Coming soon - the all new Windsor-Chester-Windsor

[jefmcg]

It was raining and I was cold, but I had a little look around Datchet and Windsor to see the parking situation.  I didn't check out Old Windsor, but I am guessing we don't want to block up the streets and piss off the residents.  We can piss off Datchetites as much as we like.

The parks in Windsor are Pay'n'Display, and £6.50 for all day 7am-midnight.  I didn't start putting coins in, so I don't know what would happen if you put in £13 - would you get a ticket for 2 days?  However, the pay'n'display uses http://www.parkmobile.co.uk, which from reading that site means that you register then use an app or send a text, and they will charge your credit card and electronically tell the attendants you have paid.  So you could pay&display on saturday, and on Sunday pay again via phone.  This Saturday morning there were easily a hundred empty spots a little before 11 in the Edward VII carpark.

But much simpler would be just to park somewhere in Datchet.  Close to the river it's all single and double yellow lines, and residents permits only, but I approached from the A4  on the B470, there are lots of suburban-ish streets, with no apparent restrictions.  For example, this quiet road running beside the B470 looks nice and safe, and there were the same sort of numbers of cars parked there this morning.

[Bus Shelter Bertie]

According to the website,  at the Windsor and Eton Riverside Car Park (Railway - SWTrains)

Weekend tickets available after 1000 Fridays at the ticket office £9.00 - this covers Fri, Sat and Sunday. One price for the whole weekend.

[jefmcg]

According to the website,  at the Windsor and Eton Riverside Car Park (Railway - SWTrains)

Weekend tickets available after 1000 Fridays at the ticket office £9.00 - this covers Fri, Sat and Sunday. One price for the whole weekend.

Well found!

(I feel like an idiot.  I sat in that station today for 20 minutes, drinking a coffee and drying out while awaiting my friend.  Never occurred to me to investigate parking there)

Edit: note that the ticket office is (wo)manned  from 6.40 to 20.00, so keep that in mind if using this option.

[Feline]

According to the website,  at the Windsor and Eton Riverside Car Park (Railway - SWTrains)

Weekend tickets available after 1000 Fridays at the ticket office £9.00 - this covers Fri, Sat and Sunday. One price for the whole weekend.

Well found!

(I feel like an idiot.  I sat in that station today for 20 minutes, drinking a coffee and drying out while awaiting my friend.  Never occurred to me to investigate parking there)

Edit: note that the ticket office is (wo)manned  from 6.40 to 20.00, so keep that in mind if using this option.

Thanks very much for your efforts and investigations 
I might not arrive before 8pm so does that mean I couldn't park there?

[Hummers]

I will be riding up and staying nearby on the Friday night should anyone feel the need to carbo-load in advance of the ride the next day.

Does anyone know if the Jolly Gardeners is any good?

H

[jefmcg]

Thanks very much for your efforts and investigations 
I might not arrive before 8pm so does that mean I couldn't park there?

I dare say I'll be in Windsor again before the ride, so I can check. 

But ... it looks like you have to buy the ticket from the ticket booth, and you can't do that if there is no one there.  But that's a guess.

[Hummers]

Actually, the Fox & Castle sounds like a good option.

H

[MikeH]

Checking would be useful I may try and negotiate something with a local business this is also close and free at weekends Home Park  Windsor SL4 6HX about 2.5 miles

I checked this one out yesterday - I'd say this is a good option.  Pay & display Mon-Fri 09:00-16:00.  Nothing on any of the signs about overnight stays, so should be OK.  This parking is used primarily by local sports clubs, so should be empty early on Saturday.

BTW The speed bumps on the approach road are numerous and vicious.  When the Thames does flood, this is one of the first places to disappear, but it will be fine in May.

[Cycling Daddy]

Checking would be useful I may try and negotiate something with a local business this is also close and free at weekends Home Park  Windsor SL4 6HX about 2.5 miles

I checked this one out yesterday - I'd say this is a good option.  Pay & display Mon-Fri 09:00-16:00.  Nothing on any of the signs about overnight stays, so should be OK.  This parking is used primarily by local sports clubs, so should be empty early on Saturday.

BTW The speed bumps on the approach road are numerous and vicious.  When the Thames does flood, this is one of the first places to disappear, but it will be fine in May.

Thanks for checking this should be good then
Les

[Genosse Brymbo]

I downloaded the "WCW2015 route files.zip" linked to in an email I received from the WCW team recently, and I've now started to look at the GPX tracks.

The WCWstage1 track doesn't appear to go anywhere near Chalgrove (control) and Bletchingdon (info), skirting Oxford to the east.  Instead it, and the start of the WCWstage2 track skirt Oxford to the west, going through Wallingford and Abingdon, then ending up at Eynsham.

Is this a mistake?  Or have I managed to out-do myself by getting lost even before starting the ride this time?

