Linked Events

  • FNRtME Birmingham - Rollright Stones: 14 September, 2012 - 15 September, 2012

Author Topic: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth) to Rollright Stones - 14-15 Sept  (Read 24471 times)

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Edited copiously, now we know what we're doing:

We've got a fair amount of enthusiasm for a night ride on the ideas thread, so I thought I'd kick this one off and leave that for general ideas.

Rollright Stones has the popular vote - because Stonehenge is a bit far.  It's a reasonably pleasant ride out of Birmingham, following the Rea Valley cycle route as far as King[']s Norton, before climbing Primrose Hill and taking to the lanes.  There's a 24 hour Tesco at Stratford-Upon-Avon about 48km into the ride we can use as a halfway stop.  The plan is to reach the stones for sunrise, then head to Banbury (a little over 20km away, mostly downhill) for breakfast and an abundance of trains back to Birmingham, That London, or elsewhere.

Friday the 14th of September is the winning date.  Meet in the main concourse of Birmingham New Street station - by the coffee place and the departures boards - at 23:30

If you want to meet us at Stratford, I expect we'll be at Tesco between 03:00 and 04:00.



This is an inclusive ride - we go at the pace of the slowest rider, nobody's left behind.  If we don't make it to the Stones for sunrise (6:42am), then so be it.  People who haven't done much night-riding before are especially welcome.

The updated route, including - by popular request - a diversion to Anne Hathaway's Cottage, is here:
Bikehike
GPX download

It's 108km / 67miles in total to Banbury station.

The terrain is what I'd describe as 'incessantly rolling', with an unavoidable bastard hill (in two parts) on the way out of Birmingham, and another on the final approach to the stones.  Some flat stuff in the Stratford area, though.  It's also worth saying that over the last couple of weeks, 'they' have seen fit to top-dress most of the minor roads south of Birmingham.  I'll be avoiding a couple of problem lanes, but we're going to encounter roads with plenty of loose gravel along the centre line and at junctions.  I suggest not riding on anything too skittery in the tyre department.

Lighting wise, you're going to want something decent up front you can see by.  This is largely on unlit lanes with pothole and gravel hazards.  Head torches are useful.  Obnoxious rear lights shouldn't be necessary, though; most of these roads are quiet during the daytime so should be pretty much car-free at night.  Make sure you've got enough batteries to last the night (a good 7+ hours).

Extra clothing, mudguards, racks, CAKE, etc. are encouraged.  A flask of hot drink or lightweight brew kit wouldn't be a terrible idea, either:  The tearoom closest to the stones doesn't open until 9, by which point I expect we'll be in Banbury.  If you bring a poorly-maintained bike, paper-thin tyres or wheels with about 4 spokes in them, then we reserve the right to point and laugh if they go wrong.  ;)

Attending:

Kim
?robgul (meeting us at Stratford)
bodger
jogler
Basil (for the ride out of Birmingham)
nobby
andrewc
gerwinium
Wowbagger
Paul
?Polar Bear +1
?mcshroom
fungus

robgul

  • Cycle:End-to-End webmaster
  • cyclist, Cytech accredited mechanic & woodworker
    • Cycle:End-to-End
Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #1 on: 22 July, 2012, 02:26:48 pm »
Rollrights sound good to me ... and, Yes - there's a 24hr Tesco in Stratford-upon-Avon - north side of the town on the Birmingham Road/A3400.

Not sure about cafes in Banbury for breakfast.

Warning - getting to the Rollrights by anything like a direct route involves a very tough climb ... be that from Long Compton, Little Compton or Whichford.   I can supply a recommended route from SuA to Rollright and then to Banbury - on the Chiltern rail line  (or the ride back to SuA isn't that far for trains to Brum)

Rob

andygates

  • Peroxide Viking
Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #2 on: 22 July, 2012, 02:52:49 pm »
The hill up from the station is short and sharp, nicer IMO than the others which are a bit of a twisty grind.  And you really feel you've earned your stones.
It takes blood and guts to be this cool but I'm still just a cliché.
OpenStreetMap UK & IRL Streetmap & Topo: ravenfamily.org/andyg/maps updates weekly.

Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #3 on: 22 July, 2012, 03:02:13 pm »
Any idea how far the Rollright stones are from Brum?

There are trains back to Wolvo from Moreton in Marsh, via Worcester and Smethwick
Never knowingly under caffeinated

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #4 on: 22 July, 2012, 03:10:42 pm »
Any idea how far the Rollright stones are from Brum?

A bit over 80km / 50 miles, by a reasonably direct route via Stratford.

Basil

  • Um....err......oh bugger!
  • Help me!
Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #5 on: 22 July, 2012, 03:17:21 pm »
*votes for the Rollright Stones*
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #6 on: 22 July, 2012, 04:02:58 pm »
Any idea how far the Rollright stones are from Brum?

A bit over 80km / 50 miles, by a reasonably direct route via Stratford.

Start time? Need to calculate if the night is long enough for me to get there  :)
Never knowingly under caffeinated

Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #7 on: 22 July, 2012, 04:09:53 pm »
Worcester to Aberystwyth is a straightforward but interesting night ride and is exactly 100 miles..

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #8 on: 22 July, 2012, 04:23:31 pm »
Any idea how far the Rollright stones are from Brum?

A bit over 80km / 50 miles, by a reasonably direct route via Stratford.

Start time? Need to calculate if the night is long enough for me to get there  :)

Midnight's traditional, but I suggest that sunrise-n might be a better approach, where n is however long it's likely to take to get there.

Barakta's not up to the hills or the distance, unfortunately - she just hasn't been doing very much riding - but I'd like this to be as inclusive as possible.

Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #9 on: 22 July, 2012, 04:51:29 pm »
... I'd like this to be as inclusive as possible.

Sounds like a decent plan to me.

mcshroom

  • Mushroom
Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #10 on: 22 July, 2012, 04:58:13 pm »
As I'm not a WMer feel free to ignore me, but one of the advantages of a midnight start is that there's usually trains to the start reasonably close to midnight from all over, whereas 3am on a Saturday is in a train equivalent of a black hole.

Of course there's nothing wrong with riding in daylight either :)
Climbs like a sprinter, sprints like a climber!

robgul

  • Cycle:End-to-End webmaster
  • cyclist, Cytech accredited mechanic & woodworker
    • Cycle:End-to-End
Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #11 on: 22 July, 2012, 05:08:32 pm »
Any idea how far the Rollright stones are from Brum?

There are trains back to Wolvo from Moreton in Marsh, via Worcester and Smethwick

Trains from Banbury to Moor St (and ride through the tunnel to New St) are much more frequent than the M-i-M line, especially at weekends.

Rob

robgul

  • Cycle:End-to-End webmaster
  • cyclist, Cytech accredited mechanic & woodworker
    • Cycle:End-to-End
Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #12 on: 22 July, 2012, 05:11:19 pm »
Date ... likely date?   

- just don't make it 7/8 Sept I'll be busy (plug . . . ) with MacRide & Shakespeare 100* which are on Sunday 9 September.

Rob

* The Shakespeare 100 ride (100 mile version) route goes past the Rollrights.

rower40

  • Not my boat. Now sold.
Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #13 on: 22 July, 2012, 06:48:22 pm »
As I'm not a WMer feel free to ignore me, but one of the advantages of a midnight start is that there's usually trains to the start reasonably close to midnight from all over, whereas 3am on a Saturday is in a train equivalent of a black hole.

Of course there's nothing wrong with riding in daylight either :)
My preference is for a before-midnight start; say, 9 or 10 or 11pm. This means the ride is well underway when pubs disgorge their long-stay customers. An earlier finish (6am rather than 9am) is more train-friendly, because early-morning trains are emptier, and their guards have had fewer obnoxious people to deal with that day yet.
There are usually several near-empty trains on most commuter routes before the rush hour proper starts.
Be Naughty; save Santa a trip

Si

Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #14 on: 22 July, 2012, 09:00:39 pm »
I voted the Rollright stones (only 'cos I suggested it) - re nearby cafes - does the bus station cafe in Banbury still open odd hours?

As for routes - I'm sure that someone else can do better than me - I only suggested it because I remember going there on an audax from Brum years ago and it being a nice ride.

