NCN 55 - Ironbridge to Preston

216.7 km 1180 m climbing About 4 days 25% off road Road cycling West Midlands

The route runs north from Ironbridge through the Shropshire coalfield, settles into flatter ground past Newport and Gnosall Heath, then lifts again as it crosses into Cheshire and picks its way through the edges of Greater Manchester. About a quarter of the surface is off road. The line threads through continuous urban and suburban settlement from Stoke northward, with Marple and Heaton Norris marking the denser approaches to Manchester before the route works west through Salford and out across the Lancashire plain to Preston.

The figures

Distance	216.7 km
Climbing	1180 m
Off road	54 km, about 25% of the route
Riding time	about 20 hours, roughly 4 days at a moderate pace
Region	West Midlands
Route from	Sustrans

Worth knowing before you go

Resupply is straightforward along most of the route, with Newport, Congleton, Stoke and the Greater Manchester settlements all on or close to the line. The off-road sections require attention in wet conditions. Navigation is most demanding through the Stoke and Manchester conurbations, where the line makes frequent turns through built-up streets.

Put your own dates on this and TourTrax splits it into days at your pace, finds somewhere to sleep at the end of each one, estimates what it will cost and gets you to the start without flying.

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Other route guides

NCN 55 - Ironbridge to Preston is an official route from Sustrans (their website).