Bugging out for the Zombocalypse - S24O on Friday the thirteenth of June

[Notsototalnewbie]

Under the arch, FNRttC stylee?

Ok just finished fiddling with bike. Put lights on it, spds, and pumped up tyres.

I shall follow you, Charlotte, if I can keep up with you!

And thanks to domesticated ape for the offer of lock sharing 

[Charlotte]

FNRttC stylee.  Just sans knee bandage.

[Julian]

...although the sight of Mr. L3 on a tourer with heavily laden panniers.... nah, I can't imagine it. 

[Wowbagger]

Right. I've got:-

Coleman Cobra tent & "footprint".
Sleeping bag
Inflatable mat
cooking set
single-burner stove & windshield
tea
matches
flint (oh OK a broken fag lighter)
T towel
cutlery
plate, dish, mug
soap & stuff
Swiss army knife, 1970 vintage (exactly the same anglers' model is sold today)
First Aid kit
Bog roll
waterproof
camera
micro towel
bike tools inc. spare tube & p. repair kit
assorted plastic bags & bin bags
spare dry clothes
head torch
DMARD
food (frozen curry, rice, porridge oats, milk, geobars, flapjack)
bottle red wine (for medicinal purposes)
mobile phone

and if it's anything like tonight, it's going to be sodding cold up there tomorrow!

[Chris S]

You forgot Immodium. This is, after all, effectively the Dolgellau reunion camp is it not?

[Wowbagger]

Good point. Immodium.

[TimO]

What domesticated ape said upthread was what worried me, getting it all into the panniers, especially since I've only got the fittings for one pannier on the bike!  I've loaded most of my gubbings into the Yak Bob Sac, and it fits, and is pickupable.  The extra sleeping bag and mat for NSTN may have to sit on top in another bag.

I haven't tried towing it, but it shouldn't prove a particular obstacle, since I've certainly towed more in the past, only not over such a distance.

Like Wow I've got everything upto and almost including the kitchen sink, I'm not sure whether to bung a couple of bottles of beer in there as well, or if I'll regret that when I hit a hill!

Final packing in the morning, including squishing the sleeping bags into their stuff sacs, and odd and sods which I need to leave out until the morning (like my toothbrush!).  Now it's time for bed!

[Wowbagger]

Like Wow I've got everything upto and almost including the kitchen sink, I'm not sure whether to bung a couple of bottles of beer in there as well, or if I'll regret that when I hit a hill!

The beauty of carrying alcohol on a bike is that it is double-action ballast. Drinking it at once makes the bike lighter and removes the pain from hill-climbing.

I'm contemplating a hip flask with a wee dram in it.

[Maladict]

I've not been keeping up obviously, this sounds like great fun.

I did similar one weekend - cycled up to Wisbech and camped there.  OK so it was an actual campsite but it was the same idea in principle.  It was really a test run for my 2004 tour just to prove I could ride the bike long distances with 25kgs of luggage.

Anyway have a great time everyones. 

[TimO]

I'm contemplating a hip flask with a wee dram in it.

I've got the wee dram, just not the hip flask.  Carrying an entire bottle of Whisky is probably asking for trouble...

[Notsototalnewbie]

Ok. Sandwiches and Clif bar type things it is then, will keep it simple. As long as I can cadge a hot drink off someone in the morning...

I really shouldn't, but I might treat myself to a sleeping mat. There is a Blacks near work that I can wander in at lunchtime. Are they rip-off merchants?

Aha, have just remembered the one item of camping-suitable gear I own: my microfibre incredibly small-folding towel!

Seriously now. What do people sleep in (clotheswise)? I'm guessing you're not all bringing pyjamas...

If you want a sleeping mat, ALDI currently have some on special. They're tremendous value for money if not the lightest, smallest mat you can get - £12 a pop. I think.

Thanks JT. Unfortunately I can't get to an Aldi before the bug-out. Blacks seem to have some cheapish ones according to their site.

My panniers are quite empty at the moment due to the fact that they have neither tent, sleeping bag nor mat in them...I will of course leave space. 

Fleece to keep me warm
Thick socks
Change of clothes in case of rain
Soap type stuff/toothbrush etc
Mini towel
P-repair stuff/inner tube
Inflatable pillow
mp3 player
loo roll
Paracetamol
Marmite sandwich, Clif bars, Fruit (will buy a bit more stuff tomorrow)
Light waterproof shell
Mug, spoon, fork
Mobile phone

You know what TimO, don't worry about the mat. I'll definitely buy one tomorrow.

