Mid-Essex Mid-Week Nocturnal Series

[huggy]

Bike Route Toaster doesn't appear to be playing nicely.  It won't display the route I lovingly uploaded.

Clicky
 

[Oscar's dad]

Bike Route Toaster doesn't appear to be playing nicely.  It won't display the route I lovingly uploaded.

Clicky
 

Here is the route on Bikely

[huggy]

Here is the route on Bikely

I have submitted an enhancement request to Bikely to change their road surface description to OD Route 

[Tomsk]

On further consideration, I could actually meet up with you all fairly early on - at Stisted, maybe. Its about the same distance for me from Dunmow as your route, if I can leave at 19:00 prompt. I'd take a direct route through Braintree so I'd be there before 20:00....how does that sound?

[Oscar's dad]

Top banana.

[Christophe]

I'll meet you at the pub. Going to cycle home from work tonight so should be there for 10ish.

[Tomsk]

Stisted: The Onley Arms [outside, unless its very cold, or I'm way early.....] - on your route through the village.

[huggy]

Alternative route cutting out Pebmarsh & Bures (Could be trimmed further by going directly to Stisted if under time pressure.)

I guesstimate that we'll be at The Onley Arms, Stisted, 50 minutes after setting off from the Powers Hall End roundabout.  Departure time depends upon if Oaky joins in from the start.
Sans Okay departure time 7pm
With Oaky departure time probably 7:45
Respective arrival times at Feering will likely be 9:30 or 10:15.

Paging Oaky for likelness of joining and meeting at roundabout or Peg Millar's Lane.

[Oscar's dad]

Alternative route cutting out Pebmarsh & Bures (Could be trimmed further by going directly to Stisted if under time pressure.)

 

Let's go with your route suggestion.  I will follow your backwheel, you've got until 1900 hrs to fettle a better rear mudguard 

7pm at the roundabout then?

[Oaky]

I'm going to be setting off a bit later from Witham, around 7:30 ish, so I'll plot an intercept course and try to pick you up en-route.

I'll work on the assumption that you'll be following the track posted by huggy just now.  Hopefully, huggy will be doing the navigation for the advance party, otherwise I realise my reasoning is fatally flawed given prior experience of OD's navigational methodology, but hey-ho!

My idea is to head out of Witham to the south, pick up the Witham Westerley route through Kelvedon, Coggeshall, to Great Tey, pick up the reverse of your route and collide head-on with you somewhere between Great Tey and Bures (probably closer to Gt Tey, given the trimmed route).

[Oscar's dad]

Hopefully, huggy will be doing the navigation for the advance party, otherwise I realise my reasoning is fatally flawed given prior experience of OD's navigational methodology, but hey-ho!

Git.  None taken.

[Oaky]

Footnote:  if I get this far before catching up with you (unlikely),  I'll probably wait there rather than enduresample the delights of the farm track/bridleway

[huggy]

...huggy will be doing the navigation for the advance party, otherwise I realise my reasoning is fatally flawed given prior experience of OD's navigational methodology, but hey-ho!

I'll do the navigating because if OD sucks my wheel as he said he would he won't be able to see his GPS for all the mud covering it carefully directed at it by the angle of my rear mudguard 

7pm @ the roundabout 

Footnote:  if I get this far before catching up with you (unlikely),  I'll probably wait there rather than enduresample the delights of the farm track/bridleway

If you get that far you'll be waiting for us a long time!  My route intercepts Jupe's Hill at Lower Green Rd 

[Oscar's dad]

You're both gits 

[Oaky]

Footnote:  if I get this far before catching up with you (unlikely),  I'll probably wait there rather than enduresample the delights of the farm track/bridleway

If you get that far you'll be waiting for us a long time!  My route intercepts Jupe's Hill at Lower Green Rd 

Aha ... - the location above was form the original version of the route...  I should've spotted that farm track/bridleway as a surefire marker that OD had designed the route I was looking at

[huggy]

Aha ... - the location above was form the original version of the route...  I should've spotted that farm track/bridleway as a surefire marker that OD had designed the route I was looking at

Indeed, you see the logic in my alternative route proposal.
We can only let OD do so much of the route planning   

Edit: Guesstimate of arrival time at Jupe's Hill at Lower Green Rd @ 8:35

[Oaky]

My guesstimate of position at 8:35 is just N of Great Tey, so I should pick you up somewhere near The Swan Inn, Chappel, subject to the usual disclaimers about estimates, departure times, leaves on the track, contents settling in transit, bears etc.

