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Can any cyclists recommend a route from Kettering to Oxford? Can any cyclists recommend a route from Kettering to Oxford?
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Travellers' questions that don't fit anywhere else This is an opportunity to ask any question, and post any notice you wish that doesn't fit into one of the other sections.
Photo by Andy Miller, UK, Taking a rest, Jokulsarlon, Iceland

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Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
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Jokulsarlon, Iceland



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Old 29 Aug 2021
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Can any cyclists recommend a route from Kettering to Oxford?
I am unexpectedly going to Overland next weekend and will be travelling down over a couple of days from Kettering to the event near Oxford by bicycle and was wondering if anyone with local knowledge can recommend a route.
I have searched for routes and two come up, one is via Northampton and Milton Keynes and follows national cycle route 6 then 51 for most of the trip and another further west via The Brampton Valley Way and the A34 which I presume has a cycle lane next to it, any suggestions?
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Old 29 Aug 2021
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I guess those are the two route suggestions that uncle Google came up with. The shorter one, via the A43 and the A34, is not going to be the most pleasant of rides. I'm not aware of cycle lanes on either of them (other than the gutter margins) and they're both busy busy truck riddled through routes. The only good thing you can say about the A34 is that it's often jammed solid so at least you'd be riding past stationary traffic.

The other one, via national route 6, is much more back roads and if you ditch the bit through Milton Keynes (route via Stoney Stratford, Nash and Gt Horwood instead) it'll be much more traffic free (not zero as they're rat run roads feeding MK). Further on down it includes some of the roads I've been out running on this morning.

One somewhat left field route suggestion would be to head towards Long Buckby (about 20 miles from Kettering) and pick up the canal towpath there. Follow it to Braunston where it joins with the Oxford canal and then head south. It'll take you right into Oxford. I've not done the whole length of it but I have run substantial chunks of it and the towpath is in reasonable condition.
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Old 29 Aug 2021
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Originally Posted by backofbeyond View Post
I guess those are the two route suggestions that uncle Google came up with. The shorter one, via the A43 and the A34, is not going to be the most pleasant of rides. I'm not aware of cycle lanes on either of them (other than the gutter margins) and they're both busy busy truck riddled through routes. The only good thing you can say about the A34 is that it's often jammed solid so at least you'd be riding past stationary traffic.

The other one, via national route 6, is much more back roads and if you ditch the bit through Milton Keynes (route via Stoney Stratford, Nash and Gt Horwood instead) it'll be much more traffic free (not zero as they're rat run roads feeding MK). Further on down it includes some of the roads I've been out running on this morning.

One somewhat left field route suggestion would be to head towards Long Buckby (about 20 miles from Kettering) and pick up the canal towpath there. Follow it to Braunston where it joins with the Oxford canal and then head south. It'll take you right into Oxford. I've not done the whole length of it but I have run substantial chunks of it and the towpath is in reasonable condition.
Thanks for that, particularly for reminding me about the canal which I have cycled down before and will consider this time, the only thing is instead of my usual front suspension hybrid I will be riding a rigid road touring bike which I am actually picking up in Kettering after buying it on Ebay, the seller would not post it.
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Old 2 Sep 2021
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I had a fairly good ride down to Oxford sticking mostly to small back roads and only straying onto main roads a couple of times for short periods, I stumbled across the Northampton arm of the Grand Union canal and used that to get away from a main road and found a great camping spot next to some locks a few miles down the main canal.
The mistake I did make was not bringing my well worn in Brooks saddle and the skinny sports model fitted left me developing a blister right where you don't want one so it was the train home after Oxford, Brooks now fitted and problem fixed.

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