Author Topic: Solstice WARTY (Read 15418 times)

Wowbagger · « **on:** 20 April, 2010, 03:58:34 pm »

Overnight, Saturday 19th June. It's not the Solstice but it's as near as makes no difference, apart, of course, from something like 30,000 people crowding round Stonehenge.

Castle Cary to Pewsey via Glastonbury and Stonehenge.

I've just booked tickets from Paddington to Castle Cary for £10.50, Pewsey to Southend Vic, £8.50. For some reason, the really cheap through tickets I bought last year aren't available on the way out.

I'm booked on the 13.30 from Paddington which requires a change at Bath, and the 10.06 from Pewsey which goes straight back to Paddington.

The plan will be to eat curry in Glastonbury, climb the tor, watch the sun set, cycle to Stonehenge, carefully avoiding being knocked off by a badger, watch the sun rise, cross the Lark Hill Artillery Range, eat breakfast on the north side of Salisbury Plain (bring your own and something to cook it with) and then pootle back to Pewsey in time for the 10.06.

delthebike · « **Reply #1 on:** 20 April, 2010, 04:08:42 pm »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 20 April, 2010, 03:58:34 pm

carefully avoiding being knocked off by a badger

Which most of us managed to do last year.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #2 on:** 20 April, 2010, 05:05:48 pm »

Bugger! My train-fu let me down. Trying to book from Southend Victoria to Castle Carey showed a lowest price of £31. If I'd tried Southend Central it would have been £13. So I shall have to waste £3.70 on a single from Southend to Fenchurch Street.

Pippa · « **Reply #3 on:** 20 April, 2010, 05:26:50 pm »

This was an excellent ride last year - one of my favourites....

Bah - there is a FNRttC the night before.

Hmmm, decisions decisions....

Adam · « **Reply #4 on:** 20 April, 2010, 08:19:45 pm »

I was just about to suggest how about riding out from London to do this. But then I remembered I've already signed up to do the FNRttC to Cleethorpes.

rower40 · « **Reply #5 on:** 20 April, 2010, 08:45:09 pm »

It's a plan. But this time:

A bike with better brakes...
...Which I leave at the foot of the Tor rather than carrying it many vertical metres
More effective Hayfever remedies

So it'll be the Grasshopper recumbent. Mmm, Hydraulic Disky goodness.

The good thing about it not being the actual Solstice is that we won't lose quite so much time getting to the Stones and back.

Put me down as "Provisional".

TimO · « **Reply #6 on:** 20 April, 2010, 09:27:32 pm »

I was going to do the York/Cleethorpes FNRttC, but train availability and cost was becoming silly.

So, I decided to do this ride instead, since it was great fun last year, and was buggering about with the online train booking system, but it wouldn't take my Debit Card.

I tried to ring up my bank, but their system also wouldn't let me through.

Assuming I manage to get through to A&L tomorrow, and work out what's happened to my Card, I'll book the tickets for this then (hopefully).

Failing that, I'll be buggered to spend much money for several weeks whilst trying to get a new debit card (been there, done that...)

Why is it with all the other improvements with things that the Internet has given us, banks seemed to have used it to find even better ways to bugger up our lives.

Kim · « **Reply #7 on:** 21 April, 2010, 02:34:14 pm »

Gah, that's it - no more cycling events on this weekend!

I was looking forward to this one. But also the FNRtCleethorpes.

And then they announced that Bristol's Biggest Bike Ride is going to be on the Sunday (which I am committed to joining a group of mixed-ability friends[1] from IRC on for moral support purposes).

Since there's no way I can be in two places at once, I'll have to miss this one and see if I can come up with a Cunning Plan for the FNRttC. Say hi to the badger for me.

[1] Including a type 2 diabetic who's managed to go from "does no exercise" to "can cycle ~8miles into bastardly headwind" in less than a month.

TimO · « **Reply #8 on:** 21 April, 2010, 07:04:21 pm »

After much buggering about with websites and talking to my bank (which was a challenge in itself), I've worked out that the reason I couldn't book any train tickets, was because Firefox thought that the Verified by Visa (aka 3D Secure) system was a Cross Site Scripting Vulnerability. I think various page reloads made it difficult to see, but eventually I twigged and told the sodding thing to do an unsafe reload.

On the plus side, buggering about with different sites, I found that I could get the Tickets cheaper on the Southern Website than I could on the East Coast one.