[Oscar's dad]

Aha ... - the location above was form the original version of the route...  I should've spotted that farm track/bridleway as a surefire marker that OD had designed the route I was looking at

Indeed, you see the logic in my alternative route proposal.
We can only let OD do so much of the route planning   

My work here is done 

*Wanders off in search of a sunset*

[huggy]

...I will follow your backwheel, you've got until 1900 hrs to fettle a better rear mudguard 

Not ready for tonight but you will like following my backwheel after Saturday 

[Oscar's dad]

So, last night.  A decent enough ride, Huggy managed to find a fair quota of rubbish roads covered with slippy looking mud.  The Bell is a perfectly fine pub.

Its fair to say that myself, Huggy and Oaky are looking forward to the end of abstinence. 

[Christophe]

Well as a late comer last night I thought I'd walked in to the wrong pub. There was none of the usual hi jinx or jovial banter, just the bar man, a couple of locals and four miserable looking blokes sat in the corner nursing various soft drinks.
Turns out the miserable blokes were in fact OD, Oaky, Tomsk and Huggy, all on a month of temperance. Tomato juice and lime and soda all round then.....
I've been on the wagon for months but these guys are suffering from severe withdrawal after four weeks of abstinence. Roll on 1st December when normal service is resumed.

[Oscar's dad]

Roll on 1st December when normal service is resumed.

Ahem to that!  For me abstinence has been OK in the main, but I have found pubs very hard to endure.  And if you think that reflects badly on me you're probably right.

EDIT - Tomsk was enjoying the beer - sensible man.

[Christophe]

Don't worry, next weekend will be fry up, pub, pub, pub lunch, pub, pub, pickled eggs, crisps, beer, huffer, beer, beer, beer, beer, tent. Sleep

[huggy]

I am now in receipt of......let me count them.......oh yes, 4 nominations 
You have had the duty of voting bestowed upon you, please fulfill your duty before next weekend 

The nominations for the MEMWNS of the Year have been flooding in..........both of them.  Remember that you all have a vote and you don't even need to get yourself to a polling station on a Thursday - all you have to do is PM me with your nomination and your reasons for nominating.

Forget about the 9 Saturdays left for Christmas shopping there are less than 45* cycling days left before the Mid-Essex Chapter yacf Christmas Do
With that very much planted in your minds you are cordially invited to submit nominations for the 2013 MEMWNS of the Year trophy.  As tradition dictates nominations are secretly PM'd to the incumbent - that honour is mine until the evening of 6th December.

Please send the name of your nominee with at least 3 justifying reasons that person is worthy of the esteemed privilege of receiving the MEMWNS of the Year trophy at the Christmas Do.

The precedent has been set that the recipient does not in fact have to be present to have the honour bestowed upon them, however the trophy does need to be displayed in a prominent position in the abode of the winner.

NOTE: Nominating previous winners of the trophy should be avoided. Previous winners are - 2010 Tomsk, 2011 Oaky, 2012 Huggy

As a reminder of what is at stake here is the trophy in all its glory lovingly cuddled by Rudolph - musky pelt of destiny (or is it Morris the Moose?)


^*Correct at the time of original posting

[Oscar's dad]

Don't worry, next weekend will be fry up, pub, pub, pub lunch, pub, pub, pickled eggs, crisps, beer, huffer, beer, beer, beer, beer, tent. Sleep

Oh Lordy, how will we cope