London to Wootton Bassett and back again

[arallsopp]

Something to bear in mind is the date you have chosen. It is the Solstice Day, and to ignore the event seems a bit of a strange call - and yet I do understand what Andy is saying.

Just revisiting the thread (whilst balancing a work calendar). I can totally understand the reasoning of sunrise on the Solstice. But if we're leaving at 10, I'm not sure when I'm going to sleep. I don't get back from work until 8pm, and that'll be a ten minute turn around before setting off for London. I may need a lot of pro-plus. This is just *me* stuff, so don't let it put anyone off.

Alternatively, if we take the rough idea that:

• London to Stonehenge is 90 miles (7 hours)
• Stonehenge to Wootton Bassett is 40 miles (3 hours)
• Wootton Bassett to London is 90 miles (7 hours)

We could possibly shuffle the whole thing and say:

• Leave London 6pm (I'd have to come straight from work, but you'd pass me in Chiswick anyway)
• Arrive Wootton Bassett at 1am.
• Eat / Warm up / convince cafe to open until 2am.
• Arrive Stonehenge 5am for sunrise
• Leave Stonehenge at 7am.
• Arrive home at 2pm, seek BED.

Bad points:

• Where the hell are we going to rest / eat / warm up at WB if its 1am?
• Stonehenge > London (by day) might be a nasty bit of road. Solstice may make this worse or better, don't know.

Plus points:

• We get home no later than a typical FNRttC, so I shouldn't be too knackered. (Yes, its all me me me)
• I can be in the office the day before. (me again).
• I can be in the office the day after. (have we met?).
• We get an interesting race East from WB towards a brightening sky.

Ok, so that is slightly *me* biased, but probably makes the difference between actually getting the time to do it and not. If you want to make it more exciting, leave at 7pm.

 

[martint235]

Right here's a route (click). Staines is an absolutely nightmare, they seem to call every f****g footpath "motorway". I've gone with the A30 and the A4 but tried to keep us off the A303 as much as possible, I've not heard anyone say a good thing about that road! I've also added a small detour to Tidworth and Bufford barracks just to add further connections.

Timing, I doubt we can persuade a cafe to open at 1am in RWB but we could possibly find an all night McDonalds or don't they have those outside the M25? I think given the day we can't go all that way and not go to see the dawn Solstice (or as near as possible to dawn as we can get!)

Andy, no chance of you getting an afternoon off? Big ask I know but I'll smile sweetly and volunteer Davy's thighs to be stroked!!!

 

[Aperitif]

That's a good abstract Andy - and I like the idea of a race into the 'rise. This prompts the question "Would Mrs Mayor of Wooton Basset like allsorts of cyclists in her front room for a spot of tea (Davy will be puhing either upstairs or downstairs - that's a given) and yummy sandwiches? With the local press flashing guns wildly?
Or - the airbase itself? Davy could 'entertain the troops' while beans on toast , mushrooms, honorary cqp badges and all that are exchanged.

To drift into the real world, it is not beyond the whit of people to bring food for Andy etc, and ourselves, then just blast off! Once the riding stove is alight, 'it doesn't matter what gets thrown on the fire - it will burn.'

And an early finish so that BigM can go back and get wiped out in the company of his family!

 

[martint235]

Ok i like it. We're getting closer to a plan with 4 weeks to go

 

[mark barker]

Timing, I doubt we can persuade a cafe to open at 1am in RWB but we could possibly find an all night McDonalds or don't they have those outside the M25? I think given the day we can't go all that way and not go to see the dawn Solstice (or as near as possible to dawn as we can get!)

Not much hope in WB, but plenty to choose from in Swindon....

 

[redjedi]

Not much hope in WB, but plenty to choose from in Swindon....

Apparently there's a 24hr Asda with a McDonalds in Swindon

 

[Aperitif]

Just clicked on the map BigM and it is easy to go under the M25 at Egham - all that is just a 'tap in' all the way to Basingstoke etc...

 

[Aperitif]

And, at the time of day (not talking about RWB as a first stop here) the A303 is Route 1 - no traffic at that time of the morning (much - apart from spaced-out Druids in their Range Rovers etc)

 

[Davywalnuts]

Puhing, hahahahaha! ooops!

Martin, map looks good. However, my two pence worth, just as its my local knowledge of what I know.

Mile 28.6. Staines High Street is non-cyclable, but I will lead this bit if you want.

Mile 29. The Causeway/Egham by pass is the better route, however, you can cut it all out including climbing Egham hill, by carrying on to Mile 30 point, turn left down to Thorpe, then hanker a right through Virginia Water up to the A30, slight better route.

Mile 136, Swindon. The A346 was a bad option apparently, the B4192 from Swindon down to Hungerford is very nice, even the two mile climb was nice with great view and is more than manageable by even me.

