The Railway Touring Club

I'm on strict instruction to use annual leave for the sole purpose of taking my other half on holiday.
Cycling is not permitted

Its worth taking a day off to avoid certain people coming along.......

I'm sorry. :(

My arrangement is I get about 2 weeks worth of a big holiday with her and some long weekends.

About a week cycle adventuring on a long trip with pals and some long weekend camping cycles. She does similar length trips with pals or family that we try to overlap.

We hang out together. We hang out with pals. Everybody is happy.

I can highly recommend the arrangement!

Edit: Rob's responsonse was much funnier!

Arrrgh man, right in the feels

I'm not sure I understand the London Stone

We ride from the London Stone to the Riperian London Stone

So Canon Street to The Yantlet Creek

the lightweight wheel comment

There was a thread on here about some lightweight wheels that were once possibly for sale, that made me lol.

Am I awake yet?

I belive you are one of the wokest flowers

The 31st of July suits me just fine!

Lovely, I will prep routes for both so we can decide

London Stone route - with @dumps edits

This is aimed at being an RSF style affair so a steel workhorse is the weapon of choice I reckon

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/15231110

Railway to Fish Supper

I have no idea bout any of this route (Apart from WLW obvs), so all pointers welcome

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29588574

There were loads of little branch lines up there at one point

Much of the coastal line of Elgin to Portsoy has been absorbed into the growing towns and villages, or reverted back to farm land.
From Elgin, following NC route 1, you can see some of the old railway bridges but there's not much to actually follow until you get out to Garmouth and the section over the Spey Viaduct. Then you've got several breaks and rejoins through Buckie to Cullen and Portsoy as NC1 and the coastal trail don't fully use all the accessible parts. (Either going closer to the coast or easier quiet roads)
I haven't been beyond Portsoy as the ice cream shop was the objective 😁

There's also a short branch line from Elgin to Lossiemouth, which can be followed past Spynie Castle.

The Speyside Way sections from Nethy Bridge to Grantown and Craganmore down to Craigellachie and the spur up to Dufftown is on the old railway lines.
http://www.speysideway.org/online_guide.html

The Dava Way follows the old old Forres to Grantown line, with only a couple of small diversions avoiding some boggy sections and the old Dava station which is now a house.
https://www.davaway.org.uk/

I’ve done a lot of the Speyside way, I’ve even stayed in the Craigellachie Hotel which must have had/been a station at some point as the trackbed goes directly behind it.

Didn’t know about Dava, really interesting

I don't know if the Craigalachie (RAILWAY) Hotel had an official Halt
There's a station platform 400m round the corner, at what used to be Craigellachie Junction. Where the Lossiemouth to Craigellachie Moray shire railway joined.

The Dava Way really needs a Gravel/Adventure bike with decent volume tyres and some tread as a minimum to enjoy it, or MTB.
A 29er works well, for Forres, Grantown. Coffee stop, Forres. https://strava.app.link/mBAM2f5kuX

Gravel/Adventure bike

U Wot??

MTB

Much more understandable

Cheers for the route!

http://www.railmaponline.com/UKIEMap.php

Just found that link. Turns out there's more lines than I thought.

@Ecobeard did you know of Peterhead prison railway

Thats a great resource that is.

I didnt know it had a railway but it had quite the repuation as 'The Hate Factory' and noteriety having been stormed by the SAS in a riot!

Great site, thanks!

I know it's at the end of the ride but a house here,

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/50%C2%B054'09.3%22N+0%C2%B018'49.7%22W/@50.9025737,-0.3149298,388m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d50.9025716!4d-0.3137993?hl=en-GB

has flapjacks and cakes in an honesty box * by the road/lane (its more of a gravel track really).

*They did last year on two different occasions I was riding the Downs Link.

Lovely Ta

So @jaeyukdapbap are we on for the 31st?

@Tomo187 what’s the general surface like?

Very mixed!
There's road, gravel, bit of mixed dirt/hardcore/farm track style section (very small), there's even a forest section.

I've done it on 700x25, unsurprisingly it was a very bumpy day. More recently I've been doing it on 650x47.

The Downs link is a great ride!

There's also Stans Bike Shack if you need a coffee or some extra supplies.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Stan's+Bike+Shack/@50.9522624,-0.3350473,13.33z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x9294331e7fe7adbb!8m2!3d50.953087!4d-0.306961

You'll also go through Partridge Green, home of Dark Star brewery, if you wanted some riding tins!

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Dark+Star+Brewery+Shop/@50.9719092,-0.3432788,12.78z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x487594437a65e38b:0x186fae5d5a766b33!8m2!3d50.9581496!4d-0.3037615

#roblovesadmin

Having just seen the input following your comment, it sounds definite rough stuff material. Fuck yes! Let's coax some others into it on Tuesday Souths before setting it in stone? Or farm track? (Baddum tsh)

Date and either route works for me.

Wokeness and steel workhorses are all I got.

So... You're suggesting eating and drinking the entire way along the route non-stop?

I like your thinking.
I like you.

This seems to be how most of my rides end up!

Also, last weekend a friend and I ended up on the Worth Way which follows the old East Grinstead to Crawly line.

Thanks to the above map I've just noticed it goes further East as well and becomes the Forest Way Cycle Route NCN21 :)

Nice, will use the Single speed in that case on 28's