Author Topic: London Oxford Didcot Quinaton: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014  (Read 15669 times)

RideHard

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London Oxford Didcot Quinaton: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« on: 30 December, 2013, 03:15:51 pm »
 The "Steam Ride" visits all Steam train venues in the South East: including a London-Oxford-London

Useful planning resources, warnings, food stops, updates, tips  :P etc.
www.steamride.co.uk

Route Sheets & gpx track now downloadable from :
https://sites.google.com/site/steamride/home/lol200

Steamride FB Photos from 2014
https://www.facebook.com/groups/407447882722214/

 4+ Classic London Rides come along together... decisions, decisons...
Calling in at - 2nd Control @ Quainton (WI) for 2nd breakfast and well known and liked Fat Controller :P

London-Oxford-London (LOL) 200 Special, a 200km Audax from London to Oxford and back, visiting along the
way the well known Steam venues, including Didcot, Buckinghamshire, Southall, Chinnor & Princes Risborough, Cholsey
and Wallingford Railway Centres. The route is sure to be favorite of Audax UK members and (we reckon) is just about the best new 200km round route between London and Oxford there is.
http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/14-599/#more

Steam Ride: London-Oxford (Didcot 1-Way) 100km: Follows LOL 200 into Oxford or take a direct route. The Railway, Barley Mow (3 Men in a Boat), Pendom Museum - both follow either side of the Thames to Didcot.
http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/14-604/#more

Steam Ride: Single Track 50km On-Road "Beach 2 Beeches"+ 60km Off-Road "Woodland 2 Woodland": Controls at Burnham Beeches Cafe and Southall Railway Centre (info). Route past Pinewood Studios & Black Park. Start by Fat Controller whistle in tophat at Woody Bay (beach) Station.
http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/14-601/#more

Steam Ride: Quainton Express 100km, fast (no controls) undulating course to Quainton Memorial Hall for a WI tea. Alternate Quainton Control, receipt proof of visit required: http://www.bucksrailcentre.org 
http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/14-598/#more

2 new Perms added, so 'flexible' starts/end to: Steam Ride:London-Oxford-London (LOL) 200 and Steam Ride:London-Oxford 100.

Oxford-London-Oxford 200
Didcot-London-Didcot 200
Quainton-London-Qauinton 200
Chinnor-London-Chinnor 200

http://www.aukweb.net/perms/detail/TS01/
Start/finish from any control in the LOL 200 circuit: Oxford or Didcot or Chinnor or Quainton..


Steam Ride:Oxford-London (1-Way) 100
http://www.aukweb.net/perms/detail/TS02/

Now Fully detoured to avoid all floodszz, for your dry ride..

ACH SR: Dean 300; Steam Ride LOL 200; Quainton Express 100; University Challenge 600; London Circuit 400; C2C; Hadrian's Wall; Chiltern Pub Crawl; White Hart.   2022 AUK: ACH SR; Wessex SR; LEL; LeJog

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: W.London: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #1 on: 31 December, 2013, 07:29:57 am »
HK and I are up for this.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Jonah

  • Audax Club Hackney
Re: W.London: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #2 on: 31 December, 2013, 10:44:04 am »
Family Jones are looking forward to helping allreday - see you at the start folks :D

Pete Mas

  • Don't Worry 'bout a thing...
Re: W.London: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #3 on: 31 December, 2013, 02:48:40 pm »
Hope to ride the 200.

All sound great, Tim  :)
''It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive."

R.L.Stevenson

Martin

Re: W.London: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #4 on: 07 January, 2014, 01:43:50 pm »
The "Steam Ride" visits all Steam train venues in the South East

apart from all the ones S of the Thames?  ;)

marcusjb

  • Full of bon courage.
Re: W.London: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #5 on: 07 January, 2014, 02:01:19 pm »
The "Steam Ride" visits all Steam train venues in the South East

apart from all the ones S of the Thames?  ;)

I think they are included on the Pedantic Train Spotter 300 later in the season?  :P
Right! What's next?

