Velo Viewer

[Ivo]

Before I know it I'm looking at a 125 mile epic...

Which will boost your Veloviewer Eddington score

 

[steverob]

I like this sort of planning. Rides end up kind of mushroom or jellyfish shaped. I've just been planning a ride over to Bishop's Stortford. It's about 32 miles from St Albans, so there and back should be 70 miles or so, with lots of good squares collected on the way. But I may not be going back that way for a while, so I throw in a few loops and make sure I don't leave too many holes that will necessitate doing essentially the same ride again in the future. Before I know it I'm looking at a 125 mile epic...

Yeah, I know that feeling. Got a route planned in Strava that will be about 75 miles, yet it doesn't go much more than 20 miles from my home as the crow flies at any point; it's just all the twists and turns and double-backing to hit as many tiles as possible that really add the distance up quickly.

Was prevented from getting a missing tile at the weekend and am a bit gutted about it. Had done some research and found that this one tile has only two ways of getting to it - walking up a steep hill on a grassy footpath for about 400 yards (would probably have to lock my bike up at the gate as it looked too small to get a bike through easily), or by going about 200 yards down a bumpy, stony track towards a farm house, but this was most likely a private road and I really try not to chance my luck with things like that. Both of these routes started from the same layby on a country lane, so thought I'd take a breather there during my ride and work out my options on the ground as it were.

The trouble was that the Google Streetview image I was working on was 8 years out of date and it seems that a lot of work had been done in the area since then. The stony track to the farm was now a smoothly paved drive, but was behind big automated gates with CCTV cameras and lots of warning signs. The uphill footpath still existed, but apart from a small gap for a kissing gate, the rest of the fence around that field was marked as being electrified and there were more warning signs about private land and not straying from the path and not using it for means that it was not specified for - all very OTT if you ask me, but there you go (the field seemed to have a lot of pheasants in it if that gives a clue as to why?).

Anyway, as I was taking a drink from my bottle while weighing up my next step, I saw a pickup truck come flying down the farm drive towards the layby. The gates opened and it drove through, but stopped a good 10 yards short of the junction with road. Out of the corner of my eye I noted that the driver was staring in my direction. I didn't look back but just carried on eating and drinking pretending that I hadn't even noticed, but the pickup stayed where it was. I even pretended to rummage in my saddle bag for something (not sure what!) but still he carried on waiting/staring. After about a minute and me making a big show of putting my helmet back on and deliberately spending ages adjusting the straps, he decided to pull forward to the road and then eventually drive off.

However it left me a bit unnerved - if he was being that paranoid about a cyclist stopping for a drink near his farm's boundary, I wasn't about to leave my bike locked to a gate and then go on a walk up a footpath, in case he returned five minutes later with a pair of bolt croppers to undo my lock while I was 400 yards away (in cycling shoes) and unable to get back to it quickly! So I decided that today was not the day to tackle this tile and rode on, with some planning still to do to decide how I would eventually be able to tackle it.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

A max cluster extending ride today, 27 new squares saw the cluster increase by 58 and towards the east now reaches Market Deeping.

Had a lorry driver flag me down to tell me I was heading down a no through road. I thanked him and with a smile told him I was turning around before the end of the road and it was probably best he didn't ask me what I was doing

 

[PapaZita]

However it left me a bit unnerved - if he was being that paranoid about a cyclist stopping for a drink near his farm's boundary, I wasn't about to leave my bike locked to a gate and then go on a walk up a footpath,

That's a tricky one. Perhaps you were spotted on the CCTV, apparently checking out ways to steal his pheasants. I too would be reluctant to lock up in the area after that. How about stopping some distance away, change your shoes and hide your helmet, then you're just another jogger heading up the footpath?

I've not yet had to use any footpaths, but I've been down a few private roads and tracks and not had any trouble so far. I think you can get a sense from any signs and gates whether visitors are genuinely unwelcome or not. I have planned, in my head, what I might say if challenged. It is, after all, easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission. "I was looking for a bridleway through to <somewhere-that-sounds-plausible> but I think I must have gone the wrong way", or, "I was exploring but I'm a bit lost. Do you know how I can get back to <place-I'm-heading-for-anyway>". But usually I don't see a soul, or if I do they're too busy farmering to notice me.