I must go to sleep now! 

[David Martin]

I'm contemplating a hip flask with a wee dram in it.

I've got the wee dram, just not the hip flask.  Carrying an entire bottle of Whisky is probably asking for trouble...

Oh I don't know. I managed to pedal to Camasunary with a bottle of malt in the pannier pocket.
OK, I walked some of the more 'interesting' bits but the point still stands. And I pedalled out with a significant proprotion of it a couple of days later.

..d

[andygates]

I have a Lidl sleep mat that I can bring along, NotSoTotalNewbie.  Let me know by 0930 as I'll be on the move after that...

[TimO]

If you're following TimO's routes on Bikely I might aim to intercept you as you pass through Wandsworth, say as you enter the A217, Garratt Lane. I'll try to blend in with the undead as I wait.

I was going to say, that it would depend on which route you were looking at, but making a quick check I realised that about the only thing they have in common is that they both go through Wandsworth the same way!  I have no idea what the "official" route will be, I just quickly hacked those two up, and if Charlotte or someone else has a better idea I'm perfectly willing to follow.  Once past Wandsworth, I'm largely in unknown territory, so have no idea what the roads are like.

[Charlotte]

Good point. Immodium.

Since my experiences on the plane to New York recently, this little wondrous synthetic piperidine derivative will always have a place in my IFAK...

[Chris S]

Ah yes - the molecular Butt Plug  .

[Notsototalnewbie]

Don't worry about sleep mats for me guys.

I'm justifying this (yet another) purchase to myself that I need a decent mat because my roll-out futon cushion thing had to be thrown out a few months ago due to damage, so this mat can do double duty when guests crash on my floor. Blacks seem to do their own version of a thermarest which will probably be better than a plain foam mat.

Ta 

I've successfully ridden to work on the New Bike for the first time. Slightly nervy as the other bike is better for stop-start traffic really, which my commute is as I cut straight through central London, but I'll be fine once we're out of London. Probably.

[Charlotte]

Okay, I've roughed out the route I intend to take and it's available here:

Clicky

We follow the FNRttC route for the first bit until Tootling.  Then there's a lot of A24 and at that time of the afternoon, it's not going to be lovely I'm afraid.

As soon as we get to Epsom, it'll hopefully get better and better.  We'll cross over the M25 and head to Leatherhead and after that we hit the Surrey lanes.

There will be one or two hills (this is Simon L3's Hilly Fifty territory, after all) but we're avoiding Coldharbour Lane, Tanhurst Hill and other notable nasties.

If anyone has time to squirt this into a GPS, that would be fab.  I shan't be bothering.

[Notsototalnewbie]

Wot kind of road is the A24, a dual carriageway?

[Charlotte]

Sometimes.  Not much though.  Have a look on the photos on Google Maps.  It's not marvellous, but it's quick.

If we take a less direct route, we'll be putting tents up in the dark...

[TimO]

If anyone has time to squirt this into a GPS, that would be fab.  I shan't be bothering.

I should have time to convert this into Bikely and then upload it onto the GPS, unless one of the servers has done a wobbly and I'm panicking to sort stuff out.

If you're sure about the mat NSTN, I'll dump the spare one.  A self inflating mat is a vast improvement over the old style solid foam ones.  You have about five minutes before I leave in which to send a PM if things are otherwise!

[alan]

Putting tents up in the dark is always good for recalling it as a highlight of the weekend when conducting post-op debriefing.Particularly so if benefitting from simultaneous precipitation (aka p*ss*ng down).This dedication to duty merits the award of medals dontyaknow.You do have a zombie-campaign medal structure?
ZC  Zombie Cross for the highest military valour.?
CC  Charlotte Cross for the highest civilian valour.?
ZCM Zombie Campaign Medal to show the world that you were there.?

[Notsototalnewbie]

No worries about the A24, just so's I know. Direct is better if we're to get the last of the light.

No Tim really, dump the spare one, I'll treat myself to one of the self-inflating affairs at lunchtime. Ta.

[alan]

Say "hello" to East Street,Epsom for me.Number 76.The scene of much hard work,fun & commercial success,failure & sin in a previous life as an air conditioning engineer  1972-1989.

[Wowbagger]

Disaster has struck in the form of another visitation of the Yellow Peril. I lost 3kg in weight overnight and now weigh less than Dez! Ergo, I won't be there.

The most frustrating part is that I feel perfectly all right and have been eating normally all week.

I'm taking this 24 hours at a time. If I have no further visitations today or tomorrow I intend to be on the WNBR.