mcshroom
Bionic Subsonic
- Location
- Egremont, Cumbria
I see there's no showers, which is a shame - but it does have a pub with real beer 
The Fridays Tour
- Thread starter dellzeqq
- Start date
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mcshroom
Bionic Subsonic
- Location
- Egremont, Cumbria
It's more about whether the non-campers would tolerate us for the next day's ride
TEC duty beckons.....why not wait until I've been up to Yeung Sing on Thursday? It's not wildly expensive, and I might be able to squeeze a washer and dryer out of them....
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
Right, enquiry made in Tain as well. Wick, most definitely, in preference for the last night. On the travesty we went back to Inverness, but that last day was only 62 miles and somewhat quicker than this trip will be, plus it's two hours by road from JOG...Oh yes, we had that guy with the Mercedes for the trip. Probably better for people and luggage only, bit cramped when full..
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
Regarding the questions for us:
Taking the train up to the start, probably (unless I decide to take the Trek, with panniers, and ride up...nope, probably not!!) and hopefully flying back to Gatwick. In which case the bike- whichever one of them- will be going in the van back south.
Taking the train up to the start, probably (unless I decide to take the Trek, with panniers, and ride up...nope, probably not!!) and hopefully flying back to Gatwick. In which case the bike- whichever one of them- will be going in the van back south.
mcshroom
Bionic Subsonic
- Location
- Egremont, Cumbria
I was just thinking the same thing, given that everyone else seems to be ahead of the game.
I'm aiming for cheapo-but-not-a-tent for most of the time, and am up for sharing a twin room or two somewhere along the way.
thanks, Marcus - I'd missed that one!
I believe Simon's keeping a list of who's booked what - there are a couple of twin bookings already open for a woman sharer. Seemed a good idea to get some rooms booked before they disappear - in York particularly. Some places only have three or four rooms on offer. It'll be as well not to end up with lots of twin rooms booked for one person, although they can be cancelled without penalty until quite late on. Oh dear, blather alert - does that make sense?
More or less! I'm thinking the YHA in York. I stayed there a few nights around the York-Cleethorpes FNRttC. The rooms are a bit dormy but it's otherwise OK, and the bike storage is good.
frank9755
Cyclist
- Location
- West London
Claud, do I remember you saying that you did a bit of rambling when you were staying at the Youth Hostel in York...?
ianmac62
Guru
- Location
- Northampton
Hi,
Thanks for including me in the emails for the trip, even though I’m just on for the Friday Midnight to Saturday Breakfast stretch!
I got puzzled by your reference to “... skirting Northampton cuts out an unpleasant hill on the A508 south of Brixworth ...” as I live just 0.5k away from the A508 out of Northampton and I’d think of Horton to Market Harborough as my home patch. Then I remembered the CycleChat forum here, have read the posts about the route, and see the point.
It isn’t that there’s a hill (well, the LonJog route is south-to-north and the River Nene flows west-to-east so there’s got to be a descent and an ascent to cross the river) but that the route Tigerbiten suggests (Horton – Brafield – Billing – Ecton – Sywell – Holcot – Brixworth) is much more pleasant. And I’m typing this while looking at my well-worn OS 1:25,000 sheets 207 & 223. Indeed from Ecton to Brixworth the route passes through the catchment area of the school I taught at for 25 years – so I would say that, wouldn’t I?
Salcey Forest Café, though it is popular with cyclists, wouldn’t open early enough in the morning. The Brampton Valley Way, part of Sustrans NCR 6, isn’t macadamised and is not much wider than single railway track and so not really suitable for a large group, which I guess the Friday night ride may be. It does, however, have a good possibility for an very early morning coffee stop at Waterloo Farm at Great Oxendon – but that’s accessible from the A508 too! Its 4k south of Market Harborough. The Farm is very popular with local cycle groups and I’d be very happy to ask them to open early if you gave me some indication of the number they might expect to demand coffee and bacon sandwiches. (In the soft stone of Market Harborough, there’s a medium-sized Sainsbury’s without a café but nowhere really that cyclists use for breakfasts/elevenses.)
While mentioning NCR 6, it goes through the middle of Northampton but it’s very slow and, where it ducks under the Northampton – Rugby train line, it’s a quagmire even though it’s still in the town. The new NCR route called the Norbital (Northampton Orbital) is a very slow way of circumnavigating the town. So I agree with Tigerbiten – go for the Horton to Brixworth route.
