2011-08-13 - Exmouth Exodus

Oz, buy a Phillips Navigator road map and tear pages out according to where you are riding.
Details of every tiny road in Britain.

Though at 5am it can look a bit too detailed, blur and melt in front of your eyes.

Not heard of them before so I'll have to investigate.

I was fine with the map reading, even to the extent of finding where I was by looking at the village names and spotting them in the tiny writing. Sitting down on the road with a huge map and the bike lent on the hedge so that the lamp lights up the map is a bit weird. Like that feeling when you walk into a town and there's nobody there, paranoid that something is about to happen.

I started to fade at on top of Blagdon hill, head nodding the lights in front had disappeared when I stopped to put more clothes on. The tea stop didn't happen when I was expecting it to be there. The sun wasn't coming up as it did last year and there was still another big hill to go. All added up to me sat on the verge eating jaffacakes feeling rather sorry for myself.

I 'bonked' big time on the final climb. While Dan et al were enjoying the moonlit ascent, I was looking up it thinking I had as much chance as cycling to the moon. Legs went to jelly, eyes started to shake. Not fun.

Couple of softmints and a banana put me back on track. Ready to join the awaiting TDO crew.

Oz, it sounds like you rode alone. welcome to Join up with our lot next time.

Highlights for me
First meeting with anyone from forum (!)
Cheddar Gorge
The feed stops that were amazing.
The silhouette of Glastonbury Tor in the moonlight and being surprised the route went that far east!
The moonlit Somerset Levels

The great company of Habbi and Dropout really kept me going at times. Dropouts route finding was (nearly) always excellent. He was also kind enough never to leave me behind even though he was fixed.
Habbi also kept my spirits up with a cheery smile whatever the time of night or steepness of the hill.

“Breakfast at Tricitys” was excellent, I’m sure she would have rather been asleep than playing hostess late morning. Thank you again.

This was great last year - 100 or so miles and lovely tea stops.

This year the ride is on Saturday 4 August 2012.

more here....
http://www.exmouthexodus.co.uk/index.php

Ah, good to have a date this early in the year. Makes planning so much easier. I think this ride has become one of those things I'm going to do every year from now on.

Aye, for me too. Thought it was excellent last time around.

+1 missed it last year and, well I missed it.

Hurrah! Should be in for this, in which case breakfast at Tricity's will be on offer again.

I may actually make it to your house this time.

Excellent.

Think I might spend a few days down there and do some more riding around Dartmoor/Exmoor if I've got enough holiday.

Bump.

The organisers are taking bookings for a coach+van for people+bikes to return to Bristol.

Deets >>>

This looks pretty awesome and I'm actually in the country at the time, unlike every other ride I like the look of.

I have family in Exeter so might stay there for a couple of days afterwards too.

^^ Good idea. The first year I did it Bristol+Cardiff hired a minibus with a trailer. So much easier and cheaper than the train.

Anyone else thinking of taking this on?

currently you can get train tickets; Padd to Bristol, £10, And Exeter to Padd £22.50

ooh good shout.

i want to do this. missed it last year.

It was ace last year. You're welcome to join me for some epic onwards riding if you're so inclined. Got to Souths just in time for a burger last time...

right list time;

1. Hairnetnic
   
   

And I'm booking the 18:45 to get there at 20:30 and the 13:30 from Exeter on the 5th.

I figure a short ride back to exeter will easier than cramming the train at exmouth? I havn't done this before so dono't know what's sensible...

Yay, lists!

1. Hairnetnic
   
2. hats
   
   

I’ll book the same train out to Bristol.

My grandparents used to live on the line between Exmouth and Exeter and it is a small train, so better to ride back to Exeter and get a proper train from there. I’ll be going back to Exeter anyway and then potentially riding back to London at a leisurely pace over the following few days.

By the time we’re back in Exeter, 6pt will probably be eating a burger in London...

About the trains... It's always been ok getting the train from Exmouth on the two occasions I've tried. Plenty of room for tired cyclists and their bikes. Staying awake on train was less easy.

If you do ride to Exeter you can now ride the 1st part of the journey alongside the estuary. They're trying to get a path all the way eventually. It's a flat, wide path (rather than a shitty green cycle lane) so you can make decent progress.

I've been meaning to do this for ages. In.

1. Hairnetnic
   
2. hats
   
3. TTM
   

They have recently finished a cycle trail from Exmouth to Exeter so its any easy low traffic route now.

Oh. Is it finished? Have you ridden it?

It was ace last year. You're welcome to join me for some epic onwards riding if you're so inclined. Got to Souths just in time for a burger last time...
where did you ride onwards to?

Breakfast at Tricity's was followed by a quick nap and 80 miles on to Poole, where I had fish and chips and a proper sleep. Then in the morning rode on to London. Admittedly the Exmouth -> Poole route was pretty mercenary, but you've done the Poole/London one the other way before and you know it's a good'un.