Gravel / Gravé / Gnarmac / Groad / ATB

No gravel near Kielder Water today.

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They didn't choose the best day for winching out a vehicle, with 200+ riders wanting to cross what they probably assumed was a quiet byway.

NLD4 was great nonetheless. Wetter than I thought it would be as we hadn't seen the same rain where I am in SE LDN

NLD IV was good craic. Bit overcast at the start so nicely cool, then sunny for the finish. I didn’t see the 4x4 stranded though - one of the guys I ended up riding with got a puncture which took a little while to sort so maybe was done by the time we got there. Where was it?

I was surprised by how wet it wasn’t, given Thursday evening and Fridays rain. Very different to last year - no traction problems nor getting caught in a channel of mud. I really enjoyed it. No problems with the bike either - seemed like the mechanics at the halfway point had a lot to deal with.

Got any more info on this route? Looks familiar, but can't think where exactly.

from balloch to milngavie. GPX attached

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• balloch-milngavie.gpx
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No idea how they removed it, the guy told us they had been there all night !

Nice ride indeed, i think i spotted a couple of forumers, @LukeG and dimi3 ? (will remove @ obvs )
There was a lot of bike on display...

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Yeah, that was me. Was it you with the yellow cannondale at the end? Great looking bike if so, was that the bike you rode the route on?

The 4x4 was just about out when we came through. Got sprayed with a load of mud during the final wheel spin getting it over the edge

Great route, organisation, pizza, beer and goodie bags. Hope they do some more regular editions as they seem to scout out some great stuff

ah ! no i just popped back with my road bike as i lost a glove in the pizza/beer aftermath and was retracing my steps : ) found it btw... top organisation that is for sure and nice courtyard to hang around.

i rode the route with my Croix de fer. they're familiar trails for me but it's always nice to re-arrange them in new ways.

Ahaha I saw the boggy mud hole and wondered what had been in it!

I was on a green fairlight

Could be up for a local nogravel ride

Today's adventures around Marseille (photo credit manivelle.cc)

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meh. #nogravel either in région PACA i guess

#nogravel anywhere!

Thought it’d have been a bit brave to get around on road slicks!

I’m riding this next weekend with a group who couldn’t make it to NLD4. Could anyone advise on refill spots for fuel and hydration (food and drink)? Any good cafes without having to divert into Hertford.

Simmons bakery in hertford is pretty good, it's a small hertfordshire bakery chain.
it's not in the centre but just 200 meters away from the track in the residential area.
otherwise later on in - edit : Brookmans Park - posh-ish commuter town, you should find something open.

Perfect. Ta

NLD4 and some of the previous edition routes are on RWGPS. I've pinched them for maybe riding later in the year. Just need to find a nice route from Ealing to Stoke Newington.

You're never too far from something on this route:

• Goffs Oak (mile 15) - turn right onto Cuffley Hill rather than following the route left. Co-op on the corner
  
• Little Berkhamstead (mile 24) - Emmie Murphy's village store
  
• Panshanger Park (mile 37) - coffee cart by the car park
  
• Brookman's Park (mile 49) - row of shops & tea room
  
• South Mimms (mile 58) - motorway service station (ped access from where the route passes by)
  
  

Then you're back into Cockfosters and the rest of the 'burbs, so the world is your average-quality-coffee-oyster

Well, there you go. Thank you very much.

Stopped at the tea room in brookman's park, their cookies are good, or there's quite a large pub you can sit out the front of.

The route goes through letty green twice which has the cowper arms, may be a bit too gastropub for a ride stop.

@Glws Simmons is pure nostalgia

Definitly, the ginger bread man fits the jersey pocket perfectly.
I'd rather not fund the SUV road ragers of brookmans park tbf :)

anything going on in the 650B x 48mm fender world I don't already know about? Thinking of getting SKS AL 56mm or the SKS 53mm Bluemels. Don't want o spend much more unless it's really convincing. Need to be black.

honjo?

The edge AL ones are a bit shit, rattly mounting points that get worse over time. I've had blumels for years and they're not as nice as the posh ones like honjo or velo orange, but they work well and have outlasted a few friends velo orange's.

+1 for bluemels