Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Rides and Touring => Topic started by: JBB on 12 June, 2019, 03:45:23 pm
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Just wondered if there would be any interest in a camping and audax beginners/dawdlers weekend her on 3/4th August. I rode through here about 10 days ago and it's quite attractive. I don't know the area well so recommendations for a campsite would be good.
There are 3 audax rides including a 50k specifically aimed at beginners http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/19-5/. Also 100k and 200k so something for everyone.
Your thoughts appreciated
Julia
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Lovely idea. Alas I'll be going to Watlington with the Lightweight Campers.
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Shame about that. I still think I may well go. Any ideas on campsites in the area Kim?
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Only one I have experience of is the Cottage of Content pub at Barton (http://www.cottageofcontent.com), which the ALC visited back in March. The meet was marred by the proprietors having forgotten we were coming, so most of the facilities were out of action, and some emergency plumbing was required.
Perfectly reasonable behind-a-pub camping field. Couple of decent loo/showers (when not full of building supplies), washing up sinks (when supplied with water), water and electrons at the pitches around the field. Field gets muddy when wet, but didn't seem to flood. Pub does food and crusty beer.
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The Fruit Farm at Hales Abbey is popular with lightweight campers. It is between Evesham and Winchcombe.
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I might come with apollo as he has only had one outing this year .I will keep a eye on this thread :)
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Of the two sites i quite like the sound of the Fruit Farm as the other one charges by the pitch which gets a bit pricy for 1, especially as they want a 2 night bookig at the weekend and I may just need one night - depending on interest!
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Definitely interested. I've only ever passed through Honeybourne on the way to... camp sites elsewhere!
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The way things are currently standing re: family commitments, this is a possibility for me. Pencil me in.
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I can really recommend the orchard getaway in Evesham. Marcus and Kirsty are big randonneurs themselves and very accommodating to cyclists. So long as you're ok with organic toilets (not a problem for me) then you're bound to have a lovely stay ☺️
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Marcus and Kirsty: LVIS? ???
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Didn't realise that Orchard Getaway took campers with their own tents so I have learnt something new. I cycle pass there quite often as I meet up for some Sunday rides with friends from Evesham.
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Marcus and Kirsty: LVIS? ???
That's them!
When I rode from Windsor to do the Tramping the Two Loop brevet they very kindly lent me a tent of their own to save me bringing one with me.
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I had no idea they were up there now. Good to know. :thumbsup:
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Oops. Family commitments now put me elsewhere (camping in France!) on this weekend, so cross me off the list. Have fun.
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Oops. Family commitments now put me elsewhere (camping in France!) on this weekend, so cross me off the list. Have fun.
Bum, hope to catch up soonish!
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OK people - looks like we have an event! See below for correpondance. Can I have an idea of numbers ASAP. For what we can expect see here https://orchardgetaway.co.uk/facilities/
"Hi Julia,
Great to hear you're getting more people into Audaxing and we'd be very happy to support that kind of initiative. I suspect it was Calum who put you onto us.
We can find some space for your tents, assuming they will be 1 or 2 man? It will be £10 per person per night which includes use of our showers and kitchen tent with gas stoves, pots and crockery.
Hope this sounds Ok so let me know if you'd like to go ahead and book. Kirsty might well be joining you for the Audax too!
regards
Marcus"
"Hi Marcus and Kirsty,
I have suggested on a cycling forum I frequent
(YACF) that I semi-organise a weekend of introducing members to Audax.
One of our members who did the Tramping the Two Loop brevet mentioned
you and said it was a fantastic place to stay but checking your website
it only refers to Glamping. Can you help a few (maybe 6?) middle aged
lightweight campers with a patch of grass for the 3rd and 4th of August?
Yours hopefully
Julia Baker-Beall"
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Yeah, put me down for camping and most likely I'll pretend to be an audaxer again.
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<definite possible. Probably ... >
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I rode the inaugural (I think) 200 last year and enjoyed it. The first 100 was very easy which led to a bit of a queue at the cafe stop half way around. The second loop is hillier and so slower. I believe the org has swapped the order in which they are rode this year so hopefully less waiting at the cafe control (the staff at the cafe worked hard and were cheerful just a bit swamped by the numbers.
Plan to ride it again this year but too close to home to camp.
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No worries, I've just entered the flatter 100 in the hope of encouragi n g a few others to give it a go....
I rode the inaugural (I think) 200 last year and enjoyed it. The first 100 was very easy which led to a bit of a queue at the cafe stop half way around. The second loop is hillier and so slower. I believe the org has swapped the order in which they are rode this year so hopefully less waiting at the cafe control (the staff at the cafe worked hard and were cheerful just a bit swamped by the numbers.
