Croydon to Ripley Derbyshire

[hondated]

Never having cycled this distance before (170m) I am tempted to give it a go at the end of June because I am going to an Horizons Unlimited meeting. Its an event where world travellers or expeditionists hold workshops etc. I suppose like everyone else that has set off on a long journey for the first time I am concerned about whether I can do it ( aged 59) and also how long should I allow to do it. Another question is does anyone know whether the route I need to take has camp sites along the way. I have plenty of time to gather the courage to do it but every time I look at my motorbike in the garage it is looking the better option.

All advice will be welcomed. Cheers

 

[rich p]

Of course you can do it, just as an 85 year old can do the London Marathon. The question are, can you do it in the time available and would you enjoy the effort involved?
I would love to do it and the fact that there is a goal to arrive at adds to the challenge. As Lee says, the choice is yours.

 

[Crankarm]

Set yourself a target of 50 miles a day, so 3 1/2 days. If you do it quicker then you can ride around a bit of the Peak District which isn't too disagreeable to have a nosey around. Only thing is, it's a bit ......... hilly. Why not buy a couple of OS maps of the area you are going to or key areas you are passing through to give you a better idea of the lie of the land. For me plotting a route is just as much fun as riding it. I would have thought you might be able to wild camp discretely if you so wished. But a shower at the end of a hard day in the saddle is nice. I am sure there will be lots of campsites on route and fully open by June. Why not ride up there on your motorbike at Easter for a reccy?

From Croydon you could do some nice long rides down south into Sussex through the Ashdown Forest and into the lanes and countryside of Kent, Surrey or even the other side into Hampshire and back up to Croydon. The Meon Valley is really nice. Great training toward your ride to Derbyshire in June I would have thought.

 

[ASC1951]

I suppose like everyone else that has set off on a long journey for the first time I am concerned about whether I can do it ( aged 59) and also how long should I allow to do it.

Of course you can do it. I did a hilly-ish 200 miler in a day at the age of 57 and I am more of a baby hippo than a racing snake.

You will be slower with camping kit, of course, but even so you could do it steadily with two long days and one shorter day. Other suggestions: stay B&B so that you don't have to carry much (unless you have to camp when you get there); go part way on the train.

There is plenty of time to practise, so I think you should go for it. It's always good to roll up for these things just on your own muscles - you can go back on the train.

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

My God - there's something actually going on in Ripley????? Wow!!!

It's my childhood stomping ground, and my Folks still live there so I know the place pretty well... I'm amazed to hear that there's actually "an event" of sorts there. Brilliant!!

Good luck with your ride!

 

[ASC1951]

Ripley ....It's my childhood stomping ground,!

Have you not seen the Plaque?

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

Have you not seen the Plaque?

On the teeth of the locals, or in honour of having me as an ex-resident?

 

[mike1026]

Have a look at http://www.sustrans.org.uk/map parts of the National Cycle Network may give you some ideas for a route. For example NCR6 could provide the basis for a good route although it is not complete into London; not the last time I did it anyway. I came down through Staines and then took NCR4 into central London; this is a nice route. Once you have a basic route you can adapt it to places to stay. The best way is to break it up into manageable sections. If you think it is too much you could always do part of it by train for example use the train to Milton Keynes cycle on NCR6 from there to Leicester and then train Leicester to Derby cycle from Derby to Ripley on NCR 54 and the Ripley Greenway.

 

[hondated]

Thanks everyone for your words of wisdom. There is plenty of information there to make doing it easier logistically at least.Crankarm I my daughter and her family live near Eastbourne and I have cycled there several times and even cycled back once to get 100 miles in, so I will try and use cycling down to her as a training route.Another one of my dreams isto cycle from Dieppe down to the Med.So much to do and so little time to do it in.

 

[andym]

As a Londoner, I'd take the train across London and start from where London ends. Although you could take the Sustrans route into SE London (sorry the name escapes me for the moment) and then go out towards Hertford on the canal/river towpath from Limehouse).