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The Chilterns.
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Goring or Streatley are probably good starting points.
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So my buddy fancied riding to his dad's in leicester... We are near Stansted airport. This morning, we drove to Hemel Hempstead, and set off up the grand union canal... 48 (tougher than expected) miles later, we are in the nicest b&b I've ever been in... The old windmill at blisworth, which is right on top of the tunnel itself. Tomorrow, we do the other 50 odd to Hinckley, then train back from Coventry the following day.... Ready for work at 6pm on Thursday!
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I'm not sure we'll have time today.... Yesterday was a very tough 50... Including 20 odd up the Coventry canal. Gloop all the way, with some bits of pushing when the front wheel refused to turn!
Stopped at my mate's dad's house last night and monstered a pizza. We are roading it from Hinckley to cov now -
All done, and train home.....it was tough though!
The section of the Coventry canal was mud and thorns all the way for about 25-30 miles....every pedal revolution felt, and no free metres, let's alone miles! It would be a great ride in the summer though, when the ground firms up. The grand union opens up a lot of other areas for traffic free cycling...and there are some great pubs and industrial architecture to visit and look at whilst mooching past. This is my spearfish, with a carradice barley on the front and a 13litre alpkit dry bag on the back.https://www.strava.com/activities/253919722
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Just arrived in Minehead Butlins yesterday, after leaving London at the crack on Tuesday, on the fully loaded radtractor.
I'm shooting Bloc weekend here on Sunday night, and shooting Bangface weekend at Southport Pontins next weekend. For whatever reason, I thought it'd be a 'good' idea to turn it into a (mostly off-road) bike trip.
CAINED myself getting to Newbury-ish by late evening. As well as beautiful, the canal was very heavy going in places (esp. either side of Newbury) but the bike did its job and I slogged through it at about 4mph. Stopped near Burbage around 10pm ('solarstorm' ebay special light arrived the day before I left) and set up my new Hubba Hubba Nx tent in a sweet little copse near the road. Slept like a dead rock. Completely broken.
Left for Devizes the next morning, feeling pretty weary. More rutted canal into the town, I was lucky though, as it would be virtually impassible had there not been a week of dry weather beforehand. Devizes proper is beautiful, especially the section of houses backed onto the canal, and the lock staircase descending out into the plains before Bath was great. Stopped and bought a crapload of lemon drizzle cake and some rum raisin icecream to to raise my spirits, in the face of the impending grey skies.
Reeled in the last few dull straight miles to Bathampton. After that it all got pretty lush pretty quickly. I wish I had more time to explore here but time was ticking so I pushed on through Bath on the canal path and then the Bath/Bristol railway path.
Jumped off the path at around 4, and up what I thought at the time was a substantial hill to a golf course near Saltford. Set up camp in a wooded bit and rolled off on an odd feeling, unloaded bike into Corston for a couple of pints, a meal that wasn't noodles or 'nanas, and to charge my phone. Booked a train for the next day from Bristol to Taunton, since I was feeling pretty rough, and didn't fancy what I'd heard was a boring on-road drudge down from Bristol.Woke up the next morning and had a brief chat with a maintenance guy on the course, no problem. Most people I've found are inquisitive and confused rather than angry or upset. I wouldn't camp in someone's garden or anything though!
Completed the Bath/Bristol path that morning and took my sweet time. Was accompanied for the last few miles by a courier from Bristol called Amy. The company was much appreciated. Bought a curry nearby, packed it up and boarded my train to Taunton at midday.
I made a mistake here in not planning my route thoroughly enough: there are hills on East Exmoor. Who'd have thought it. Got only about 10 miles in, with a dead phone, dead garmin, following confusing route notes I had hastily made on the train, and completely bonked on another 15% climb. Avoiding the busy and fast moving A39 had proven a bad move, and the little traffic that was on these B-roads was large and shall we say 'overconfident'. I mashed as much lemon drizzle cake into my mouth as I could and descended into a gorgeous steep sided valley, in what I thought was completely the wrong direction, where I intended to thumb a lift for the last however many miles. Passed a pub and circled round to drown my sorrows before the inevitable flounce. What luck! The landlady reckoned I was on the right path and it was 'all downhill from here'. Needless to say, it wasn't all downhill, but I was totally envigorated by crisps and ale, and hammered it up to Dunster castle. Beautiful home stretch! Sat on the beach at Minehead, downed a flask of tea I'd made that morning, and checked in to BUTLINS after security insisted on looking through all my stuff (but didn't confiscate my meths, weirdly).
So I shoot here on Sunday, and leave back (for what may be a hard horrible journey) to Taunton and a train up to Porthmadog on Monday morning. Then I begin the second part of my trip on Tuesday morning, to arrive in Southport by Thursday morning.
Tonight though, I'm going to get laddered.
Cheers!
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Quite an inspiring thread, as I am trying to pull together some motivation to get a short tour / overnight planned.
Only got one bike microadventure to my name to date; cycled around 70km up into the local hills to a targeted 'hikers shelter', lit a camp fire and a few hours sleep, before returning the following day.
It was a blast.
Tomo187
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Microadventuring, mini tours etc
Posted by
@M_V
Did a very pleasant 3 night mini tour in Devon in August 2012: train to Plymouth, rode Plymouth to Ilfracombe Devon Coast to Coast NCN27 over two days, mainly off road on the Plym Valley Trail, Granite Way, Tarka Trail. Wild camped on Dartmoor on 1st night (the only place in England where this is legal), proper campsite 2nd night 5 miles out of Ilfracombe.
Day 3 into Ilfracombe then across to Brendon, near Lynton & Lynmouth: lovely basic campsite by the river that I have know for years. On that day the gradients were severe including several at about 25% so the mere 35 miles was hard work. On day four left the Brendon valley up another 25% hill then across Exmoor via Simonsbath and down the valley of the Exe on the A396, which was dead quiet and pleasantly rolling, all the way to Exeter for the train home. Warm and dry for the whole tour :-)