neots - to
Bedford bit on Sunday. Pleasantly surprised, given the views I have
read on here on Sustrans efforts. I suspect though, that this may be
one of the better ones.

Pluses :
a) as it mainly follows the old Bedford - Sandy railway line and hence
is rather level and direct. The smooth 700x38's found it eminently
suitable.
b) it has also been tarmac'd for a large percentage of the route, with
the remainder in small, well compacted gravel. Made the run as far as
Bedford rather pleasant.
Minuses :
a) wobbles a bit onto footpath round the back of Wilmington village.
b) suffers from a large number of Amblers (Ramblers without the sense
of direction or location - ie spread out across the whole path - I
found the bell MOST useful for once).

Alas it has probably been rendered semi-obsolete by the new Barford
Bypass, which now leaves a big wide smooth empty road through the
village from the Black Cat roundabout on the A1 to Bedford itself.

The route through Bedford is a little less successful, though scenic -
taking the paths along the Ouse Embankment. On Sunday this was chaotic,
with pedestrians and cyclists going in all directions, a large bikers
meet either side of the path at one of the pubs, and a major canoeing
regatta taking place ... avoiding people with boats on their heads adds
a new twist.
Also a couple of low railway bridges to tackle, one 6'3" and one 4'7"
(I kid you not !)

The Kempston side is a mess, I defaulted to the road after losing it
twice and picked it up on the other side.

Onto the Query. What is this route like from Kempston to Milton Keynes?
I would rather avoid the main road as it is not much fun in the car
(non dualled in places, dodgy overtaking and the whiff of the landfill
sites). The map suggests road based country wind and/or possibly
Sustrans Track.

Gradients wise how easy going is it for someone who is still finding
his wheels and hence for whom a forty mile ride is regarded as a
personal achievement ?

Thanks
MW

Mark

I ride the 51 regularly. The section between Kempston and MK is a mixture of
country roads, trail and cycle path, the latter being the MK end. It's not
the most direct route to MK as it takes in Marston Vale country park. The
section of trail between Cranfield and Hulcote is not very good for anything
other than a mountain bike and can be a real slog at times particularly when
it's been dry for a while. The reason for this is that the trail is made up
of compacted sand but they overdid the sand and failed to compact it enough.
There is also a lot of horse traffic on this section which cuts up the trail
a lot. There is one fairly steep section alongside Hulcote wood, around the
back of the landfill at Brogborough. There is also a re routed section along
a bridleway at the moment because the main trail has been washed away,
however I have been using that bridleway for some time as I prefer it to the
trail, again I wouldn't do it on anything other than a mountain bike as
there are a few roots to negotiate, also a lot of brambles to avoid.

The rest of the route to MK is pretty easy although you have to keep an eye
on the signs as it's a bit of maze in some sections!

Good luck.

Cheers,
Dave

"Mark W" wrote in message
oups.com...
Had a trundle along the Sandy - picked it up at Blunham / Tempsford
beside the A1 having dropped down the back roads from St Neots - to
Bedford bit on Sunday. Pleasantly surprised, given the views I have
read on here on Sustrans efforts. I suspect though, that this may be
one of the better ones.

Pluses :
a) as it mainly follows the old Bedford - Sandy railway line and hence
is rather level and direct. The smooth 700x38's found it eminently
suitable.
b) it has also been tarmac'd for a large percentage of the route, with
the remainder in small, well compacted gravel. Made the run as far as
Bedford rather pleasant.
Minuses :
a) wobbles a bit onto footpath round the back of Wilmington village.
b) suffers from a large number of Amblers (Ramblers without the sense
of direction or location - ie spread out across the whole path - I
found the bell MOST useful for once).

Alas it has probably been rendered semi-obsolete by the new Barford
Bypass, which now leaves a big wide smooth empty road through the
village from the Black Cat roundabout on the A1 to Bedford itself.

