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Advice on L&L towpath


roggie

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I'm considering cycling from Leeds to Wigan along the Leeds and Liverpool at the end of next month, I've always fancied doing it but doubt we will get our nb up that way for a few years (moored down on the Slough Arm) so the bike....

 

Any thoughts/comments on the condition of the towpath, obviously a rough idea.

 

My plan is to take the opportunity to watch my RL team play in Dewsbury on Sunday 26th (direct train from London to Mirfield and pedal down the Aire & Calder towpath), cycle into Leeds for the night, Monday to somewhere like Skipton (Premier Inn @£34) and the Tuesday to Wigan, Monday is a gentle 35 miles but Skipton to Wigan is 55 miles so some idea of towpath conditions would be useful. Of course at the end of February it could well be covered with snow and icy, must make a backup plan if that's the case.

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From Leeds to somewhere like Silsden/kildwick its a mostly been upgraded to be a cycle path so is wide and usually smooth (not road smooth!). I think it's grass/single mud track type after kildwick to around Skipton. I don't know after that.

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I'm considering cycling from Leeds to Wigan along the Leeds and Liverpool at the end of next month, I've always fancied doing it but doubt we will get our nb up that way for a few years (moored down on the Slough Arm) so the bike....

 

Any thoughts/comments on the condition of the towpath, obviously a rough idea.

 

My plan is to take the opportunity to watch my RL team play in Dewsbury on Sunday 26th (direct train from London to Mirfield and pedal down the Aire & Calder towpath), cycle into Leeds for the night, Monday to somewhere like Skipton (Premier Inn @£34) and the Tuesday to Wigan, Monday is a gentle 35 miles but Skipton to Wigan is 55 miles so some idea of towpath conditions would be useful. Of course at the end of February it could well be covered with snow and icy, must make a backup plan if that's the case.

My mate did this recently for a charity event. I will try and contact him on FB and ask him.

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I now have his permision to post this:

 

"Some places are good. Some places are indifferent. Some places are shocking. Some places is 'what's a towpath?' Between Keighley and Skipton is rather bad and going over the moors there is no path, just grass. Took me 2.5 days, but that's cos I had my mum with me. Doing it again later in the year and hoping to knock a day at least off... Leeds to Wigan should be doable in a day if fit."

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You will find difficulty on the C&HN and A&CN, where the towpath is non-existent in some places. There used to be ferries for boat horses, where the towpath changed sides on the rivers. Not surprisingly, these are no longer in operation. Probably best to go by train, or use the roads, to Leeds.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thanks for all the advice. I'm heading up to Dewsbury this Sunday to watch the Rugby League before pedaling into Leeds for the night. I'll be taking 2 days to get to Wigan before training home, staying at West Marton on the Monday night. Looks like I'll miss storm Doris and hope for OK weather, not to fussed about the temperature but don't really want lots of snow. So if anyone is on this stretch and sees a lone cycling on a Orange bike (name not colour) say hi.

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