[alwyn]

I just checked the zip files and they look fine.

[αdαmsκι]

Look fine to me too. I've merged the northbound files into one file, which you can view here on bikehike & it defiantly goes through the places you mention.

[Phil W]

Yep, files are fine.

[Laid Back Rich]

I will be riding up and staying nearby on the Friday night should anyone feel the need to carbo-load in advance of the ride the next day.

So will I, then sleepover in the hall, what jolly fun, and surely the easiest solution for anyone worried about where to park the blessed car 

See you at the bar H 

[alwyn]

There is likely to be some light fettling of the route around Lilleshall and Church Aston. I may have to move the controls around a bit. Nothing major, but be aware.

I'll send an email once it's all fixed.

[Salvatore]

I downloaded the "WCW2015 route files.zip" linked to in an email I received from the WCW team recently, and I've now started to look at the GPX tracks.

The WCWstage1 track doesn't appear to go anywhere near Chalgrove (control) and Bletchingdon (info), skirting Oxford to the east.  Instead it, and the start of the WCWstage2 track skirt Oxford to the west, going through Wallingford and Abingdon, then ending up at Eynsham.

Is this a mistake?  Or have I managed to out-do myself by getting lost even before starting the ride this time?

I found the same when I downloaded the zip file originally when I received the email, but I've just downloaded it again and found an entirely different set of files with now match the routesheet.

[Genosse Brymbo]

Thanks John.  I guess we'll have to wait until Ted Nelson completes Project Xanadu and we have a version-controlled WWW to solve this problem.  I'll grab the latest versions and hope there are no further updates.

[andyp]

Thanks John.  I guess we'll have to wait until Ted Nelson completes Project Xanadu and we have a version-controlled WWW to solve this problem.  I'll grab the latest versions and hope there are no further updates.

...I stuffed up rather badly with the Mille Cymru last year, accidentally loading copies of the first tracks to be made available for 3 of the sections onto my garmin, which led to a few episodes of "it's this way" "no it's that way" "no it's this way" excitement, that we could probably have done without  . I resolved to avoid having early versions of tracks on my computer from then on.

[alwyn]

Hmmm, this is odd. The link is live, so every time update stuff on my laptop, the files you access update.

But I haven't changed anything major since I published, and other people checked them before I published.

Anyway... all seems OK now. But be aware that these are only draft files and there will be changes.

[Genosse Brymbo]

Hmmm, this is odd. The link is live, so every time update stuff on my laptop, the files you access update.

But I haven't changed anything major since I published, and other people checked them before I published.

Anyway... all seems OK now. But be aware that these are only draft files and there will be changes.

The problem of different versions could be solved by having the version number suffixed to the filename.  The download instructions and rider information could point out that later versions may be available and to check before using.  I don't have any problem with the early versions being incorrect*, but could have avoided unnecessary work and resulting confusion through a version naming convention.  However, this "link is live" sounds like some sort of distributed system synchronisation mechanism which may well defeat that, as I suspect it relies on the filename and extension not changing.  I also suspect that Dropbox doesn't do versioning.

*I appreciate that the GPX files are provided on a best-efforts basis and am grateful to organisers who provide them.

[alwyn]

I'm not sure the earlier "versions" were incorrect, as I never routed as you described. And since I published all I've done is made small amends to cue instruction.

I suspect the issue is with you.

No need for versions anyway, as these are only drafts. There will be only one version, and I'll let everyone know when it's ready - probably after May Bank Holiday when I've checked the southern sections of the route.

[JohnOnABike]

I downloaded the "WCW2015 route files.zip" linked to in an email I received from the WCW team recently, and I've now started to look at the GPX tracks.

The WCWstage1 track doesn't appear to go anywhere near Chalgrove (control) and Bletchingdon (info), skirting Oxford to the east.  Instead it, and the start of the WCWstage2 track skirt Oxford to the west, going through Wallingford and Abingdon, then ending up at Eynsham.

Is this a mistake?  Or have I managed to out-do myself by getting lost even before starting the ride this time?

WCW from 2014 went through Wallingford & Abingdon, with the first control at Eynsham.
It would appear that you were looking at the GPX files from last year, rather than an earlier 'version' from this year.

[Lady Cavendish]

I will drop Danial an email, but I'm now out of this one as the very unexpected eventuality has happened that villa are in theFA cup final. Not something I thought I would have to consider!!!

[Bianchi Boy]

I will drop Danial an email, but I'm now out of this one as the very unexpected eventuality has happened that villa are in theFA cup final. Not something I thought I would have to consider!!!

Most people do not know where Aston Villa is

[haffers]

Lady Cavendish - congrats on Villa reaching the FA Cup Final trip and enjoy the day out I think your season like ours (QPR) is a little like Audax rides - sometimes tortuous but where our hearts take us!