Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Audax => Topic started by: ramchip on 15 October, 2016, 01:15:53 pm
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I will be flying in from Spain. Will the start be Loughton and the nearest airport Stanstead? I'm thinking about booking my flights and hotels etc now so I can concentrate on my training.
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Loughton appears closest to London City Airport (whose planes might not be big enough for bikes), followed by Stansted. Heathrow and Luton are approximately equidistant next.
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Thanks, Stanstead it is then.
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Stansted is just south (and west) of the Great Easton control. From the airport it is easy to join the back lanes and ride to Loughton. It would be a ride of approx 35km. Other transport options are available.
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Thanks for the replies. I intend to fly into Stanstead a few days before the start then get a taxi to take me complete with my bike box and luggage to a hotel somewhere close to the start. Any suggestions on a suitable hotel?
Also I’m sure I was told a few months ago that there would be storage space for bike boxes etc. Is this indeed true? If so is this something I need to book plus when would I be able to drop off my bike box, during registration?
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We can look after your stuff, no problem.
All the suitable hotels are already booked, alas.
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We can look after your stuff, no problem.
All the suitable hotels are already booked, alas.
So no hotel vacancies within 15km from the start?
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All the suitable hotels are already booked, alas.
You can book an "audax hotel"? :o
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Just had a quick panic look online and there seems to be loads of hotels available within a few miles of Loughton. Am I looking at the wrong Loughton?
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We can look after your stuff, no problem.
All the suitable hotels are already booked, alas.
So no hotel vacancies within 15km from the start?
This is one time where I think alwyn has either got it wrong or is trying a wind-up that doesn't really work.
Obviously "suitable" is governed by individual preferences and budgets, but there is plenty of choice reasonably near Loughton and AFAICS plenty of availability this far away from the end of July. After all, staying in central London is perfectly feasible, and that's never going to be sold out ...
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Just had a quick panic look online and there seems to be loads of hotels available within a few miles of Loughton. Am I looking at the wrong Loughton?
Well I don't know :P
But this is probably the best page to check your plans against, for peace of mind: https://londonedinburghlondon.com/route/
you can zoom in to see exactly where Loughton is!
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We can look after your stuff, no problem.
All the suitable hotels are already booked, alas.
So no hotel vacancies within 15km from the start?
This is one time where I think alwyn has either got it wrong or is trying a wind-up that doesn't really work.
Obviously "suitable" is governed by individual preferences and budgets, but there is plenty of choice reasonably near Loughton and AFAICS plenty of availability this far away from the end of July. After all, staying in central London is perfectly feasible, and that's never going to be sold out ...
Thanks. Yes plenty even within a couple of miles. Was worried then for at least a little while.
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I suspect alwyn's reply is along the lines of http://lmgtfy.com
Maybe if you'd asked "What hotels near the start are other folk booking?", you'd have got a different answer.
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I suspect alwyn's reply is along the lines of http://lmgtfy.com
Maybe if you'd asked "What hotels near the start are other folk booking?", you'd have got a different answer.
This is getting silly now. I actually posted..
Any suggestions on a suitable hotel?
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I'd expect a more constructive reply from the organiser TBH.
OP, given the choice I'd go with the Premier Inn at Buckhurst Hill. Premier Inn hotels in the UK (the ones that I've stayed in) are clean and you can get a good nights sleep. They also have a very good choice of breakfast which should fuel you for that first day. In addition Loughton is only a couple of k's from the hotel.
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Premier Inn, Waltham Abbey is 6km from Loughton. They let you keep your bike in your room , you get a good bed, and it's not far from the Lee Valley Park which is a country park with lakes. They have an attached pub for food and drink, and a buffet or continental breakfast which are optional. A little walk to the nearest station or Waltham for shops but no more than 20 mins or so.
http://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/essex/waltham-abbey/waltham-abbey.html?INNID=WALBAK&ARRdd=27&ARRmm=07&ARRyyyy=2017&NIGHTS=3&ROOMS=1&ADULT1=1&CHILD1=0&COT1=0&INTTYP1=DB&SID=4&ISH=true&BRAND=PI
A flex booking means you can cancel with no charge right up to your day of arrival.