Plan to ride it again this year but too close to home to camp.
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Lovely idea. Alas I'll be going to Watlington with the Lightweight Campers.
It occurs to me that Honeybourne is on the (hilly) way to Watlington...
Is the plan to stay the night of the 4th (it being a bank holiday weekend)? If so, I could split the journey back and join you for a bit of loitering within tent, if not the actual audaxing.
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Sadly Monday is not a bank holiday in England but the plan is still fluid atm.
Lovely idea. Alas I'll be going to Watlington with the Lightweight Campers.
It occurs to me that Honeybourne is on the (hilly) way to Watlington...
Is the plan to stay the night of the 4th (it being a bank holiday weekend)? If so, I could split the journey back and join you for a bit of loitering within tent, if not the actual audaxing.
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Sadly Monday is not a bank holiday in England
Oh yes. I should learn to read...
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OK, so that's a select group of two! I'll check how we pay, I think o know or two others may join us on the day!
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What a superb spot! Dinner consumed, teeth brushed and old to bed now.
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Glad you like it guys have a great ride ;D
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We did have a great ride! Now, only nearly two weeks after the event, is a little report.
Orchard Getaway is simply gorgeous. It might seem a bit obvious to point out that it's in an orchard, but it seems a good place to start because it establishes that in this place, everything is as described. We were camping in an area of wild and cultivated plum trees, I'm not sure what other trees they have. The wild plums were small, dark, slightly tart skins, just falling off the trees when we were there and absolutely delicious. The cultivated varieties were still some way off being ripe (and I'd have to check whether it's okay to pick those as Kirsty did mention they get picked for sale). So we had a quiet area of mown grass with a useful table. Not far away were showers, clean and with very hot water, and two composting toilets, which are not odourless but nowhere near as smelly as you might imagine. The lighting in the toilets was a bit dodgy – the whole site is off-grid, so the lighting is solar, and despite the sunny weather it didn't seem to be charging or storing or something, so do take a head torch. There are also a number of candle lanterns available.
Then there's the cooking area. You could actually camp here with nothing other than a tent, because the cooking area provides everything you could possibly need to cook, apart from food. There's an area under a marquee, with gas burners, a variety of pots and pans, a large amount of crockery and cutlery, etc. There's also free tea bags and coffee (instant and ground). And of course drinking water – the water in the washing up area is not drinkable, see 'off-grid' for explanation. Just in front of the cooking area are two large tables under canvas, with a number of lanterns.
For those who don't even want to bring a tent, there are yurts, bell tents and a converted railway goods wagon for hire. I was able to look in the wagon as it wasn't occupied, and it looks far more comfortable than anything any hobo ever travelled in. Southern Railway, for those who care, though I'm afraid I can't swear to the paintwork being in authentic colours. The site is incredibly quiet and peaceful; we heard virtually no traffic pass on Saturday or Sunday evening, though there was some commuter traffic Monday morning.
The Barnt Green Bash is a fab little audax. A really well thought out route, winding around major conurbations on quiet lanes such that you'd never guess you were so close until you see signposts such as "Bromsgrove 2 miles" or Redditch or Birmingham. The only built up area the route enters, other than Honeybourne itself, is Barn Green, where the half-way cafe is. Quite a decent little cafe, apparently it had opened specially for the ride that day.
The cafe provided a sort of reality check for me. It's quite some time since I rode a calendar event and even longer since I rode a 100, so I was mentally thinking "Ok, cafe at 51km, about a quarter of the way round." But of course we were actually half-way there and it was time for lunch! Late lunch probably, as we'd left about half an hour after the start due mostly to my bungling when putting the bike in the back of JBB's car. With a low minimum speed (I think it was 12.5km/h) this didn't really matter and in fact gave us pleasant company in the form of a couple from Gloucester and two newbies(?) from Derby. Apart from this, there was mutual wheel-sucking in Lickey End, a visit to Twatling Road (in Barnt Green), a diversion so I could ride through a ford (JBB said "This had better have water in it" but then declined to ride through on the grounds of no mudguards), and a monster hot headwind on the last 15km.
After that JBB drove off to look after the grandkids and I spent an hour or more lost in Evesham looking for a Co-op I'd been told was on Davies Rd (it was, but in a rather unexpected location). I meandered homeward on Monday and Tuesday, staying at Arlingham on Monday night and seeing a lot of other cyclists in the rain on Tuesday, including a bloke who was riding from Leeds to Chippenham following a print-out from cycle.travel in a map trap. Old skool!