The route through Bedford is a little less successful, though scenic -
taking the paths along the Ouse Embankment. On Sunday this was chaotic,
with pedestrians and cyclists going in all directions, a large bikers
meet either side of the path at one of the pubs, and a major canoeing
regatta taking place ... avoiding people with boats on their heads adds
a new twist.
Also a couple of low railway bridges to tackle, one 6'3" and one 4'7"
(I kid you not !)

The Kempston side is a mess, I defaulted to the road after losing it
twice and picked it up on the other side.

Onto the Query. What is this route like from Kempston to Milton Keynes?
I would rather avoid the main road as it is not much fun in the car
(non dualled in places, dodgy overtaking and the whiff of the landfill
sites). The map suggests road based country wind and/or possibly
Sustrans Track.

Gradients wise how easy going is it for someone who is still finding
his wheels and hence for whom a forty mile ride is regarded as a
personal achievement ?

Thanks
MW

Thanks.

I spotted the detour on the trusty OS map, and was thinking of cutting
from Wootton direct into Cranfield (the contour lines indicate a fairly
steep looking hill here, alas), and picking up the "on road"
alternative route round the landfill - which I want to keep my distance
from, it niffs enuff in the car ! They appear to join up again at
Salford.

MW

Mark W wrote:

The route through Bedford is a little less successful, though scenic -
taking the paths along the Ouse Embankment. On Sunday this was chaotic,
with pedestrians and cyclists going in all directions, a large bikers
meet either side of the path at one of the pubs, and a major canoeing
regatta taking place ... avoiding people with boats on their heads adds
a new twist.
Also a couple of low railway bridges to tackle, one 6'3" and one 4'7"
(I kid you not !)

A classic. With practice you bend low over the bars and scoot along -
you don't hit anything if you don't look up!

The Kempston side is a mess, I defaulted to the road after losing it
twice and picked it up on the other side.

Ah yes, Kempston. Coincidentally I was there this weekend. Site of the
off-road cyclepath adjacent to a 30mph road containing a bus lane
which ONLY allows buses. Given the number of junctions, the path is
far slower and less safe. I used to live there, at a time when I still
thought cyclepaths were a good idea, so I share a little of the blame.
As soon as there's a cyclepath, all non-cyclists expect cyclists to use
them - and the engineers try to make them. There could be a Telford
opportunity here - choose between slow and dangerous, illegal, and
'obstructive'.

Colin McKenzie

--
On average in Britain, you're more likely to get a head injury walking
a mile than cycling it.
So why aren't we all exhorted to wear walking helmets?

Yes you can take the road option from Wootton, via Cranfield, to Salford and
yes Cranfield hill is a fairly good test, for around here anyway!
Unfortunately you will not find an alternate route without a hill. As I said
there is the steep section on the off road route, Cranfield hill as you have
seen and if you braved the A421 you have Brogborough hill to contend with!
I've done them all and there not so bad, just quite steep for this area.

By the way the landfill isn't too bad on the off road track, I think the
wind must take the smell away from the trail and towards the road. Either
that or my nose has become de-sensitised!

Cheers,
Dave

"Mark W" wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks.

I spotted the detour on the trusty OS map, and was thinking of cutting
from Wootton direct into Cranfield (the contour lines indicate a fairly
steep looking hill here, alas), and picking up the "on road"
alternative route round the landfill - which I want to keep my distance
from, it niffs enuff in the car ! They appear to join up again at
Salford.

MW

"Colin McKenzie" wrote in message
...
Mark W wrote:

As soon as there's a cyclepath, all non-cyclists expect cyclists to use
them


Except pedestrians who seem strangely drawn to the painted (Cycling) side of
the path and are then surprised when you zip past them, assuming it's not a
crowd in which case the whole path and cycletrack is usually blocked and the
use of the bell is a waste of time as they are so engrossed in conversation
or have their iPods on full volume.

Right, off my soapbox and back to work!

Cheers,
Dave