Rough Stuff rides for LFGSS folk, join regular rides that avoid tarmac

Ok, well how about the weekend of 18th/19th September? Fairly advanced, but that's when I could next do. Feel free to do it without me sooner if there's a burning desire for northern riding, though.

There's a little no through road bit just off Gordon Road a couple of hundred metres along from the start of the route that we could meet at. I'm not one for silly o'clock starts, how does 8:30/9am sound?

Route file here: https://microcosm.app/out/45Hxi

General description - take what I've found to be the most pleasant route out of North London avoiding horseshit bridge, then a pleasant undulating ride through Little Berkhamstead, before some premium gravel in Broxbourne Woods and a turn north to head up and well away from the Big Smoke. From there things get wilder with at least one ford, some gates to manoeuvre over/around and on into the quiet lanes and countryside of Hertfordshire, Essex and Cambridgeshire. Roman roads abound, not too much in the way of bastard hills, although I have deliberately included one less bastard-y one as it was rather nice and had a good long descent the other side, views of Duxford and then a quiet wind into Cambridge.

Lunch stop - recommend The Brewery Tap in Furneux Pelham. Big garden, plenty of bikes there when I stopped by, friendly staff and good grub. (Strongly recommend not going down The Street from there. Absolutely destroyed by green laners. I got about 200m down it and met two guys on motocross bikes who had given up after the water reached their mid-thigh.)

Ending in Cambridge pub (TBC). Recommendations welcome. The route does actually end at the station, but can be amended easily once we know of a pub.

I'm no cat racer, so I did it in about 5.5 hours riding time/7 hours all told. Mix of surfaces was probably 15% gravel / 55% off road & farm tracks / 30% nice quiet roads. Don't remember there being any unpleasant busy roads.

Well, sorry for the radio silence! That sounds LOVELY. I have particularly good associations with forum rides to Cambridge.

Unfortunately, I can't make that weekend, I'm in the Proper North hopefully, doing something with Clarion and going raving.

However I urge you to keep bumping the ride, start a list... Will get interest going in both the pending rides.

Thanks! I look forward to doing this route at some point.

Agree with what @Skülly said, well up for a nice ride to Cambridge but also unfortunately busy that weekend :(

Cambs: Also keen/also can’t (a birthday that must not be missed!).

.

Let's find another weekend more people can do. I had plans to attempt an audax on the Saturday anyway, so can give that a go instead.

How about 9th/10th or 16th/17th October? Hopefully before things get too saucy.

Soz went quiet, been on a little tandem tour and more non-cycling holiday.

Thanks for suggesting new dates Pete. Happy with either weekend at the mo. If there’s a lot of wet weather in the preceding weeks maybe we can alternate the route with some road sections.

You fancy trying to fix a date for a Shoreham thing before Pete’s Cambridge ride? Then I reckon we’d start to average one a month… which would be nice.

I’m probably good for most w/e except 18/19 Sept btw

Shoreham ride would be great!

I'd love to grab that gpx, but I'm not on komoot, any chance you could send it?

Does this work for you?

1 Attachment

• London to Cambridge Rough Stuff route.gpx

Yup. Sounds good. Sure it could be adjusted to be mostly/all road.

Tandem tour sounds fun. Where abouts?

yeah perfect thanks

Hi all, yes, I'll work up the Shoreham route, trying to not just blast down the Downslink would be nice! I found myself on it last weekend on a ride across to the South Downs, I'd forgotten that you cross the river at Shoreham!

East Anglia. Was idyllic.

OK, so how do folks fancy 40miles or so rambling around the South Downs, starting and ending at Shoreham, but taking in Chanctonbury Ring and Cissbury ring, but going via Arundel for a mid-way stop?
Trains to Shoreham are relatively cheap (less than £20 return)
Rough route here: https://cycle.travel/map/journey/259200
This contains sections from two routes that I really like.

Alex, this sounds pretty cool. The Chanctonbury/Cissbury Rings bit I know well.

SDW is grim if wet, but I’ve camped on Chanctonbury in February and it was glorious, and in June and we got a proper soaking.

Pick a date!

Well, I'm aiming to just recce it on Saturday, but then maybe the w/e of the 25th of September. Like you, I think SDW in any kind of wet weather is pretty scary.

If anyone wants to come on a recce ride, or just go for it this Saturday, let me know.

I've been burnt more than once by the SDW, but I could definitely be tempted. Planning to be out that way weekend of 25th, but probably doing a chunk of the Downs Overnighter.

Other rides wise, I'm still up for a ride to Cambridge one of those weekends in October. I could probably do the first weekend in October too, now.

The Cambridge ride sounds great and I'd be up for that as well.

Would love to come along to the Cambridge ride too!

Well, I set out to recce the Shoreham loop ride yesterday, but was completely prevented by the fact that someone had jumped in front of a train somewhere en route so all the trains were cancelled. Then my rear tyre spring a leak through the sidewall which turned out to be a tear which could not be fixed. So I ended up spending most of the day trying to install a new tyre and getting it set up tubeless. Total fail there, so it's got a tube in it and I'll try again mid-week as I have some time off booked.

Shame as the route combines two lovely areas and the weather was shaping up to be really great.

Sat 25th I’m committed to a London/Herts/Beds loop (using the greenways where available) with a mate who has been training for it! Shoreham loop another time for me.

That sound like my kinda thing. Care to share route details?