Ooooh. That sounds like a daft idea.  I am in!

Tomsk

  • Fueled by cake since 1957
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Re: W.London: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #6 on: 09 January, 2014, 05:57:02 pm »
Good work RideHard  :thumbsup: I think I can probably do this - possibly ECE from here, we'll  see....

Re: W.London: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #7 on: 09 January, 2014, 06:22:06 pm »
Still condisering wether I can make it to pop over for this one. Problempoint is the Merselo-Verona organiser's meeting in a far-away corner of my province on saturday.

αdαmsκι

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Re: W.London: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #8 on: 09 January, 2014, 06:37:58 pm »
I was tempted by this ride, but I'm put off as the last 50 km look like they'll be really busy at we'll be heading along the A40. Anyone care to comment?
What on earth am I doing here on this beautiful day?! This is the only life I've got!!

https://tyredandhungry.wordpress.com/

Re: W.London: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #9 on: 09 January, 2014, 06:41:46 pm »
Afternoon/evening on the Uxbridge road?

What's not to like?


RideHard

  • The London Grimpeur
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    • Steam Rides & Chiltern Grimpeurs
ACH SR: Dean 300; Steam Ride LOL 200; Quainton Express 100; University Challenge 600; London Circuit 400; C2C; Hadrian's Wall; Chiltern Pub Crawl; White Hart.   2022 AUK: ACH SR; Wessex SR; LEL; LeJog

marcusjb

  • Full of bon courage.
Re: W.London: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #11 on: 09 January, 2014, 07:06:41 pm »
Shortest route to and from my office in Beaconsfield is that. Suffice to say, it is not the route I use. Beaconsfield to Gerard's cross is really shit. Uxbridge is shit. Hillingdon shit. Southall (where I join on to uxbridge road) shit and full of zombie peds.

My route wouldn't be suitable for audax as it (naughtily) uses a footpath over the Hall Barn estate bridge.

I hate the uxbridge road!
Right! What's next?

Ooooh. That sounds like a daft idea.  I am in!

Re: W.London: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #12 on: 12 January, 2014, 11:53:45 am »
These look like really excellent rides.  As an Oxford dweller I would be keen, except I'll have a week old child (or a very grumpy wife), so I doubt I'll get a pass!  Maybe next year.

Re: W.London: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #13 on: 12 January, 2014, 08:17:06 pm »
Beaconsfield to Gerard's cross is really shit. Uxbridge is shit. Hillingdon shit. Southall (where I join on to uxbridge road) shit and full of zombie peds.

You'll be looking forward to getting to Greenford and Ruislip, then!

RideHard

  • The London Grimpeur
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    • Steam Rides & Chiltern Grimpeurs
Re: W.London: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #14 on: 14 January, 2014, 12:56:26 pm »
Route via beautiful Burnham Beeches and Pinewood Studios  :)

Have you been down to the Ruislip Lido recently ??? ££Lottery funding has made way for cool Cafes, Woodland center, amenities etc...  :D

London start for PERMS for easy access by train/tube/overground :)
Only 1 info to a POI on LOL 200, the other is enroute... they've been removed on the Perm version http://www.aukweb.net/perms/detail/TS01/ and http://www.aukweb.net/perms/detail/TS02/ and replaced with
 local knowledge, of a little known 'train cycle-track', into "London" proper.
Including zombie ped bypass ;)

At least until the £1M upgrade of the Canal cycle-track (Uxbridge rd bypass) gets completed (been campaigning at ECC/LCC level... looks like works getting started :thumbsup:

Great to have an easily accessible Audax from West London, and you are wisked outta London, before you realise into some beautiful countryside.:thumbsup:
ACH SR: Dean 300; Steam Ride LOL 200; Quainton Express 100; University Challenge 600; London Circuit 400; C2C; Hadrian's Wall; Chiltern Pub Crawl; White Hart.   2022 AUK: ACH SR; Wessex SR; LEL; LeJog

