A cherry-popping tandem ride

[Wowbagger]

Yesterday's WARTY revival was a bit of a wash-out in the sense that it didn't rain, but the forecast of lots of precipitation persuaded at least two pairs of tandemistas to stay at home. For one of those pairs it was especially sad as they were about to pop one another's tandem cherries and the rest of us were going to watch, point and laugh.

We really need to get another mass tandem ride together. I'm not committed to much in November weekends, so perhaps we could sort something out then? I would suggest something starting in Marks Tey, as it's very accessible so long as the sodding trains are running, which it appears that they are for every November Saturday.

If it's 2nd November, I think Mrs. Wow will be hors concours so I would need to find a stoker. There's another as yet unidentified weekend that we have asked our daughter to claim so that we can go and see her in Orxfud. If she claims one in November we will definitely be out for that.

I'll sort a route out later but I have in mind 11ses at Greenstead Green or the Chappell Station tea room and then a pub somewhere in Suffolk, 40-ish miles.

PS This is not exclusively for tandems. Of course every other form of velocipede is also welcome*.

*Except one of these.

[Canardly]

I will watch with interest

[L CC]

We are spoken for, the first weekend in November, with audax duties and Norman Stanley Fletcher's Mistley Paranormal Ride.
We also have AUK AGM on 16th.

Marks Tey is awful to get to, on trains, or by car, from the North (relative North), a Stowmarket start would be much preferred, if that's possible?

[JenM]

Interested - can do any weekend apart from the first, although Stowmarket is a bit of a trek.

[Wowbagger]

Which station do you go from?

To get to Stowmarket from Southend involves at least two changes of train and a minimum journey time of 2h 5m in each direction. We used to do it regularly when it was one train change and only 1h 29m, but then timetable changes improved the service.

[Pippa]

We can only do the 30th Nov.

[Wowbagger]

That reduces the choice rather since it's your cherries that are on the line!

[L CC]

I don't think one should, even if it's physically possible, attempt to get 3+ tandems on the same train going to/from Marks Tey. It's not reasonable on either the staff or the other passengers. I would much rather restrict our tandems to those lovely Norwich line trains with their beautiful big guards vans.
In all fairness, it's entirely possible, though not entirely pleasant, for Chris & I to ride the pair of tandems to meet up somewhere and then hand over the Dawes for the day with a modicum of seat post wrangling, but I would rather not attempt to manipulate the pair of them onto a branch line.

[Wowbagger]

I would say that there is a more-than-even chance of me not being available for 30th Nov. in any case.

[Wowbagger]

I have indeed found something else to do on the weekend of 30th November so I'm out, sadly.

[bhoot]

Hello fellow tandemistes, this sounds interesting. Can we join in if a) we are free on the chosen date and b) we can sort the train thing (would be coming from the big smoke).
Or is it a private party?

[Wowbagger]

YACF rides are open to all, so far as I'm concerned (if this goes ahead on 30th I won't be there though!). You just have to be prepared to suffer pubs and tea rooms, but not necessarily in that order.