The ticket from Paddington to Castle Cary was £25 on East Coast, but only £10-50 on Southern.

So, I've got exactly the same tickets as Wowbagger, and will have the same dash through Bath station with 7 minutes to get from one train to the next.

I hope the stairs aren't too bad.

Pippa · « **Reply #9 on:** 21 April, 2010, 10:01:59 pm »

Right I think I'll do this ride instead of the FNRttC as it was ace last year (and I'll try not to topple over on a hill this time too!).

Skinny tyres on Salisbury Plain again may lead to some "eeping".

Smoked salmon, cream cheese and bagels anyone?

TimO · « **Reply #10 on:** 21 April, 2010, 10:26:32 pm »

Oh, I'd forgotten the lumpy bits on that route !

Pippa · « **Reply #11 on:** 21 April, 2010, 10:33:15 pm »

I hadn't

Wowbagger · « **Reply #12 on:** 21 April, 2010, 10:42:16 pm »

Quote from: Pippa on 21 April, 2010, 10:01:59 pm

Right I think I'll do this ride instead of the FNRttC as it was ace last year (and I'll try not to topple over on a hill this time too!).

Skinny tyres on Salisbury Plain again may lead to some "eeping".

Smoked salmon, cream cheese and bagels anyone?

Excellent news all round!

TimO · « **Reply #13 on:** 22 April, 2010, 12:28:39 am »

I'm going to have to start planning what gadget I can buy to compete with last years folding mug.

Jurek · « **Reply #14 on:** 22 April, 2010, 12:32:50 am »

Err... Tim, that looks like a terracotta plant pot.....

rower40 · « **Reply #15 on:** 22 April, 2010, 07:34:56 am »

The lumpy bits are another reason for bringing my full-sus' 'bent. As well as (more) smoked salmon, I'll have to bring boxes of choccys to ~~bribe the Train Managers to let me on board~~ thank the Train Managers for their stressful job.

TimO · « **Reply #16 on:** 22 April, 2010, 07:40:53 am »

Quote from: Jurek on 22 April, 2010, 12:32:50 am

Err... Tim, that looks like a terracotta plant pot.....

If it is, it's a terracotta pot which folds flat:

Jurek · « **Reply #17 on:** 22 April, 2010, 10:54:56 am »

It would appear that one has had rail tickets booked for one.
Arriving at Castle Carey at 16:40.
I strongly suspect I shall have company

We'll catch you in the Curry Shoppe, assuming you've not missed your connection.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #18 on:** 22 April, 2010, 03:22:00 pm »

Quote from: Jurek on 22 April, 2010, 10:54:56 am

It would appear that one has had rail tickets booked for one.

Your company will be an honour, your majesty.

LEE · « **Reply #19 on:** 22 April, 2010, 04:50:22 pm »

What could possibly go wrong?

Photo courtesy of: TimO

LEE · « **Reply #20 on:** 22 April, 2010, 11:28:46 pm »

Quote from: TimO on 22 April, 2010, 07:40:53 am

Quote from: Jurek on 22 April, 2010, 12:32:50 am
Err... Tim, that looks like a terracotta plant pot.....

If it is, it's a terracotta pot which folds flat:

Thanks for this size comparison, I've often wondered how large a 50p piece was.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #21 on:** 10 June, 2010, 11:04:53 pm »

This is currently looking like a very select bunch. Any more for any more?

Wowbagger · « **Reply #22 on:** 11 June, 2010, 03:47:33 pm »

I've been onto the recorded announcement about access to the Larkhill Range (NCN 45) but it's less informative than last year.

Basically, no access when the red flags are flying and, during the period for which the announcement related (4th-18th June), no access. Whether there will be any access on 20th remains to be seen.

TimO · « **Reply #23 on:** 11 June, 2010, 04:30:45 pm »

Nice though it was to cycle across the range, I suspect those with narrow wheels won't miss the potholes!

I guess we'll need a backup route around the range, rather than through it. I had a hunt around for info on the web about closures a while back, and this could be useful:

Defense Estates : Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA) News Sheet for the month of June 2010.

Quote

NON FIRING DAYS ON LARKHILL/WESTDOWN DANGER AREA : 5th, 6th, 13th, 19th, 20th, 26th, 27th.

They really don't make this information easy to find though.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #24 on:** 11 June, 2010, 07:59:31 pm »

Did their website really spell "Defence" like that?

Author Topic: Solstice WARTY (Read 15418 times)

LEE

LEE