It depends on Danial's attitude, and also on when the school at Brampton is available. Heather has always liked a full day before the arrival of the first riders.
There was no access to the kitchens for the volunteers in 2013, the professional caterers could use it, but the volunteers weren't insured in their absence. I'm told that the facilities company that now does the cooking wants to cater for LEL. That's the same arrangement as Edinburgh.
I note that Danial has booked the hostel in Alston, so that might function as a control for the Sunday night if the economics of the Brampton control dictate taking it on from Monday morning. I know what Heather's response might be if she had to set the control up while it's active. It's possible logistically, but she'd be very grumpy.
The Brampton control is the most expensive control, as it's open for so long. it's worth looking at Jo's visualisation, and adding up the outbound and return visit overlap.
There's been a lot of work done on modelling a smoother demand profile for the controls over the years. A Northern start to provide greater occupancy in the first part of the ride was abandoned, as it meant controls being booked for too long. A northern start which didn't go South of York wouldn't do that.
However, I would anticipate complaints from London, which is why I worked out a way that they could participate easily. I actually have in mind randonneur couples, one might want to do the 1400, while their partner might like to share the experience, but in a shorter format. In 2001 Matt Settle and Liz Crotty came from the USA to ride LEL from Thorne, as they wanted to visit Yorkshire, specifically Settle. Liz dropped out at Thorne, gaining the 800 homologation.
I feel there's a demand for a northern ride, all it really needs is a sleep control at about 16 hours, a routesheet and a brevet card. It could be restricted in a number of ways, former volunteers, former riders, partners of 2017 riders. It could improve the figures for the Northern controls. It could also be a business opportunity for a coach company.
I'd be up for organising a 200 rider event using surplus capacity from LEL, and avoiding a clash with fully stretched controls. Obviously if it's linked with LEL the organisers would define the entry criteria, and price. I'd also draw up a spec for coach companies to quote, although I'd like a margin on that. It's not conceptually different from a sports club tour, apart from carrying bicycles.