Start time....may sound odd, but I prefer my night rides with as little riding in the dark as possible as my seeing lights only last three hours, so I'd vote: sunrise - (time to get there).

Dates, Sept 1st and 8th I'm being taught how to ride a bike, but think that I'm free on other weekends.

Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #15 on: 23 July, 2012, 10:14:40 am »
In terms of reaching Middle Earth, we in Rugby can get there as late as 23:16 on a Friday night.   I'm thinking though that perhaps we should meet up much earlier and go for a pre-ride nosh somewhere away from the centre of Brum on a Friday evening, maybe?   

Where is the nearest breakfast and rail station for the Rollrights please?

Ray 6701

  • SO @ T
    • Tamworth cycling club
Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #16 on: 23 July, 2012, 12:10:18 pm »
I've voted for the rollrights & am up for a night ride from Brum audax commitments permitting. 
SR 2010/11/12/13/14/15
RRTY. PBP. LeJoG 1400. LEL.




Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #17 on: 23 July, 2012, 10:11:14 pm »
i have put a vote in for the roll rights . i hope that a daylight tunnels ride will be forthcoming sometime some as well though  :)
the slower you go the more you see

Basil

  • Um....err......oh bugger!
  • Help me!
Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #18 on: 23 July, 2012, 10:32:25 pm »
I didn't vote for the "As far away from Brum as possible" - I voted Rollright.
But, I'm wondering, for a later day, about a midnight ride to Stourport on Severn.  Bring own breakfast things and have a breakfast picnic in the park on the banks of the mighty Severn as the sun is (probably) rising (behind a dense bank of cloud) .
It's not that far, so the breakfast timing would suit a s l o w pootle.
It's part of my route to Waleslandshire and I have a nice route that is lanes all the way.
***contains hills***
Bail out for those not wishing to ride back to Brum is Hartlebury station (which we pass through on the way)
Trains direct to Brum start at 06:40, but not on Sundays, so it would have to be a Friday night.
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #19 on: 23 July, 2012, 11:27:46 pm »
Depending on the pace, I might be up for a Rollright Stones one as that would be surprisingly easy for me to get to/from (I live about 5 miles from a Chiltern Line station...).  Rail-assisted riding is still a little bit of weird magic for me   ;D

I won't vote though as I'll be more an add-on if it works than anything  :)



Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #20 on: 24 July, 2012, 09:40:45 am »
I doubt my ability to get to the Rollrights on a sunrise -n hours where n means sustained pedalling at above the sedate pace that suits this old chap. Also, fear of the unknown is enhanced when I keep seeing things like audax and hills mentioned  :)
So, would it be ok for a slower group, assuming there are more than just me, to set off earlier as Tortoises for the Hares to catch up with nearer the sunrise? Is that viable?
All using the same route, of course and presuming the Hares won't fall asleep on the way.
Never knowingly under caffeinated

Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #21 on: 24 July, 2012, 10:05:17 am »
If we go we will be members of team slow.   AIUI, Kim intends the ride to be at an 'all inclusive' pace.   :thumbsup:

robgul

  • Cycle:End-to-End webmaster
  • cyclist, Cytech accredited mechanic & woodworker
    • Cycle:End-to-End
Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #22 on: 24 July, 2012, 10:19:48 am »
Date ... likely date?   

- just don't make it 7/8 Sept I'll be busy (plug . . . ) with MacRide & Shakespeare 100* which are on Sunday 9 September.

Rob

* The Shakespeare 100 ride (100 mile version) route goes past the Rollrights.

This fundamental piece of information would seem to take precedence over speed, what's for breakfast, train times etc ...  (my assumption is that it would be the Rollrights)

Rob

Basil

  • Um....err......oh bugger!
  • Help me!
Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #23 on: 24 July, 2012, 10:39:28 am »
(my assumption is that it would be the Rollrights)

Yes, I'm sure that seems to be agreed.  My ramblings above were just random thoughts for the future.
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

jogler

  • mojo operandi
Re: YACF WM presents: FNRtME (Friday Night Ride through Middle Earth)
« Reply #24 on: 24 July, 2012, 11:32:08 am »
I'll decide when venue,date & start time are finalised