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: W.London: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #15 on: 19 January, 2014, 04:26:57 pm »
Sounds great. I've just entered the 200.  :thumbsup:
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

CrazyEnglishTriathlete

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Re: W.London: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #16 on: 19 January, 2014, 05:00:07 pm »
The Quainton Express looks like a good event for CET Junior
Eddington Numbers 130 (imperial), 182 (metric) 571 (furlongs)  114 (nautical miles)

RideHard

  • The London Grimpeur
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Re: London Oxford Didcot Quinaton: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #17 on: 05 February, 2014, 03:20:30 pm »
London start added, so anybody coming from Ealing Broadway Station has a scenic 15km cycle-route via Train track / Cycle Route
by way of Country Park  :thumbsup:
ACH SR: Dean 300; Steam Ride LOL 200; Quainton Express 100; University Challenge 600; London Circuit 400; C2C; Hadrian's Wall; Chiltern Pub Crawl; White Hart.   2022 AUK: ACH SR; Wessex SR; LEL; LeJog

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: London Oxford Didcot Quinaton: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #18 on: 05 February, 2014, 03:55:49 pm »
Interesting. Is that a prologue to the main event, or is it a full separate start?

I was hoping to come up by train on the Sunday morning but, annoyingly, there isn't a train early enough. I'd rather not drive, though, so I might stay Saturday night with my sister in Wimbledon and ride over via Ealing.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

bhoot

  • MemSec (ex-Mrs RRtY)
Re: London Oxford Didcot Quinaton: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #19 on: 05 February, 2014, 11:41:31 pm »
We rode the LOL perm route with Tim on Sunday to help polish the route notes - and it was a great day out. We started from Ealing Broadway and followed a devious local knowledge based route which avoided cycling on main roads except the final section in Ruislip. We didn't actually go to the Lido (starting point for the calendar ride) but instead collected our POP receipts (and choccy bars) from the petrol station nearby.

After this the ride heads pretty much straight out into the countryside with the last few miles to Quainton sharing the Boat Trip route - so if like me you enjoyed Eythrope and Waddesdon parks you get to cycle those again (and to spot the Chequers CCTV cameras if you missed them first time round!). We stopped at the pub there but for the calendar event I understand it will be WI fare in the village hall which will be good and quick. The next section to Oxford was for us the only direct slog into the wind, but the roads were good - pretty quiet but without any with grass growing up the middle. Unfortunately you can't cycle into a town the size of Oxford without some suburban and then urban roads but at least it was easy navigation and downhill to the middle. The exit route from the city centre was shorter and we were soon at Abingdon where we performed some sub-aqua cycling (Poor Student style ie water over tandem bottom tube) on the riverside path - hopefully it will have dried out by 9th March.

Onwards then to Didcot  and another Thames crossing at Wallingford. No wet feet this time but lots of water flowing very fast. From there the ascent to the Chilterns started, gently at first to the control at Chinnor (petrol station hot chocolate for us but there are other options), and then steeply beyond to a fantastic view. It was pretty impressive in the dark but would be great in daylight.

A generally gradual descent followed to the outskirts of High Wycombe. From here there was a choice of two routes - one using minor roads to bypass the A40 in the town centre, and the other using the main road. Given that we had started from Ealing and not Ruislip, we were quite late so opted for the quicker A40 option - in the town it was busy but going out the other side it got gradually quieter until the section between Beaconsfield and Gerrards Cross where there was very light motor traffic. So it seems that on a Sunday evening, especially in the dark, it is a viable and quicker alternative than the undoubtedly more scenic option via Burnham Beeches.

All in all we had a fine time, a total of 163 miles on the clock including to and from East London and our Feb RRTY in the bag... I'll be helping on the day of the calendar event but I hope everyone riding has a good time.

