Sat, 3rd June, 2017 - my annual 200 km Cheshire forum ride.

[GuyBoden]

My GPS has been extremely reliable over the years but it is always possible that it could fail on one of these rides. I wouldn't have a clue where I was on this ride without it. (I have put the routes on my phone in case of emergency but I don't have a bar mount for it and it would be a pain to have to keep stopping to check the phone.) It's good to have other GPSs on the ride for backup.

I'm bringing my plastic OS map, just in case.

 

[ColinJ]

I was trying to impress a mate by showing him the GB-wide OS maps on my phone at 1:25,000 scale and 1:50,000 scale. He just pointed out that I dropped my previous phone and the maps went with it!

(I'll still show the digital maps off at the cafe stop(s) though!)

 

[GuyBoden]

I was trying to impress a mate by showing him the GB-wide OS maps on my phone at 1:25,000 scale and 1:50,000 scale. He just pointed out that I dropped my previous phone and the maps went with it!

(I'll still show the digital maps off at the cafe stop(s) though!)

OS Digital Maps on a phone is a very good idea, especially if you ride in many different locations, like you do.

 

[skudupnorth]

I cannot seem to view the route file, is there an old farts version ?

 

[Hacienda71]

I cannot seem to view the route file, is there an old farts version ?

I got it for you.

 

[skudupnorth]

I got it for you. View attachment 355107

Perfect, won't get lost with that

 

[Pale Rider]

Mmm, weather looks almost ideal - dry, with a light south west wind.

You're not doing The Nasty Hill, and Cheshire's almost flat, isn't it?

And the Dunham start is 'only' 100 miles from my caravan.

Go on then, include me in, please.

I shall aim to be at the mighty oak in good time.

Looks like the route's loaded OK on my Garmin, and I shall have a paper map.

One thing I will need to do on arrival is scope out some parking.

Appears to be a few yellow lines about, but I take it I will be able to find a residential street nearby where I can park without upsetting the natives.

 

[Littgull]

Mmm, weather looks almost ideal - dry, with a light south west wind.

You're not doing The Nasty Hill, and Cheshire's almost flat, isn't it?

And the Dunham start is 'only' 100 miles from my caravan.

Go on then, include me in, please.

I shall aim to be at the mighty oak in good time.

Looks like the route's loaded OK on my Garmin, and I shall have a paper map.

One thing I will need to do on arrival is scope out some parking.

Appears to be a few yellow lines about, but I take it I will be able to find a residential street nearby where I can park without upsetting the natives.

Great stuff PR, will be good to ride with you again along with the rest of the crew.

 

[Pale Rider]

Great stuff PR, will be good to ride with you again along with the rest of the crew.

Thanks for the welcome, Brian.

One thing these rides have in common and which makes them so enjoyable is that everyone gets on a treat.

 

[Wobblers]

Cheshire has plenty of room for more riders, so feel free to add your name to the list. (@potsy - that includes YOU! We will be close to your neck of the woods and plan a quick cafe stop near Goostrey.)

Well, I'm not from Cheshire, but a quick plotting of a potential route to the Venetian Marina puts it at 40 miles from home. Hmmm. If I understand things, you're planning on going clockwise round the loop? In which case, I may just drop in on you at the Marina and peel off again somewhere around Delamere Forest. Leaving around 11-30 should see me get to Venetian Marina before 2-30, all going well. Are you still planning on getting there between 2-3pm?

PS: 200 km on fixed @ColinJ? After Wales, too! You're a glutton for punishment

 

[Pale Rider]

Can't help with timings, but the GPS track mile/km pointers confirm we are going clockwise - in other words leaving Dunham south east towards Alderley Edge.

 

[ColinJ]

I cannot seem to view the route file, is there an old farts version ?

If the sketch map didn't make it clear, then maybe THIS will!

Mmm, weather looks almost ideal - dry, with a light south west wind.

You're not doing The Nasty Hill, and Cheshire's almost flat, isn't it?

And the Dunham start is 'only' 100 miles from my caravan.

Go on then, include me in, please.

Super - see you in the morning!

Well, I'm not from Cheshire, but a quick plotting of a potential route to the Venetian Marina puts it at 40 miles from home. Hmmm. If I understand things, you're planning on going clockwise round the loop? In which case, I may just drop in on you at the Marina and peel off again somewhere around Delamere Forest. Leaving around 11-30 should see me get to Venetian Marina before 2-30, all going well. Are you still planning on getting there between 2-3pm?

PS: 200 km on fixed @ColinJ? After Wales, too! You're a glutton for punishment

Super - see you in the afternoon! We will do our best to get to the marina well before 3 pm while the cafe is still doing hot food.

My singlespeed bike does have a freehub; I'm not ready for fixed - yet! I got chatting to an old man at Todmorden station a few days ago. He told me that he used to ride fixed round here 70 years ago, but he tended to avoid the hills!

 

[Pale Rider]

If the sketch map didn't make it clear, then maybe THIS will!

View attachment 355147


Super - see you in the morning!


Super - see you in the afternoon! We will do our best to get to the marina well before 3 pm while the cafe is still doing hot food.

My singlespeed bike does have a freehub; I'm not ready for fixed - yet! I got chatting to an old man at Todmorden station a few days ago. He told me that he used to ride fixed round here 70 years ago, but he tended to avoid the hills!

Excellent map/graphic as always, Colin.

Makes me wish I wad a decent printer.

 

[Wobblers]

Thanks Pale Ridfer and Colin.

We have got to the marina a bit late in the past but I hope that we are able to get there well before 3 pm this time. We usually spend about an hour at that cafe.

After the cafe we will still have 70 km to get back to Dunham (~3.5 hours?), plus another 1.5 hours from Dunham to Manchester Victoria. If we could leave the marina by 4 pm then Littgull and I can get back to the station in daylight and be home by (say) 10 pm, which wouldn't be too bad. I'd prefer not to be later than that if it can be avoided.

I'm reckoning (well, guessing, really) that you'll get to Venetian Marina about 2-ish or a little after, allowing for a moving average of 20 km/hr. I remember the first year that they'd stopped serving hot food when we rolled up, so doubtless you'll be quite keen to get there before 3! It's probably not a good idea to set off much after 3:30pm, to give yourself enough leeway to get back whilst it's still light if you can. So whatever happens, don't wait for me! (Though it'd be nice if we manage to time things as well as we did in 2015, when we both turned up at the cafe in Bunbury at the same time!) I'll keep an eye on the thread tomorrow before setting off.

 

[ColinJ]

Manchester Victoria:

• ColinJ
• Littgull
• doughnut
• k_green

Dunham

• skudupnorth
• GuyBoden
• Pale Rider

Venetian Marina

• McWobble

Excellent map/graphic as always, Colin.Makes me wish I wad a decent printer.

Perhaps slightly naughty of me to reproduce parts of OS maps, though I do have a licence to print them out for my own use. You could go on the OS website and print out bits of maps from there so I don't feel too bad about it