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Lovely report!
This bit of predictive text made me laugh:
I spent a family ridiculous amount
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Well, it was the mud that really killed it for me, but I have to say that if I wanted a long epic ride, I'd do the Guildford > SDW > Guildford ride that I did a couple of weeks back. That ride was much more scenic and more interesting riding, covering almost all the same variety of terrain.
On this one there were too many gates, too many unclear paths that might or might not have been bridlepaths, too many routes through fields that turned out not to have an exit etc... it was also incredibly overgrown in places, so I was properly fighting off brambles and nettles in places.
This is my current favourite: https://cycle.travel/map/journey/210889 although I still need to find a better way around Crawley.
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This is my current favourite: https://cycle.travel/map/journey/210889 although I still need to find a better way around Crawley.
I am intrigued by the the cycle.travel mapping tool you are using. Is the algorithm it uses to automatically generate cycle routes any good?
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Props for posting here Alex. Keep sticking up rides please! Was in Wales (not actually with Qebrus!) and it was Mad Hot.
Still prevaricating about swim ride. But want to attempt soon.
Maybe 31st Jul or 1st … 7th or 8th… otherwise late Aug. Will prolly keep it fairly late to confirm date so weather is vaguely predictable.
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Swim ride to Frensham Great Lake… from a station within 20 miles ish, then ride back to station … is the plan. @Qebrus and I want to make it happen, he may be as rubbish as me at organising things…
Tentative dates for me: July31st or Aug 1st, Aug 7th/8th. I’m more likely to choose a Sunday.
Stick a name down if interested, + fave date if you have one. Thanks!
1 Skülly - Aug 1st & Aug 8th
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Yes. It tries to fit your route to known cycle routes based on the open bikefiets cycle maps.
In general you enter the start and end points and see what it suggests.Ity can be overly cautious as it will try to avoid major roads at all costs, but sometimes you might be happy enough to ride on a major road for a few miles rather than through unknown sidestreets for 2-3x as far. You can click on a road and open in it Streetview, or see if there are geotagged images from the same location.
For finding what a bridleway looks like, this latter feature is excellent.
Where it does fall down is that it will not route you onto one-way footpaths. So if there is no exit, it won't let you go there, even though it's obvious it's a real route (these paths are usually there because the open streetmap data is incomplete). So sometimes you end up creating routes that don't properly work and have to import them into Kommute or something to close the links. Usually I make notes and memorise the route.
I've found some amazing routes and trails beciuase of it and that includes a lot of "hidden" infrastructure that looks dodgy as fuck on a map, but turns out to be excellent.
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This is the route I took a few weeks back. The bit from Guildford to Petersfield takes you onto the SDW and it was a cracking route.
https://cycle.travel/map/journey/234383 -
@Alex_B i have just started an account on cycle.travel, looks excellent! May well pay a bit to get the OS map version if I like IRL.
So do you know does it have settings where you can ask it to leave footpaths in? Walking with cycles on sections is in the spirit of the RSF.
My plan for the swim is to ride from Dorking - Frensham Great Pond. the auto-generated route looks pretty good, possibly a bit too much tarmac, but I'll have a hunt around on OS to see if i can improve (i.e. make longer and funner)... can I get you to help? You seem very good at this stuff...
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If you sign up pls include everything below the feint line... I am editing a little as we go, good to keep the latest post up-to-date. Anyone with local knowledge that could improve on the start point to include better riding, please shout! I just chose Dorking on a whim really, looks like a nice distance to be half the ride... i.e. ride back the same or similar way, meaning cheaper train fares hopefully. Also plus with Dorking is direct trains from both Waterloo and Victoria, meaning we won't all need to use the same train. Agsin any local knowledge gratefully received. Aiming at a start time pretty soon after a fair few direct trains will arrive there, 0915hrs.
Ride will be capped at a dozen or so if it gets busy in here. Doubtful.
@vilms5000 I am sorry I've chosen the sunday you can't do; more folk can do the 1st. Hope to see you change plans, or on a ride on another day.
DORKING ABOUT IN A POND
Ride, swim & ride. Dorking > Frensham Great Lake, Sunday AUG 1st 2021
Ride with minimal road sections. Think about tyres. Think about nettles. Think mud if there's been rain. Think about a nice swim in a lake. Think about a picnic.FROM: Dorking Station (main) start 0915hrs. We will co-odinate trains so none are too swamped, will aim at 2riders ish per train. More local riders welcome to meet at the start of course. Might be able to bend the rules in the morning with nice guards. Will delay start for later arrivals if there are problems with travel.
Bring picnics, flasks of tea or a couple of beers, even a stove to cook things? Let's make this a proper chilled outing. Easy pace. Slow, even. Aiming to get back to Dorking for maybe a cuppa or pint + return trains late afternoon ...
1 Skülly
2 Thrasher
3 Qebrus
4 Vilms5000 - Aug 8th
5 SteadyCam
6 AlexB
7 Skully's pal holding post -
@KT_Bee hi dunno if you're into the muddier side of cycling, or can even get time out, but we are swimming/picnicing on Aug 1st ... see above... you could even skip the ride and turn up in a car with the nipper? Would be nice to see you sometime, thought you might like to know about this. @Sparky has tipped that it's a decent spot for a swim, and we're taking the plunge.
Alex_B
Oliver Schick
Thrasher
Nick_S
vilms5000
Qebrus
SteadyCam-
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Rough Stuff rides for LFGSS folk, join regular rides that avoid tarmac
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@Skülly
A windmill as a destination.
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