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Premier Inn, Waltham Abbey is 6km from Loughton. They let you keep your bike in your room , you get a good bed, and it's not far from the Lee Valley Park which is a country park with lakes. They have an attached pub for food and drink, and a buffet or continental breakfast which are optional. A little walk to the nearest station or Waltham for shops but no more than 20 mins or so.
http://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/essex/waltham-abbey/waltham-abbey.html?INNID=WALBAK&ARRdd=27&ARRmm=07&ARRyyyy=2017&NIGHTS=3&ROOMS=1&ADULT1=1&CHILD1=0&COT1=0&INTTYP1=DB&SID=4&ISH=true&BRAND=PI
A flex booking means you can cancel with no charge right up to your day of arrival.
Thanks. Thats perfect!
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I'd expect a more constructive reply from the organiser TBH.
OP, given the choice I'd go with the Premier Inn at Buckhurst Hill. Premier Inn hotels in the UK (the ones that I've stayed in) are clean and you can get a good nights sleep. They also have a very good choice of breakfast which should fuel you for that first day. In addition Loughton is only a couple of k's from the hotel.
Thanks.
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We can look after your stuff, no problem.
All the suitable hotels are already booked, alas.
Danial .. think carefully and check again .. I know that you have had problems booking volunteers into accommodation .. but seems as if you may have got hold of duff info... maybe places you tried were just not accepting bookings that far ahead.
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oops, yes, butterfingers. I should have checked my post first. There are no suitable hotels left in Loughton, but there is camping at Debden House campsite if you want to bring a tent. Plenty of options further afield.
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oops, yes, butterfingers. I should have checked my post first. There are no suitable hotels left in Loughton, but there is camping at Debden House campsite if you want to bring a tent. Plenty of options further afield.
No problem at all Alywn. Thanks to the good members of this forum I'm all sorted now. Keep up the good work.
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Premier Inn, Waltham Abbey is 6km from Loughton. They let you keep your bike in your room , you get a good bed, and it's not far from the Lee Valley Park which is a country park with lakes. They have an attached pub for food and drink, and a buffet or continental breakfast which are optional. A little walk to the nearest station or Waltham for shops but no more than 20 mins or so.
And a "nice" climb over Epping Forest between there and Loughton to get your knees nicely warmed up ;D
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Talking about arrangements for the start is panicking me😯
Is there parking at the start?
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Is there parking at the start?
Yes. £35 for the week.
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Is there anywhere available to leave a car for the duration? I'd ideally train it down, but never tried that with a recumbent, and would probably end up needing to go via London which wouldn't help.
[EDIT: crossed posts]
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Yes, at the school. £35 for the week Saturday to Friday. Limited to 60 places.
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Can I book one now?
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I'm afraid not. Sorry.
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so how does it work then?
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Used the Travelodge in Chigwell last time. Think it was about a 20 min ride to the start. Uphill ride back after the finish.
OT - I remember the pub next door fondly as it's the last time I had a drink with John Radford.
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so how does it work then?
I would guess that car parking booking will not open until the ride itself opens for general entry: I am certain that alwyn will have given some thought to ensuring that the system is as equitable as possible, even if the detail isn't yet finalised.
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And a "nice" climb over Epping Forest between there and Loughton to get your knees nicely warmed up ;D
Yes, I noticed that when making plans to stay at the Lee Valley hostel. And I'll get to do it twice, once to register, and then the next day to start the ride. Que sera
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so how does it work then?
I would guess that car parking booking will not open until the ride itself opens for general entry: I am certain that alwyn will have given some thought to ensuring that the system is as equitable as possible, even if the detail isn't yet finalised.
You'll be able to purchase extras such as arm warmers, jerseys, gilets, car parking when we open up the rider area of the website. We haven't decided exactly when we'll open up the rider area. I suspect sometime in February or March 2017 once we have the bulk of the rider entry out the way. Note you will have to have a place and have paid to gain entry to the rider area.
Another option is to consider picking up foreign riders from Stansted who may be camping. You may be able to manage to get free parking at the campsite (for a week) in return for that favour.
