Velo Viewer

[Solocle]

I'm finally piecing together a plan for completing my northward push. Private activities created as a route check (thankfully! This turned up that RWGPS had trimmed a tiny spur that would have scuppered the whole shebang).

This is the result:
Current Max Cluster - 1692
Prospective Max cluster - 1942

Work begins at this end - should be this weekend. I'll use my return ticket to Kemble, but break journey at Reading, and get a cheap ticket to Oxford. Then I make my way to Moreton-in-Marsh, a 90 km jaunt.

That will set me up with a return ticket to MIM for the following month. I then need to tackle the main event - a 225 km route up the spine of the country. I'd anticipate splitting across two days, and handily I have friends in Coventry. Although this leg would be certainly more efficient if I stuck to the eastern arc.

 

[Norry1]

I'm finally piecing together a plan for completing my northward push. Private activities created as a route check (thankfully! This turned up that RWGPS had trimmed a tiny spur that would have scuppered the whole shebang).

This is the result:
Current Max Cluster - 1692
Prospective Max cluster - 1942
View attachment 701974

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View attachment 701973
Work begins at this end - should be this weekend. I'll use my return ticket to Kemble, but break journey at Reading, and get a cheap ticket to Oxford. Then I make my way to Moreton-in-Marsh, a 90 km jaunt.

That will set me up with a return ticket to MIM for the following month. I then need to tackle the main event - a 225 km route up the spine of the country. I'd anticipate splitting across two days, and handily I have friends in Coventry. Although this leg would be certainly more efficient if I stuck to the eastern arc.

View attachment 701975

That is some good planning!

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Thanks to @JonBuoy my "stolen" square was very easy to get, back up to 58 x 58

 

[13 rider]

It wasnt stolen you never had it cheat 😂

 

[13 rider]

Completed an extended metric century ride so managed to grab 9 squares around the A1 north of Stamford ,only 1 gravel bridleway involved

 

[ukbabz]

I finally got around to closing a gap in mine which has taken from 23x23 to 24x24 and maximum cluster from 920 to 950

 

[Solocle]

Ugh, engineering works tomorrow between Didcot Parkway and Hanborough. Obviously bikes and bus replacement services don't mix. So I intend to use option 2, which is to tile from Kemble. I could also go from Didcot, it's an either/or.

Getting back from Moreton-in-Marsh? It looks like the best option might be to go via Worcester Parkway, and potentially Newport.

 

[Norry1]

Just done a 56 miler to grab 4 tiles - but gives me one more in the Square - up to 26 x 26. It also gave me 16 more in the Max Cluster - up to 944.

 

[Solocle]

First step done

 

[Norry1]

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/...uares-inside-the-world-of-tile-bagging-453912

 

[steverob]

That's a great article, but the one bit that sticks out most to me is:

I sort of went down the side of the fence, literally brushing the fence and hoping, like maybe an inaccuracy in the GPS would allow you to just catch it. And now they’ve closed that and they’re building houses on it, so anyone can just wander straight in and get it.

I certainly know that feeling! I went to some massive efforts a few years back to gain two tiles that were actually very close to my home as the crow flies, but took an absolute age to get to by road and even then you had to go down a mile long single track dead end to even get close. The border to the first was about 300 yards after that road ran out, but I could wheel the bike along a bumpy farm track to get it. The second tile however needed a further trek of about a mile and a half across fields from the point where I picked up the first tile and even in summer those fields seemed to be permanently waterlogged. I eventually found a route where I could get that done with a long run (without bike) which I was able to make slightly shorter by using a canal towpath and many months later I finally closed that gap in my tile map.

And now they've built a massive housing estate through the second tile and a new bypass (with a cyclepath next to it to make it even easier) is crossing the edge of the first tile, so I needn't have gone to all that trouble - all I had to do was wait three years!

 

[13 rider]

That's a great article, but the one bit that sticks out most to me is:

I certainly know that feeling! I went to some massive efforts a few years back to gain two tiles that were actually very close to my home as the crow flies, but took an absolute age to get to by road and even then you had to go down a mile long single track dead end to even get close. The border to the first was about 300 yards after that road ran out, but I could wheel the bike along a bumpy farm track to get it. The second tile however needed a further trek of about a mile and a half across fields from the point where I picked up the first tile and even in summer those fields seemed to be permanently waterlogged. I eventually found a route where I could get that done with a long run (without bike) which I was able to make slightly shorter by using a canal towpath and many months later I finally closed that gap in my tile map.

And now they've built a massive housing estate through the second tile and a new bypass (with a cyclepath next to it to make it even easier) is crossing the edge of the first tile, so I needn't have gone to all that trouble - all I had to do was wait three years!

Yes but then you would miss the smug satisfaction of getting a tricky square ,

 

[UphillSlowly]

Think this may be typical for a Velowiewer tile-grabbing ride? One factor was that I didn't want to be out too long as the dog was at home.

• inadvertent few miles on a dual carriageway (trying to get the quickest way to the tiles)
• bit of bush whacking when I took an access road to the left of the dual carriageway. Not too many nettle stings
• A mile up a muddy, gravelly track to be told, "This is a private driveway" by a grumpy farmer
• "Sorry, I am lost. Think I took a wrong turning," looking at my phone to try see if I made it into the tile, and hoping it looked like I was trying to navigate (I got the tile)

No change in the square but more ground work done round the age. Cluster is growing...
Not sure exactly how many tiles I got, because Veloviewer doesn't remember my filter (to exclude virtual rides)

 

[Solocle]

Think this may be typical for a Velowiewer tile-grabbing ride? One factor was that I didn't want to be out too long as the dog was at home.

• inadvertent few miles on a dual carriageway (trying to get the quickest way to the tiles)
• bit of bush whacking when I took an access road to the left of the dual carriageway. Not too many nettle stings
• A mile up a muddy, gravelly track to be told, "This is a private driveway" by a grumpy farmer
• "Sorry, I am lost. Think I took a wrong turning," looking at my phone to try see if I made it into the tile, and hoping it looked like I was trying to navigate (I got the tile)

No change in the square but more ground work done round the age. Cluster is growing...
Not sure exactly how many tiles I got, because Veloviewer doesn't remember my filter (to exclude virtual rides)

Sounds about right! On point 1, this is taunting me:

Fortunately it looks like a kayak will be an option there.

 

[HLaB]

I extended my commute tonight and grabbed another 12 tiles.

View attachment 701189

Ive been on holiday and whilst most of the time I stuck to familiar roads I did venture of the track once in the Trossachs
and got another 12 tiles.

Should have been an unlucky 13 though; it looks like my 130+'s GPS receiver isn't as sensitive as my old 1030's