Dunwich Dynamo 2015

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rb58

Enigma
Location
Bexley, Kent
Don't need a ticket to ride back :okay:
 
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Reactions: 4F

Gandalf66

New Member
Hello folks............

Anybody thinking of riding the Dunwich Dynamo this year? I have only just heard of this night ride and I really want to do it. Been reading blogs and watching videos and it looks brilliant.
I would be arriving alone so wondering who else is by themselves and are you planning on cycling back to London.

Most I have ever ridden is 68 miles, 4 weeks after buying my road bike, I was a bit shattered but OK. So I am thinking if I train hard I could ride there easy and hopefully ride back, slowly with plenty of stops.

Anyone else up for the Dun Run??
Hi Andy, I know the area around Dunwich fairly well. There is a youth hostel at Blaxhall a few miles from Dunwich. The village pub also has some cabins for sleeping in, and the pub serves a decent pint of beer.
 

compo

Veteran
Location
Harlow
Anyone thinking of using trains to get to London on Saturday 4th July or back to London from Dunwich (Darsham) on the Sunday morning, you need to check out what Abellio are doing. Things could be very difficult.

Dear sir or madam,

Due to the growing popularity of the Dunwich Dynamo cycle event, and to maintain a punctual and safe service, we will this year be introducing partial cycle restrictions on our network on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th July.

The restrictions are as follows:

Saturday 4th July

Our current policy of 8 bikes per intercity services and 4 bikes per rural/stopping service will be strictly adhered to.

Sunday 5th July

Bikes will be prohibited on the following routes: Lowestoft - Ipswich, Lowestoft - Norwich.

Bikes will be restricted to a maximum of 4 on the following rural routes: Ipswich - Cambridge, Norwich - Cambridge. Only 8 bikes can be carried between Norwich and Ipswich.

Intercity services starting from Ipswich travelling to Colchester/Chelmsford/Stratford/London will carry a maximum of 50 bikes per train only and must be reserved in advance - a free bike ticket will be generated and this must be presented before boarding.

Stopping services that start at Ipswich at XX:09 past the hour will be prohibited from carrying bikes.

We are currently working on creating the online reservation form, which can be found on the following page when launched: http://www.abelliogreateranglia.co.uk/dunwich-dynamo-restri…. I will of course let you know when the form is live.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Best wishes,

Paul
 
Throws a spanner in the works.....

Not really, trains home from DD have been a problem for a while. You have to rely on the buses, or your own resources. I think it's great they are a letting people know in advance, to reduce the number of stranded people unable to use their tickets.

2012
And this is when I was very happy to be on a folder. There were about 20 or 30 bikes on the station, but when the train pulled in (1 every two hours), the guard said: room for one bike. Apparently the train, sans guard van can only hold seven bikes, and they were at capacity, but one person was getting off. Anyway, I hopped on with my folder, and settled in, and left the others to duke it out. The rest were going to have to cycle to Ipswich, as most of them weren't getting to London any other way. And they'd probably have to buy a new ticket, as the pre-booked ones were for a specified train only.
 

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
Some of you may have noticed my Nur Nud thread- a backwards Dun Run starting in That Suffolk and going to That London. I've now decided that it makes more sense than ever, so I'm planning to go ahead, the same night.

I've not had any issues training back on two runs (2011 back from Ipswich, 2013 from Diss) but I had pre-booked tickets and made them in plenty of time. In 2011, Ipswich's station manager, the excellently named Alan Boagey, gently persuaded the guard to let every bike that was on the platform on my train. AFAIK, DD numbers picked up even more last year though, can't really blame them for capping numbers.
 

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
And much more positive than the blanket ban imposed for the BHF L2B.
That it is. Abellio aren't just ignoring the issue or turning away paying customers, they're being upfront about it. There are many jobsworth train guards and TOCs, but there's plenty who are more pragmatic.
Now if they could do something about replacement buses.......:smile:
 

TechnoTim2011

Active Member
I have raised this issue with Suffolk County Council and BBC Radio Suffolk who interviewed myself and Leighton Taylor of Torque Bikes in Sudbury this morning. We are going to keep hammering away until Abellio:
1) Make it possible for all cyclists from Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk who want to take their bikes by train to Liverpool Street for the start of the DD to be able to (our suggested solution is a brake van or freight wagon on at least one Saturday train into Liverpool Street.
2) Make it possible for any of the former who want to stop at intermediate stops in Essex and North of Ipswich to take their bikes on the stopping trains and do so. (even allowing normal limits would be an improvement).

1) above also covers anyone driving up to Dunwich and leaving their car or vehicle their overnight then cycling/train to start.

Otherwise many dozens of East Anglian DD'ers will be unable to make the start. This is not good news for anyone. That includes me, I have been involved in pit stops for past 4 years but wanted to do the DD this year.
 

4F

Active member of Helmets Are Sh*t Lobby
Location
Suffolk.
I have given up on the trains and as I have done for the last 2 years will cycle to the start.
To be fair I can sort of understand why they have put the restriction in place on the Saturday as the trains were never leaving Ipswich on time on the Saturday due to the length of time it was taking to load the guards van.

Good luck though on pushing them to come up with an alternative.

Am I right to assume it was you and your wife who used to run Weston's cafe ? If so the last 2 years you did an excellent job and your bacon rolls were a delight in the early hours
 

TechnoTim2011

Active Member
:laugh: No that was not me, the cafe has since changed hands, I will pop in to brief the new owners on the Dynamo. I was working as an outrider for Torque Bikes in 2012 and did the same last year. I planned on doing it this year but will be one who cannot get to the start unless Abellio change their tune.
 

4F

Active member of Helmets Are Sh*t Lobby
Location
Suffolk.
:laugh: No that was not me, the cafe has since changed hands, I will pop in to brief the new owners on the Dynamo. I was working as an outrider for Torque Bikes in 2012 and did the same last year. I planned on doing it this year but will be one who cannot get to the start unless Abellio change their tune.

Sudbury to Hackney, 50 miles. Problem solved :okay:
 

RhythMick

Über Member
Location
Barnsley
Hello folks............

Anybody thinking of riding the Dunwich Dynamo this year? I have only just heard of this night ride and I really want to do it. Been reading blogs and watching videos and it looks brilliant.
I would be arriving alone so wondering who else is by themselves and are you planning on cycling back to London.

Most I have ever ridden is 68 miles, 4 weeks after buying my road bike, I was a bit shattered but OK. So I am thinking if I train hard I could ride there easy and hopefully ride back, slowly with plenty of stops.

Anyone else up for the Dun Run??

There's another ride you could consider - the Exmouth Exodus. More convenient for me, I did it last year finishing into the still-sharp teeth of ex-Hurricane Bertha. Great fun.
 
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