CrAcKpOt

[Lars]

Go here and click the right-hand badge for a pdf routesheet.

That must have been quite something - A Shawn Shaw route sheet for a 1,000k that must have had a fair amount of night riding.
Before the era of satnavs and bright and light LED helmet lights!

[fussballclub]

^^^^^ Very good read! Pete Loakes kitchen 

[GPS]

Go here and click the right-hand badge for a pdf routesheet.

That must have been quite something - A Shawn Shaw route sheet for a 1,000k that must have had a fair amount of night riding.
Before the era of satnavs and bright and light LED helmet lights!

Yes - my Garmin & absurdly bright led (battery & dynamo) lights have made night riding much easier, faster and safer. Hats off to everyone who completed the Crackpot (& any multi-day ride for that matter) in the days before all this great technology became available.

It's fair to say that these gadgets have transformed audax rides. Map navigation is certainly something I don't do on an audax ride anymore. I don't miss it either - it ate up time over long rides.

[hippy]

Anyone know if there's a GPX of the Crackpot route floating about? Any of the riders who've done it maybe put it on Strava, etc?

[swiss hat]

If you pm me your email address and I'll send you the gpx.

Anyone know if there's a GPX of the Crackpot route floating about? Any of the riders who've done it maybe put it on Strava, etc?

[Jonah]

Cheers Jonah - hope you get sorted for May !

Submitted the DIY controls to TonyH ... all systems go for 24th of January

It's a full moon then. How appropriate ...

God's speed in your darkened hours G-S
(I was thinking of other wretched souls who were also thrust into darkness and came up with the following list:
The Count of Montecrhisto
Papillon
Terry Waite
The Man in the Iron Mask
...

[GPS]

Cheers Jonah - hope you get sorted for May !

Submitted the DIY controls to TonyH ... all systems go for 24th of January

It's a full moon then. How appropriate ...

God's speed in your darkened hours G-S
(I was thinking of other wretched souls who were also thrust into darkness and came up with the following list:
The Count of Montecrhisto
Papillon
Terry Waite
The Man in the Iron Mask
...

Those wretched souls didn't have the neon-lit oases of motorway services to look forward to during their darkest hours. 

[GPS]

Right then. The tyres have been pumped up, the chain oiled and the moustache waxed. I'm as ready to ride the Crackpot as I'll ever be.

I'll start the ride at 8pm this Friday from that spiritual starting place for so many a Wessex ride, the 24 hour BP garage on Longfleet Road.

I'm sticking to the most recent route sheet with the intention of 'doing it proper' - despite the change of date / season etc. ...

Because I'm riding it in the winter, sleeping in a box in a Wells alleyway is out - despite the obvious lure of such accommodation. Instead I have a place to stop and sleep for the second night in Somerton.

The problem I have now is the third night. I don't where I'll be on the road, so booking anything is tricky. I imagine I could be anywhere between Dorchester and Membury Services. The Days Inn at Membury Services is an option, but will they be able to check me in in the small hours ? I've read a review that stated that there was no-one there to check the reviewer in. That's no good. I could stink up the Burger King for a few hours, but I doubt it'll be restful enough at that point. There's a Premier Inn at Dorchester too, but that might be too early after the stop in Somerton. Anyone have any (helpful) thoughts on this ? A new Travelodge in Codford would be great, but sadly there isn't such a thing.

[iddu]

YHPM

[andyp]

and another PM, this time from Dorchester

[mattc]

Anyone have any (helpful) thoughts on this ?

Yes:

Where do I flipping start? You're totally bonkers! Stay home, wash the cat, re-sort your Arrivee collection, read War and Peace.

[Ian H]

and another PM, this time from Dorchester

YHPM

Good on you, chaps.

[GPS]

Anyone have any (helpful) thoughts on this ?

Yes:

Where do I flipping start? You're totally bonkers! Stay home, wash the cat, re-sort your Arrivee collection, read War and Peace.