Re: London Oxford Didcot Quinaton: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #20 on: 07 February, 2014, 01:35:47 am »
Humbug - we've been invited out for dinner that evening ...

Registering for the 100 and ECEing to 200 is easy enough (I see there are changing rooms at Ruislip Lido - anyone know if there are showers? Any chance of leaving a bag at the start?) - how flexible can you be with riders changing their minds and switching between distances? (Mucking you about, in other words ...)

Re: London Oxford Didcot Quinaton: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #21 on: 07 February, 2014, 10:34:37 am »
Fantastic event you should get hundreds

RideHard

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Re: London Oxford Didcot Quinaton: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #22 on: 07 February, 2014, 11:17:16 pm »
 Sure you can start anywhere on the Circuit: Ealing, Ruislip, Quainton, Oxford, Didcot, Chinnor...plus the Perm has no Infos... but I do ask, you pre-book and pick up your Brevets at The Ruislip Lido, which allows a little flexibilty to start times/locations, at the risk being late for the WI Quainton control.

 The Ealing Prologue, is a feature of the PERM ride, as it answer's our critic..that the Ruislip, ain't London,  lol
Ealing has excellent transport links, plus you even get to see the scenic Pyramid country park, Brunel's Iron Bridge & Viaduct..

 Haven't charged for posting out Brevet's, as budgeted for everyone picking up their Brevet's at The Lido, in the Lakeside Cafe, next to Woody Bay Station...after all, it is the annual Calender Event.
 The Lido adds only an extra 1km to the PERM rides and is well worth a look-see.
Mino's opening the Lakeside cafe early, just for us, a great place to Fuel-up  :P, and get your "authentic vintage" SteamRide Stamps :thumbsup:

 Also, The Lido is home to the longest narrow gauge Steam Train in the UK..
And don't forget, to pick-up a SteamRide Whistle too :)

 If you've paid, we'll have your Brevet stamped and waiting... we're doing our best to accomodate everyone, but I
advise you Enter Now, to avoid risking disappointment of selling out of Brevet's on the day...


For just over a skin-diver (fiver), I can virtually guarantee, it'll probably maybe definitely be, one of your most memorable rides, LOL ;)
ACH SR: Dean 300; Steam Ride LOL 200; Quainton Express 100; University Challenge 600; London Circuit 400; C2C; Hadrian's Wall; Chiltern Pub Crawl; White Hart.   2022 AUK: ACH SR; Wessex SR; LEL; LeJog

bhoot

  • MemSec (ex-Mrs RRtY)
Re: London Oxford Didcot Quainton: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #23 on: 10 February, 2014, 11:18:39 am »
I'm just looking at public transport options from central London - I'm helping on the day but this may also be useful to people riding but looking to save some energy before and after the event.
Firstly the Met Line to Uxbridge via Ruislip is closed for engineering work, but the Amersham line is running. Northwood Hills is actually the nearest (1.5 miles) station to the Lido anyway IF you can get into the back of the woods from say Wiltshire Lane. It's shown as footpath - does it have bike friendly access gates? This would give the options of the 07.06 (arr 07.35) or 07.21 (arr 07.48) trains from Baker Street. Just about OK for the 200km, but a bit more choice (or longer for breakfast) if you are going for the 100km option.
Another possibility is the Central Line but that's only officially cycle friendly from White City where it emerges from underground, out to West Ruslip. There are early trains on that route if you can make your way to White City (it still saves about 10 miles riding)
There is also a mainline train from Marylebone  which will get you to South Ruislip (3.5 miles) by 07.46 or West Ruislip by 08.11

Re: London Oxford Didcot Quinaton: Steam Ride Event - 9th March 2014
« Reply #24 on: 17 February, 2014, 09:14:52 pm »
Just entered the 200km. Looking forward to it. Uses some familiar roads (I live in Chinnor) See you all at the Lido on the 9th March ;D