ABC Towns and Villages

[Vantage]

I never knew thighs or butt cheeks could hurt so much...
Started my 2nd "more adventurous" go at the ABC challenge today. 65 mile round trip to bag Antrobus.

 

[Aravis]

YES!!! Finished the challenge at the weekend (at long last).
the family will be happy, as it impacted two family holidays and a weekend away. It's taken 7 months to complete, and I've visited 6 'foreign' counties.

The full list:
Ashtead>Bramley>Coldharbour>Dorking>Effingham>Fetcham>Guildford>Holmbury St Mary>Ifield>Jacobs Well>Knaphill>Leatherhead>Mickleham>North Holmwood>Ockham>Pirbright>Queens Corner>Rake>Sheet>Tadworth>Ulverston>Valley Truckle>West Downs>OXshott>Yarlington>Zeals

Well done! An impressive spread, and we meet at Zeals. My family was remarkably supportive too.

Strange that until late September no-one had been to Zeals. The standard scruffy white signs are fine for the challenge, of course, but if anyone else is going there and wants to get the handsome stone sign, it's located on the old A303 heading eastwards to Mere. That means if approaching on the B-road from the north you don't want to cut off the corner; you need to carry on along almost as far as the bridge carrying the current A303 before turning right.

I have a feeling there was talk of a "Zouchparty", possibly around this time. Did it happen?

 

[uphillstruggler]

Well done! An impressive spread, and we meet at Zeals. My family was remarkably supportive too.

Strange that until late September no-one had been to Zeals. The standard scruffy white signs are fine for the challenge, of course, but if anyone else is going there and wants to get the handsome stone sign, it's located on the old A303 heading eastwards to Mere. That means if approaching on the B-road from the north you don't want to cut off the corner; you need to carry on along almost as far as the bridge carrying the current A303 before turning right.

I have a feeling there was talk of a "Zouchparty", possibly around this time. Did it happen?

I think Zeal will be my Z, its a long way from home but I think that I will make the effort to get there and have an overnighter between xmas and new year as we are heading to Zummerzet for the new year period

I need to get this back up and running with a T.

 

[13 rider]

Unfortunately the ride to the end of the Alphabet ie Zouch didn't happen . Too many logistical problems for it to come together

 

[steverob]

Yeah I'd still like to do Zouch, even though I can say I have already completed the challenge given how many skips we initially allowed ourselves - I only missed X (which wasn't possible anyway without being "creative") and all of them I managed to find proper village/town signs too. However I'm down to work overtime the next four weekends and by the time I'm done with that, it'll be the time of the year where I'd either have to set off or arrive home in the dark in order to do any long distance cycling - something I really don't want to do.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I will do Zouch sometime but it may have to be next year. When I've done that I'll count down Z,Y,X...

 

[craigwend]

To Ulrome and back ...

 

[Aravis]

For the second time round I've been looking for a theme to make it a little different. I thought perhaps I could go for places which have a larger, more famous namesake either in the UK or elsewhere. On a long ride in the Cotswolds today I bagged the first three.

Arlington, from which the US military cemetery takes its name:

Barnsley, a chocolate-box Cotswold village (as we all know):

And Cambridge, a scruffy little village on the A38 south of Gloucester:

As a challenge it's looking quite promising. One or two may prove impossible but I can see realistic options for most letters. D should be Dunkirk, which has already appeared in this thread at least once.

 

[Shadow]

I thought perhaps I could go for places which have a larger, more famous namesake either in the UK or elsewhere.

Excellent idea.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

For the second time round I've been looking for a theme to make it a little different. I thought perhaps I could go for places which have a larger, more famous namesake either in the UK or elsewhere. On a long ride in the Cotswolds today I bagged the first three.

Arlington, from which the US military cemetery takes its name:

View attachment 487919

Barnsley, a chocolate-box Cotswold village (as we all know):

View attachment 487920

And Cambridge, a scruffy little village on the A38 south of Gloucester:

View attachment 487921

As a challenge it's looking quite promising. One or two may prove impossible but I can see realistic options for most letters. D should be Dunkirk, which has already appeared in this thread at least once.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/49944958

 

[Aravis]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/49944958

Haha great story. At least he seems to have found his way back to the right Cambridge...

 

[Supersuperleeds]

@Aravis

There is a New York in Lincolnshire near Coningsby

 

[Alex H]

View attachment 488019

@Aravis

There is a New York in Lincolnshire near Coningsby

And a Boston

 

[Shadow]

And Toronto near Durham.

 

[Aravis]

There's also Quebec in Co Durham, and Jersey Marine near Swansea.

Both have suitable signs. Travel plans for next year could be strongly influenced.