TNRC Special - Rolling to the Stones 20.06.2019

I am torn, the magic roundabout is calling.

Wait there's two train options? What's the influencer brunch situation in Swindon?

You might want to consult @pdlouche on that.:)

Any interest for rolling back into town with a tail wind for a double ton? (subject to getting a pass)

Depending on day and stuff, I can be available. I can provide a small loop of Swindon with the sights and sounds of legends.

... I can show you how to navigate the Magic Roundabout

Oh wait! It’s this week?? I’m not back until the 27th so I won’t be around in Swindon.

Normally people don’t risk visiting this place more than once per lifetime, so if you do, probably you never come back and I never meet you.

Sourdough will be tough to find.

There are a couple of really greasy spoons, and there’s relatively good coffee for £1 (any cup, capuccino, espresso, latte, etc) from an Italian deli right in the town centre. Easy to reach after riding in from the A4, and easy to return to the train station.

Da Paolo - 65 Commercial Road, SN1 5NX
£1 coffee (and Italian food)

Coate Water - Marlborough Road, SN3 6AA
Weird diving board, former outdoor pool turned fish pond. Easy to reach from A4, on route into Swindon.

It’s currently 6am, I’ll try have a think later on useful things.

Thank you! I always wondered where to go in Swindon. I have spent more time than I ever wanted at the Costa near the station, agonising over whether I was missing out on something exceptional elsewhere in town.

Ok I'm in and down for whatever plan that doesn't involve cramming onto rush hour trains or riding over 250K

[without wishing to complicate matters further, I couldn't help noticing that it's about the same distance back to somewhere like Theale (I stopped there for breakfast on the way back last time) as it is to ride onto Bristol - but with the benefit of only being a 40min train ride back to London from there - just thinking out loud..]

Okay this option is also interesting.

Before thinking about return though - where are we setting off from and at what time?

@cagimaha I can put together a route from the stones to Bristol based on what @CowHen and I did for the GWR audax. And also a route to Swindon. And to Theale. #maximumPreparedness

I'm keen to check out Forever Pedalling in Bristol but it's no issue if we want to split into smaller groups after the stones.

Also open to suggestions for meet points, YAL and I were discussing that the OG meet at Hyde Park Corner is probably not the best for a swift exit from town. Are people super keen to ride all the way out or is there any interest in getting a train to Staines/Slough or something then ride from there?

Shoulda asked me sooner!

Depending on day and time there are some relatively acceptable places, like the Brazilian cafe in Gorse Hill, or depending on your fancy some more expensive places in Old Town.

There are mtb trails that I haven’t even found yet, and a few amazing routes out of Swindon in all directions. Via Marlborough or Devizes you can see a bunch of the white horses cut until the landscape, and Avebury and Silbury Hill. The other way toward Shrivenham there’s another.

Loads of nearby market towns.

In Swindon itself is a bit awkward, it’s a shit-show of bad road infrastructure and an explosion of car ownership with all the ‘new’ housing to contain London’s spill-over. For such a busy road system the town centre lacks a lot.

There’s a couple Polish deli’s too actually. And again, depending on time there’s the Lebanese and stuff.

But as far as the Italian deli, if you are killing time you go straight out the station, over the pedestrian crossing, directly toward the bus station but follow the road to the right, and keep left after the second pedestrian crossing, so you are forced onto the one way system until the next junction to Farnsby St, then left and up to the now defunct tented market, and it’s opposite. From the deli to the station you either ‘walk’ the bike until you can rejoin station road, or follow the one way system up and then left left left, basically.

Gmaps seems to make you do naughty things, since most of that is actually a ped route, but i do it all the time without much issue.

2 Attachments

@Rod_Munch how's your availability looking?

@cgg have you got a railcard? If so and you @CowHen and I are going on to Bristol we could have a look at train availability for bike bookings and get some tickets tomorrow?

I heard people like lists, so here's a list:

Stones > Brizzle:

1. cagimaha
   
2. 
   
   

Stones > Swindon:

1. @youramericanlover
   2.
   
   

Stones > ???:

No railcard for me. I think @Rod_Munch signaled earlier he's in and up for whatever, up to 250 km.

Ahh sorry Jim, didn't spot that earlier.

