Just cut the ribbon on the Buckbarn- Sutton Scotney 200 as the first rider to do it. It claims to be made up entirely of bits of old rides; I'm sure old lags and also anybody who's done his current 600 perm know it all but the outward 107km was almost all new El S to me (apart from a bit of his Venta 300 and Houghton Hill which I did on my first 400)
Top Tip; Shipley windmill car park about 2.5km W along the A272 is an ideal parking spot as Buckbarn only allows 75 mins. The windmill itself looked very shut.
It first goes down to Amberley and back up the Downs before going along the spine before dropping down to Chichester. After long steady climb up to Rowlands Castle it uses many of Pam's old 100 and 200 haunts around Clanfield and the Meon Valley and on a good day like today the views from the top road where the South Downs Way crosses are sublime
IOW; Newbury Downs Fawley refinery and probably even Box Hill. Thereafter it picks up El S's 300 to Winchester but goes right through the city centre and alongside the A34 to Sutton Scotney; not the best bit of the ride I have to say. After SS is lovely especially with the wind behind you like today; all more classic Pam country. It's not of course flat but all the hills apart from a couple of kicks around Fernhurst are of the long draggy variety so I imagine it's fixable.
I did Stoner Hill as an alternative back to Liss; bad idea, the lanes after the albeit lovely autumnal bit of Little Switzerland would even stretch El S's description of "yes it is a road"
After Liss it's a straight reverse of the Hailsham - Liss back to Buckbarn (which I also did in reverse a few weeks ago). The lanes here were not only skoggy but invisibly dark due to not having dried out so I struggled with my flickering CrapEye 530. I was actually quite glad to get back on the A272 as I could see where I was going, to finish in just under 10 hours.
Now which one next? Sedlescombe - Herne Bay looks intriguing I'm sure he's shoved Boxley Hill in