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And a "nice" climb over Epping Forest between there and Loughton to get your knees nicely warmed up ;D
Yes, I noticed that when making plans to stay at the Lee Valley hostel. And I'll get to do it twice, once to register, and then the next day to start the ride. Que sera
Don't worry. It's nothing compared with what you'll encounter a couple of days later ;)
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And a "nice" climb over Epping Forest between there and Loughton to get your knees nicely warmed up ;D
Yes, I noticed that when making plans to stay at the Lee Valley hostel. And I'll get to do it twice, once to register, and then the next day to start the ride. Que sera
Is this epic challenge going to gain as much notoriety as the Dolgellau YHA front drive?
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And a "nice" climb over Epping Forest between there and Loughton to get your knees nicely warmed up ;D
Yes, I noticed that when making plans to stay at the Lee Valley hostel. And I'll get to do it twice, once to register, and then the next day to start the ride. Que sera
To be clear, I have a climb of about half this amount every time I ride my bicycle back to my house, so it will likely just be a warmup. I do appreciate the sympathy ...
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In 2013 I used the parkatmyhouse website (now JustPark (http://www.justpark.com))
You can book that already and rates seem to be ~£20-£25 for Sunday-Friday
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I was just going to sell the parking spaces, but there seems to be quite the demand for them. So I'll draw a lottery.
If you need a parking space, as opposed to just wanting one, then you're best off making your own arrangements. I cannot guarantee that I can accommodate everyone.
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I quite like the idea of camping. Hopefully the local campsite wont mind if I leave the tent and the car unattended whilst I do the ride, for a fee obviously. It would still work out cheaper than a hotel for two nights and car parking and be lot more convenient. I see that the site has rally fields, maybe if there is enough of us we could book a field and turn it into a bit of a social event.
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I've let Debden House know you're coming, and I'll try and get a large group agreement so we can share a field or two. There are 5-20 person pitches a group could take too. They take caravans too if you want to bring one.
Last time you got event camping plus a parking spot and left luggage for £91. We sorted that, but it was a huge faff so we're not doing it again. It wasn't any cheaper anyway.
You can book online direct from 1 April. Tell them you're with LEL and they'll do their best to keep us together.
http://www.debdenhouse.com/campsite-epping-forest.html (http://www.debdenhouse.com/campsite-epping-forest.html)
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I intend to camp at Debden House as well. Plan is to travel down from Wirral on Friday and set up camp, have a leisurely day on Saturday to register, start the fun bit on Sunday, and then my tent and sleeping bag is there to collapse into when I finish. Naturally, my tent & car will be unattended or occupied for that period but I would expect I would just pay the normal fee for those days which I'm happy to do.
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I'm also planning Debden House campsite, it should be a fun start and after finish location with that many riders camping out there.
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If I get a place then camping at Debden House now goes on the plan with the same idea of leaving pitched tent and car for the duration of the ride. Hopefully they are OK with that.
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If I get a place then camping at Debden House now goes on the plan with the same idea of leaving pitched tent and car for the duration of the ride. Hopefully they are OK with that.
They are indeed.
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Hi,is their any car parking near the start of the ride.
Rob Gill
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https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=99932.msg2091253#msg2091253 (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=99932.msg2091253#msg2091253)
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If you're camping at Debden House, then book direct through them and tell them you're with London Edinburgh London. They'll put you in the same field all the other LEL riders.
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I've booked a parking space just down the road from the start via JustPark. £26.
One less to compete for the places in Alwyn's lottery.
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I'm less than an hours drive from the start, so I may well register and then go home for a proper nights sleep before I start. Train season ticket helps that plan a bit, perhaps, if I don't fancy the moto. Hopefully I can pick a start slot which encourages the wife to give me a lift with the bike. I would have space on my driveway and I imagine quite a few others will be in a similar position.
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Train season ticket helps that plan a bit, perhaps, if I don't fancy the moto.
/quote]
Seriously? Riding a motorbike to the start might be an interesting idea, but riding back home after LEL? Certainly not for me!
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I've just booked in at Debden House for the week for me & a friend, currently in Field 7 and I've used a group name of 'LEL2017'.
NB My start time is 11:15