Microadventuring, mini tours etc

All packed. It weighs a fuckton but don’t really want to regret not having everything to camp comfortably, even taking a tiny tripod stool cos I hate sitting on the floor.
It wouldn’t be so stuffed if I had ultra lite tent, mat and bag as other than that I’ve aimed for spartan but warm.

1 Attachment

Feeling confident in the front rack? The bike looks capable

Seen your response in the surly thread

Did a little Overnighter with my friends;

https://youtu.be/9g5gWZRg4L8

I love the view of the bay over your morning cup of tea!
What's the soundtrack?

First day on the badger divide. It’s no joke! Inverness to invermoriston today. Only 32mi but god damn it’s hard going when you’ve packed for this time of year! I have no idea how anyone is doing this on gravel bikes, been a bit of legit mtbing(well for me anyway) today, walked both up and down a few bits.

5 Attachments

Welcome Home, Son By Radical Face

Hi fellow mug dangler.

Video or it's not happening.

Looks amazing Ed. You defecting?

Claiming asylum, given the current state of England.

Ha I clanged my mug on a good few trees and gateposts today.
It’s pissing it down. So glad I’d never consider bivvying even if you paid me.

Maybe, health care for disabled people isn’t as good.

Still not dead. Bothy last night.

2 Attachments

looks class. having fun ?

Fun might not be the word. Def every day so far has been a sense of achievement.
I’ve turned off of the Badger as a lot of the trails today were a complete washout. I’m here on my hols, not to suffer.
Will take the drumochter pass tomorrow(a mere 460m paved compared to the Corrieyairack at 770m on rocks the size of grapefruit) to Pitlochry and then decide which way to turn. My knee aches so I’m not churning out the miles like I would normally. Bike isn’t swift but comfy as and has coped with all the conditions admirably.

2 Attachments

This trip has been an ambition of mine for a long time, and due to quarantine cancelling my French holiday I finally got a window to do it. Used my newly built Raleigh Dynatech Quantum (build thread).

Started off getting the 10:00 from Marlow to Maidenhead, then Maidenhead to Reading then Readign to Chippenham (GWR bike spaces are horrendous...). Obligatory mask shot here:

Straight out of Chippenham station onto Sustrans 403 which uses an old railway, disused canal towpath then tracks to get to Avebury.

#nogravel

Lansdowne Monument on the skyline

Got to Avebury at about 14:00, picked up lunch supplies at the village shop but lots of tourists and I've been there many times so didn't linger. Quick shot of the ditch through an ugly fence here

Slogged up the track to the Ridgeway and from there navigation becomes simple. Conditions were perfect with the scattered showers managing to miss me throughout the day. Views were stunning throughout:

Combines were working late, the farmers had seen the horrible forecast for the following day which was weighing on my mind a bit

the riding was great, although some parts were pretty bumpy and in the wet the mud would bog you down. Eventually made it to Goring where I treated myself to fish & chips and a beer, before heading up to some random woods just out of town to bivi down for the night.

The forecast rain arrived in the middle of the night and I was wide awake by 05:00. Packed up asap as soon as it was light and the weather was absolutely filthy, felt more like November than August. I abandoned my plan of continuing on the Ridgeway tracks and just stuck to the roads (hence no pics), was home by 08:30 where my drowned rat impression amused the family, hot shower very welcome. 23 hours 30 minutes in total

Nice views, looks like a good trip!

Nice! Good work seizing the opportunity.

Looks like fun! Always wondered how easy it was to cycle the length of the Ridgeway. Lived near it so cycled the bits between Goring/Reading and Didcot quite a bit, always wanted to go further.

Do you have a route map/Strava route or anything? Have a few days off in Sept and this looks like a nice two day ride!

I'll PM you my strava as has my real name so prefer not to post on the forum. TBH the Chippenham to Goring route would make a great day ride - I live near High Wycombe so made sense to break it up for me so I could cycle home. (With an earlier start I could have done the whole thing in a day but where is the fun in that?)

Anyone got any ideas about suffolk? Been to north norfolk many times, go yearly, biked round there twice, I'm sure there's lots still to see but finding it hard to get motivated at the moment so thought maybe a change of scene would entice me. Based in Cambridge so trains to bury/ ipswitch / norwich available.

Thinking a 38mm b&b type thing. Though I guess if i really put my mind to it i could do a tame 29er camping thing. But I've only ever stayed in a tent in my friend's back garden so am unlikely to do an epic instagrammable wild camp type thing.

many ideas
and this excellent route
https://www.lfgss.com/events/5112/

Thanks platypus. You have revived my wearied spirits.

no problem.
you could ride this on anything from 38mm to 29er and it would be great fun.
there is an extremely tame wild camping spot halfway round if you feel up to it.
have a great ride.