 

[Alan O]

Anyway, as I was taking a drink from my bottle while weighing up my next step, I saw a pickup truck come flying down the farm drive towards the layby. The gates opened and it drove through, but stopped a good 10 yards short of the junction with road. Out of the corner of my eye I noted that the driver was staring in my direction. I didn't look back but just carried on eating and drinking pretending that I hadn't even noticed, but the pickup stayed where it was. I even pretended to rummage in my saddle bag for something (not sure what!) but still he carried on waiting/staring. After about a minute and me making a big show of putting my helmet back on and deliberately spending ages adjusting the straps, he decided to pull forward to the road and then eventually drive off.

I think I might have looked up, waved, and voiced a friendly "morning/afternoon" (as appropriate). Depending on the reaction to that, I might have wandered over and greeted the chap with a pleasantry about the weather. And perhaps even enquired about the accessibility of said steep hill on said grassy footpath - you never know, nothing to lose.

It can be fun devising ways to get into difficult squares - but it's not cold-war espionage, and meeting and chatting with strangers is part of the fun of being out and about for me.

I had a slightly similar situation on my way home Monday, when I reached a barrier closing off my familiar canal towpath route (although I wasn't chasing squares at the time). There was a path through a field, which was my only real option, but I quickly found myself heading along a temporary construction track, and when I got to the end of it and a gate to a road a (presumably security) guy got out of a car and approached me...

And he was friendly and helpful, pointed out that if I'd gone another 10 metres or so I'd have found a safer path that led out about 100 metres away - and he even opened and closed the gate for me!

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Another max cluster filling ride, this time up to Lincoln, 26 new squares increased the max cluster by 66.

Also got to ride on the old airfield near Stragglesthorpe: (@tallliman)


I planned to get the square on the west side and then come back out, but Strava had plotted my route around the airfield

When I got to Fenton there was a barrier across the road that I wanted to use so I turned around knowing there was a footpath just above it that went into the square. Couldn't find the footpath so went back to the barrier and there was a woman walking her dog the other side, so I nipped over the barrier and asked her if it was public access.

Long story short: Second world war the MOD bought the land from a farmer for the airfield and afterwards sold it back to the farmer but didn't reinstate the right of ways. Woman told me all the locals use the airfield and just ignore the farmer when he has a go at them, good enough for me .

I bagged the square how I originally planned and then headed around the airfield.

Farmer caught me just as I was getting to the end. I played dumb and said I was lost and was looking for Stragglesthorpe. He asked me where I'd come from so I pointed back towards Fenton and said I'd come from Snubton (village before Fenton) he was as nice as pie with me and gave me directions to get to Stragglesthorpe

 

[wajc]

I had a look at your ride on strava @Supersuperleeds, it's always interesting to see how you've tackled squares I've already done or need to do.

The Stragglethorpe one I approached from the eastern side via the entrance to the Karting Circuit and then rode round to the southern edge of the airfield. It's a well pot holed road to get to the square and you have to ignore the farmers signs on this side as well to get the 100m or so beyond the karting circuit to bag the square.

I was planning to get the one near Belton Woods by going through the hotel complex from the A607, I guess you had no drama on Grange lane - were there any 'Keep Out' notices as it doesn't look like a right of way on an OS map.'

I've been to the cafe at Syston (by car so still need that square as well), food seemed pretty good and as an added bonus you bag another square as well as you go up the drive.

(If anyone else is in the area it's also a good cafe for a lone cyclist without a lock, as you can take your bike round the back to the picnic table area and still keep a good eye on it whilst you are inside).

 

[bruce1530]

That’s one of the reasons I like living north of the border. The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 is our friend!

 

[Supersuperleeds]

There were a couple of keep out signs that I happened not to see

I wasn't sure if you could go in the karting entrance hence why I went to the west side of it

 

[wajc]

Fortunately there was a Kart meet in progress when I was there so the gate was wide open. I can't remember how substantial it was and whether it would have been possible to get over/round it if it had been closed.

Thanks for the heads up on the Grange Lane - I think when I get round to it I'll pretend to be a lost hotel guest.

 

[Venod]

Has anybody visited this square all the tracks into it are private, it looks like the next attempt might be round the river bank, but its rough and the public footpath stops before the square.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Has anybody visited this square all the tracks into it are private, it looks like the next attempt might be round the river bank, but its rough and the public footpath stops before the square.

View attachment 424645

Not ridden there so can't help. As an aside, what software/web site are you using to overlay ordnance survey mapping on your squares?

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Ignore that, found the OS option on Veloviewer!

 

[Venod]

Ignore that, found the OS option on Veloviewer!

That was my answer

 

[tallliman]

@Supersuperleeds, was there much left in the way of buildings? Been past quite a few times!