Is there anyone else fancies the ride to Bristol? Also does anyone have an opinion about riding out of London or train to Staines or Slough?

Ah the ride out - yes. Assuming an average of 20 kph (with breaks etc) it would take us 8h to do the whole thing starting from London, getting there at 4:00 if starting at 8pm. With the sunrise being at 4:43, that would be a nice timing.

Now if we started from further away, we'd have to kill a bit of time, eg in a pub?

I think I have a slight preference for starting a bit out of town but wouldn't mind starting from London either.

Can't edit the list currently but I think realistically I'm a Swindon kind of guy.

#PremiumRubb

There is a traditional pub stop on the way for last orders, to stall for time. It’s where the Lonely Fat Gay Sycling Society meet-up (according to the locals)..

As for trains, my heart says Bristol, my head says Swindon. My wallet says ride back...

I would be happy to play it by ear though (this ride has been savaged by ‘wrong’ train bookings before) but I appreciate that might get expensive or be unpopular. My only proviso is I need to be back by 4pm ish..

If you guys are coming off the A4 route and into Swindon from the East side, unless you take massive detours you will go down a pretty nice hill and then hit a pretty nasty roundabout. You’ll be trying to get past the junction that takes people onto the relief road and to the M4, so it’s fast and frankly dangerous.

I’d heartily recommend jumping onto the ped/cycleway and going the long way around rather than cycling it. This is in part due to the nature of the road you connect to, to get onto Queens Drive. Again you can cycle Queens Drive, especially as a group, but be aware it is a very fast multi-lane past the hospital to get to it.

I’ve been given some hell by drivers there and you must be careful of the lane you are in. There’s cycleways that are narrow but serviceable that can avoid the stress a little. Not sure the route planning, but really would recommend the awkward cycleway.

Yep I hear that, 130 miles is a lot of opportunity for scheduling issues and I don't want to be rushing for a train.

I also like the idea of playing it by ear but not sure my wallet can face buying a ticket on the day and I'm wary of not being able to get bikes on the train.

For those interested in Swindon PM me and we can sort times / tickets / plans. BTW thanks for the inside tips @pdlouche - all great Swindon tips. Looks like the italian cafe doesn't open until 9 :(

Stones > Brizzle:
1- cagimaha
2-
3-
4-

Stones > Swindon:
1- @youramericanlover
2- @pastry_bot
3-
4-

Stones > ???:
1-
2-
3-
4-

I think its official opening time is something like 9am but I have had coffee as early as 8am. It depends on the day. It’s easy to find in that it’s opposite the tented market, between a charity shop and a dentist. If it’s open there should be a butcher bike strapped to the drainpipe outside.

There’s space enough to lean bikes outside and they’re somewhat used to me locking a road bike or bmx against their butcher bike. They don’t necessarily know me by name, but I go there frequently...so there won’t be too much in the way of “oh such and such recommended we come here” but if you said ‘ginger cyclist with tattoos’ they might guess.

If it’s not open and you’re all desperate, your next option is 222 Coffee. It’s one minute away, on the outside of the Brunel (shopping centre). Failing that there’s a Costa next to it. And if you need to, the Sainsbury’s there opens at 8am so you can grab food and drink.

Shame you’re not doing this a week or so later when I’m back.

Oh lame. They say 9am as well.

Stones > Brizzle:
1- cagimaha
2- LobsterShorts
3-
4-

Stones > Swindon:
1- youramericanlover
2- pastry_bot
3-
4-

Stones > ???:
1-
2-
3-
4-

@cagimaha I'd be happy to get a train out to skip some of the crappy London Roads. Also have a railcard, but I'd be inclined to get ticket on the day. I'd could do with being back in London for around 13:00.

Previously people have jumped on a train out to Bracknell and we met them up at a pub (I'm sure I can track down which pub it was). Staines works too but it's a fair ride down a busy road to the route so another meet-up point would have to be agreed. I'd sort of prefer to ride out so as long as you'd be prepared to wait for me (and others?) who want to ride the whole thing then figure fast-social© london pace leaving about SE London about 7:45 so one hour for 15 miles of distance you want from ride start...

logistics of this ride always ballache but worth it imo