Reading. One way systems were a nightmare!

Mile 200 - 202. The condition of the road there is serious, so we all need to exercise caution.

Mile 201.5. Given the state of our minds/reactions, I would drop down the B3026 through Dorney, Eton, (possibly Windsor as great pit stop area) Datchet and then join back up to the A4 at mile 208, as Slough, the Trading Estate, and its drivers are a cause for concern.

Mil 209. Colnbrook By Pass, Spearmint Rhinos...

Mile 214. The roundabouts there you take your life in your hands and the drivers hate cyclists full stop there. Theres cycle lanes once on the Great West Road, but they are pony. Best to Follow the A312 down to mile 24 point, Staines Road then take a left to Hounslow, as theres also a 24hr Tescos there, and, my house is within a stones throw too if needed. Hounslows just shi* to be frank, but plenty of eateries open.

Miles 219.6. Teef, Luke & I know the shortcut there rather than the Chiswick roundabout.

As an aside, should we not start/finish at The Cenotaph?

And, I though we were doing 250 miles???

 

[martint235]

Puhing, hahahahaha! ooops!

Martin, map looks good. However, my two pence worth, just as its my local knowledge of what I know.

Mile 28.6. Staines High Street is non-cyclable, but I will lead this bit if you want.

Mile 29. The Causeway/Egham by pass is the better route, however, you can cut it all out including climbing Egham hill, by carrying on to Mile 30 point, turn left down to Thorpe, then hanker a right through Virginia Water up to the A30, slight better route.

Mile 136, Swindon. The A346 was a bad option apparently, the B4192 from Swindon down to Hungerford is very nice, even the two mile climb was nice with great view and is more than manageable by even me.

Reading. One way systems were a nightmare!

Mile 200 - 202. The condition of the road there is serious, so we all need to exercise caution.

Mile 201.5. Given the state of our minds/reactions, I would drop down the B3026 through Dorney, Eton, (possibly Windsor as great pit stop area) Datchet and then join back up to the A4 at mile 208, as Slough, the Trading Estate, and its drivers are a cause for concern.

Mil 209. Colnbrook By Pass, Spearmint Rhinos...

Mile 214. The roundabouts there you take your life in your hands and the drivers hate cyclists full stop there. Theres cycle lanes once on the Great West Road, but they are pony. Best to Follow the A312 down to mile 24 point, Staines Road then take a left to Hounslow, as theres also a 24hr Tescos there, and, my house is within a stones throw too if needed. Hounslows just shi* to be frank, but plenty of eateries open.

Miles 219.6. Teef, Luke & I know the shortcut there rather than the Chiswick roundabout.

As an aside, should we not start/finish at The Cenotaph?

And, I though we were doing 250 miles???

Cheers Davy. I'll modify bits and also I'm happy for you (or anyone else) to lead bits. Me and my GPS barely talk to each other sometimes.

Cenotaph is a nice idea.

I want to do 250 miles and it works out to about 238 for me in total. I might just keep Andy A company to his house!

 

[arallsopp]

I want to do 250 miles and it works out to about 238 for me in total. I might just keep Andy A company to his house!

Always welcome mate. My office is between mile 17 and 220 on your map (mind you, so is almost 90% of the ride ) so I might skip some miles on the way out.

What I did find today was that the major block to my getting the day off is having US clients on site for 3 weeks from the 7th June. I queried whether they might leave a day before scheduled on Tues 21st which (although far from ideal in the time running up to the ride) would at least give me leave to join on the day itself and recover afterwards.

Having called the client to discuss, they said simply "the 21st is a Thursday", at which point I zoomed out and realised that when Americans say 07/06 they mean the 6th day of the 7th month, and not the other way around. My chances of getting a little time off around this have just increased considerably.

A.

 

[Davywalnuts]

Cheers Big M. Ha, yeh, when they want to function too... of which.. will they last this long?

Aye..

250 is a nice figure. I think I would have to do something like it too, as in go around the block a few times...

Hope I helped.

 

[martint235]

Cheers Big M. Ha, yeh, when they want to function too... of which.. will they last this long?

Aye..

250 is a nice figure. I think I would have to do something like it too, as in go around the block a few times...

Hope I helped.

I can usually get FNRttC and back comfortably out of my GPS and we're only talking a little longer than that here so hopefully. If not, we'll just have to wing it on the way back!!

 

[ianrauk]

I can usually get FNRttC and back comfortably out of my GPS and we're only talking a little longer than that here so hopefully. If not, we'll just have to wing it on the way back!!

*cough* Bognor *cough*

 

[martint235]

*cough* Bognor *cough*

Didn't the battery just about last me till home?

I didn't say FNRttC and back using my GPS, I can't get to the end of my flipping road using it!But the battery usually copes.