There won’t be that much traffic on the A508 from Brixworth to Market Harborough on a Saturday morning, when we’re just a dozy provincial town that doesn’t wake up till ten o’clock. The bus that runs along the A508, the X7, runs just once an hour!
Phil Ashbourne I know – but you’ll maybe know John Cutler as he was on the CTC National Council for a while. He lives at Chapel Brampton just north of the town and is our county Right-to-Ride Officer (I'll email you his email address). He might come up with a possible improvement on a route to skirt Northampton but, as I say, with the maps in front of me, I don’t see one.
Finally, if you do plan to come up here to have a look, let me know as well as the others who have offered. I’d be delighted to help.
I'll copy this in an email to you with John Cutler's address.
Sorry if this has rambled on.
Best wishes, Ian
P.S. My team is now 92nd in the Football League.
Thanks for including me in the emails for the trip, even though I’m just on for the Friday Midnight to Saturday Breakfast stretch!
I got puzzled by your reference to “... skirting Northampton cuts out an unpleasant hill on the A508 south of Brixworth ...” as I live just 0.5k away from the A508 out of Northampton and I’d think of Horton to Market Harborough as my home patch. Then I remembered the CycleChat forum here, have read the posts about the route, and see the point.
It isn’t that there’s a hill (well, the LonJog route is south-to-north and the River Nene flows west-to-east so there’s got to be a descent and an ascent to cross the river) but that the route Tigerbiten suggests (Horton – Brafield – Billing – Ecton – Sywell – Holcot – Brixworth) is much more pleasant. And I’m typing this while looking at my well-worn OS 1:25,000 sheets 207 & 223. Indeed from Ecton to Brixworth the route passes through the catchment area of the school I taught at for 25 years – so I would say that, wouldn’t I?
Salcey Forest Café, though it is popular with cyclists, wouldn’t open early enough in the morning. The Brampton Valley Way, part of Sustrans NCR 6, isn’t macadamised and is not much wider than single railway track and so not really suitable for a large group, which I guess the Friday night ride may be. It does, however, have a good possibility for an very early morning coffee stop at Waterloo Farm at Great Oxendon – but that’s accessible from the A508 too! Its 4k south of Market Harborough. The Farm is very popular with local cycle groups and I’d be very happy to ask them to open early if you gave me some indication of the number they might expect to demand coffee and bacon sandwiches. (In the soft stone of Market Harborough, there’s a medium-sized Sainsbury’s without a café but nowhere really that cyclists use for breakfasts/elevenses.)
While mentioning NCR 6, it goes through the middle of Northampton but it’s very slow and, where it ducks under the Northampton – Rugby train line, it’s a quagmire even though it’s still in the town. The new NCR route called the Norbital (Northampton Orbital) is a very slow way of circumnavigating the town. So I agree with Tigerbiten – go for the Horton to Brixworth route.
There won’t be that much traffic on the A508 from Brixworth to Market Harborough on a Saturday morning, when we’re just a dozy provincial town that doesn’t wake up till ten o’clock. The bus that runs along the A508, the X7, runs just once an hour!
Phil Ashbourne I know – but you’ll maybe know John Cutler as he was on the CTC National Council for a while. He lives at Chapel Brampton just north of the town and is our county Right-to-Ride Officer (I'll email you his email address). He might come up with a possible improvement on a route to skirt Northampton but, as I say, with the maps in front of me, I don’t see one.
Finally, if you do plan to come up here to have a look, let me know as well as the others who have offered. I’d be delighted to help.
I'll copy this in an email to you with John Cutler's address.
Sorry if this has rambled on.
Best wishes, Ian
P.S. My team is now 92nd in the Football League.
Anyone looking for a share - in Castleside - Derwent Manor?
Also in Tain or Dornoch - I have a couple of options
I'm sorted for the rest - although may consider the Crook Lodge in York if anyone wants to go 50/50, otherwise it's the YHA?
Going to try to get this all sorted in nexy 24 hrs, so PM if your interested
Thanks
Also in Tain or Dornoch - I have a couple of options
I'm sorted for the rest - although may consider the Crook Lodge in York if anyone wants to go 50/50, otherwise it's the YHA?
Going to try to get this all sorted in nexy 24 hrs, so PM if your interested
Thanks
snorri
Legendary Member
- Location
- East coast, up a bit.
A cycle and people transport operator
http://www.johnogroatsbiketransport.co.uk/
http://www.johnogroatsbiketransport.co.uk/
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