What gentle silly bike adventure for a blind stoker?

[nikki]

Following the success of the Test Valley Pootle (Wah! Was that really 3 years ago?!), Aunty M has developed a hunger for silly bike adventures and she wants MORE!

She's since tried a few solo bikes for getting around rural lanes, but her vision's too far gone to be able to cope with potholes etc. So this means a tandem and, I think, assuming she's got negligible vision left. Also negligible time in the saddle, so distances and gradients will have to be gentle.

I've just spoken to her on the phone and she wants to up the ante a little bit; what she was suggesting in very vague terms sounded like rendezvous-ing with me whilst I was on a tour and joining in for a day before she returned home. Her other point of reference was a Top Gear feature where the different presenters used different modes of travel to race across London.

From this I deduce the main criteria are a) being further away from home (Winchester area) and b) being moderately ridiculous.   

I'm a bit daunted by the prospect of tandem logistics, but probably I should start with Something We Really Want To Make Happen and then build from there. Oh, and she's set the deadline of before the end of next year!

As yet I'm a bit stuck for ideas though.

Have any of you ever done anything like this before?
Anyone got any suggestions or beginnings of ideas?

[Polar Bear]

Charlotte's Tandems may be able to help you.   They have machines dotted around the country so it might be possible to pair you and Aunty M up at a date / location. 

Have you any idea of what size / size of machine you will need?   

[nikki]

She's about the same height as me, so about 5'1". She's got a thing about not wanting a normal toptube though - the forumite-lent Circe Helios was perfect. I think I looked at Charlotte's Tandems before, but it wasn't quite what we were looking for.

[SoreTween]

so distances and gradients will have to be gentle.

Canals?  Basingstoke is just up the line from Winchester and a short pedal from there at Greywell you can pick up the Basingstoke Canal for an easy return from Woking.  Or easily link via the Wey Navigation to the Thames towpath & home from waterypoo.

Too small? Head west to Bath or even Brizzle & ride the rail bed & Kennet & Avon towpath as much as you like to Reading.

Still too small?  Start in Brizzle and drop off the Kennet after Thatcham down to Greywell, BC to Farnborough then link via the Blackwater and lanes to Guildford and then take the downs link (rail beds) to the south coast & beach front to Brighton.

See my Canals & Railbeds report for piccies.  Much flatness to be had.  The Basingstoke is 95% navigable year round as are the railbeds mentioned.  The Kennet less so.

[cycleman]

Another camping weekend would be fun .I will have a look at campsite s near Winchester . There might be a bunkbarn around there somewhere .

[Polar Bear]

I was wondering if we could get an appropriate machine to Wing in June/July next year.   No doubt there would be a number of volunteer pilots.

[Kim]

Tandems are hireable from Rutland Cycling.  Not sure about toptubes, though.

Bit of a trek from Winchester, mind you...

[Polar Bear]

Adventure. Innit.     

[CrinklyLion]

Come to York.

Borrow the Helios.

Ride the to the next forum shindig at the Tan Hill that Deano has suggested in something very silly like January.

COR back down to Darlo.

Sorted

[Kim]

I know with a moment of thought it sounds like a bad idea, but consider this:  You'll probably get one of Deano's awards.   

[nikki]

Too small? Head west to Bath or even Brizzle & ride the rail bed & Kennet & Avon towpath as much as you like to Reading.

Actually, Bristol-Bath rail path and then the Colliers Way is on the currently very short short list.
I'm wary of canals, given the state of some of the ones around here, but I suppose it's all an excuse for a recce ride, innit!

Another camping weekend would be fun .I will have a look at campsite s near Winchester . There might be a bunkbarn around there somewhere .

I started off heading down that route as my first reaction, but she steered me away from it.

I was wondering if we could get an appropriate machine to Wing in June/July next year.   No doubt there would be a number of volunteer pilots.

Wing is most definitely not gentle gradients!

Come to York.

Borrow the Helios.

Thanking you for possible loan offer!
I did wonder if something of the scale of Cub touring might be about right. Making her actually camp might be a tad cruel, although I suspect putting her in a different hotel/bnb every night where she has to relearn where everything is might just be differently cruel.

I know with a moment of thought it sounds like a bad idea, but consider this:  You'll probably get one of Deano's awards.   

She's already drawn the line at mountain biking!

[CrinklyLion]

OK, then:
1) head to York
2) Borrow the Helios
3) We'll find a nice B&B/Glamping spot that is a day's ride from York
4) Ride to that
5) Stay overnight and then do a nice day ride loop
6) Rinse and repeat step 5 until bored/run out of time
7) Ride back to York, return Helios, nice cup of tea and some recovery pasta (I have GF in stock JIC, btw)

Sorted

Or head this way, grab a Helios and go (almost) C2C?  Easiest would be if you could transport it over to the other side and ride back, probably - I believe the wind is normally friendlier in that direction.

[CrinklyLion]

http://woldsglamping.co.uk/
http://www.yaphamholdsfarmhouse.com/

All the cool kids go on holiday to Pock, y'know.  1400ish LEL-ers can't be wrong!

[Cudzoziemiec]

You could come to Bristle, hire a Circe http://www.bristoltandemhire.co.uk/booking-and-hire.html ride the Railway Path and Colliers Way – the Kennet & Avon Canal is also good, not too muddy as far as Bradford at least and passable to Devizes – and possibly pick up some silly bike co-adventurers (with cake and tea) on the way.

[Butterfly]

Circe hire bikes through Blue Yonder tandems and you can hire a morpheus if she wants to try something different.

You could have a weekend in York and ride the planets path or stay near Ashbourne or Buxton and ride on the tissington and manifold trails.

[nikki]

Sorted

  That sounds like it could work (and thanks again!) I shall suggest it to her and see what she thinks...

You could come to Bristle, hire a Circe http://www.bristoltandemhire.co.uk/booking-and-hire.html ride the Railway Path and Colliers Way – the Kennet & Avon Canal is also good, not too muddy as far as Bradford at least and passable to Devizes – and possibly pick up some silly bike co-adventurers (with cake and tea) on the way.

I was kind of assuming that if there was anywhere I should be able to casually hire a Helios, then Bristol would be it!

you can hire a morpheus if she wants to try something different.

I described a morpheus to her and she dismissed it on the basis that when we crashed she'd get hit first! The cheek of it...

You could have a weekend in York and ride the planets path or stay near Ashbourne or Buxton and ride on the tissington and manifold trails.

The Manifold's surface is probably crap enough that it'd be pretty unpleasant. I wasn't very enamoured with it on my tourer... I do like the Tissington though, hmmm, wonder if that might be worth a day trip...?


Thanks all for the suggestions so far!

[Wowbagger]

If I can be of assistance, just ask. Am prepared to deliver electric assist tandem and act as pilot if required, or just lend it to you if you want to be pilot, Nikki.

[nikki]

Gosh! Thank you, Wow. I shall have to put the growing number of options to her and see what sort of thing floats her boat.

[nikki]

Options have been put!

The Bristol-Frome plan has been given a big thumbs up because she has lots of friends there. Just need to wait until Spring...

Meanwhile, she's also decided she'd really like to do North Wales (Harlech/Porthmadog/Anglesey sort of area) for nostalgic reasons. I told her we might need to work up to that...

So, erm, I guess that means we might end up doing all of the things in between