Ah - but where's the fun in that ? 

[GPS]

and another PM, this time from Dorchester

YHPM

Good on you, chaps.

I'd just like to say - I really appreciate the offers of help. Very generous !

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

Right then. The tyres have been pumped up, the chain oiled and the moustache waxed. I'm as ready to ride the Crackpot as I'll ever be.

I'll start the ride at 8pm this Friday from that spiritual starting place for so many a Wessex ride, the 24 hour BP garage on Longfleet Road.

I'm sticking to the most recent route sheet with the intention of 'doing it proper' - despite the change of date / season etc. ...

Because I'm riding it in the winter, sleeping in a box in a Wells alleyway is out - despite the obvious lure of such accommodation. Instead I have a place to stop and sleep for the second night in Somerton.

The problem I have now is the third night. I don't where I'll be on the road, so booking anything is tricky. I imagine I could be anywhere between Dorchester and Membury Services. The Days Inn at Membury Services is an option, but will they be able to check me in in the small hours ? I've read a review that stated that there was no-one there to check the reviewer in. That's no good. I could stink up the Burger King for a few hours, but I doubt it'll be restful enough at that point. There's a Premier Inn at Dorchester too, but that might be too early after the stop in Somerton. Anyone have any (helpful) thoughts on this ? A new Travelodge in Codford would be great, but sadly there isn't such a thing.

You are a braver man than I am.  Good luck and hopefully not too much bon voyage (when it rains).

[Jonah]

Good luck matey - let us know your progress

[Hummers]

Right then. The tyres have been pumped up, the chain oiled and the moustache waxed. I'm as ready to ride the Crackpot as I'll ever be.

I'll start the ride at 8pm this Friday from that spiritual starting place for so many a Wessex ride, the 24 hour BP garage on Longfleet Road.

I'm sticking to the most recent route sheet with the intention of 'doing it proper' - despite the change of date / season etc. ...

Because I'm riding it in the winter, sleeping in a box in a Wells alleyway is out - despite the obvious lure of such accommodation. Instead I have a place to stop and sleep for the second night in Somerton.

The problem I have now is the third night. I don't where I'll be on the road, so booking anything is tricky. I imagine I could be anywhere between Dorchester and Membury Services. The Days Inn at Membury Services is an option, but will they be able to check me in in the small hours ? I've read a review that stated that there was no-one there to check the reviewer in. That's no good. I could stink up the Burger King for a few hours, but I doubt it'll be restful enough at that point. There's a Premier Inn at Dorchester too, but that might be too early after the stop in Somerton. Anyone have any (helpful) thoughts on this ? A new Travelodge in Codford would be great, but sadly there isn't such a thing.

There is a pub in Codford but I don't know if it does accommodation plus another in Corton (Dove Inn) which does. You could always call them and find out.

All the best on the ride and I hope it stays reasonably mild for you. 

H

[Jonah]

You're already in the best ride...

[tonyh]

Ongoing mental support operating!

[andyp]

There's a live track (some of the time) here: goo.gl/Jdt0O8

[tonyh]

Thanks Andrew!

[swiss hat]

The boy's making good progress looking at the tracker. Already over Dunkery Beacon and tackling the extreme lumpiness of Exmoor. Allez!

[hillbilly]

Hopefully the weather is as mild over in Wessex as it is in the south east.
The level of audacity in taking on this route in the winter is off the scale.

[teethgrinder]

Riding it as a solo DIY is something, let alone doing it in winter.
Looks like it's my turn to watch someone else on a live tracker.

[marcusjb]

Hopefully the weather is as mild over in Wessex as it is in the south east.
The level of audacity in taking on this route in the winter is off the scale.

Indeed. I keep thinking "he's got lucky with the weather", but then remind myself that it is still many, many hours of riding in the dark on the special Wessex lanes.

Amazing.

Not something I would consider, I would want to see more of what I am climbing over!