May WARTY - Essex Is (Mostly) Flat - Saturday 8 May (from Manningtree)

[Wowbagger]

CL, you won't be too slow. We'll be there.

I've got some photos of yesterday's ride showing us leading from the back - or at least, everyone else out in front.

[CrinklyLion]

CL, you won't be too slow. We'll be there.

I've got some photos of yesterday's ride showing us leading from the back - or at least, everyone else out in front.

I just told the eldest cub that Santa-onna-tandem would be going on the ride that I'm going on holiday to do.  He said "woo hoo - can you take a picture!"   

[Marco Stefano]

I hope to attend this one (finally) and say hello to some more of you. Possibly arriving by car; any pointers for all day parking?

[Auntie Helen]

Manningtree rail station has a very decent parking area, £2.10 all day for Saturday.

Alternatively there's a free car park about a mile away through Manningtree high street and towards Mistley (along the river). Not sure how large the car park is though. There's also on-road parking alongside the river (I think the road there is called 'The Walls')

[cycleman]

baring in mind my last effort would i be to slow 

[Auntie Helen]

You'd be fine Cycleman. It's going to be a pretty leisurely pace, I expect.

[Auntie Helen]

Looks like we'll be a goodly group of cyclists:


Current list of possibles/confirmed is:

Auntie Helen
Gary from Colchester
Bob from Colchester
Andy from Great Bromley
Uncle James
Redjedi
Ianrauk
ChrisKH
Crock of Gold
4F (FatFellaFromFelixstowe)
Notsototalnewbie +1
TimO
Jurek
Pippa
Andrij
Orienteer
Tomsk
Redflightuk
Nutkin
Woofage
CrinklyLion
WobblyJohn
Mow
Wowbagger
Mrs Wowbagger
Jane
Marco Stefano
Cycleman

[dasmoth]

Emily and I interested, too.

[Oaky]

I do believe that mrs_o is still up for this too.

[TimO]

30+ people.  That's possibly a record for a WARTY.

[Auntie Helen]

Sig Silverprinter may also be coming - first post now has updated list.

[Tim Hall]

We've got a do to go to at Maldon, involving a trip on a Thames Barge. But that's in the evening. I feel that making a day of it sounds a Good Idea.

I shall see what Mrs. Hall says.
 

[Pippa]

I'm afraid I am going to have to withdraw from this ride due to a rescheduled birthday bash where my presence is required.

Sorry Helen

[Auntie Helen]

That's a shame Pippa

Tim Hall, I hope that you and Mrs Hall are able to come along. Extra points if you manage the backwards chain threading again!

[Auntie Helen]

Probably 35ish of us!

[CrinklyLion]

That's an awful lot of people to a) be subjected to the sight of my ANKLES and b) laugh at me if I have a go on Wowbagger's tandem and get it very wrong!

[TimO]

That's one of the risk of things like WARTYs.  On the plus side however, there is also cake.

[CrinklyLion]

So my cunning plan should be to distract people with cake to the extent that they notice neither the shocking sight of me wearing something approximating to "sportswear" or me fallingoffatandem.  That could be a lot of cake baking...

[Marco Stefano]

Due to broken spokes in tourer back wheel (it's in the LBS) I may be on a fixed which has no mudguards; is this an appalling faut pas in mixed (mixte?) company, or only if it rains?

Also, calling Wobbly John, if you are still going would you like a lift by car? I have various means of getting two bikes in/on/behind my car.

[Auntie Helen]

Fixed without mudguards will be absolutely fine, unless it rains in which case no-one will want to be near you!

[Jurek]

Helen, it is with some sadness that I'm having to bail on this ride - a clash of events and not paying enough attention to my diary means I have to be elsewhere that day. Sorry.

[Auntie Helen]

REVISED ROUTE WARNING!

I rode this route today with James and a friend and we have changed the pub for lunch. The Wooden Fender were pretty busy and as we thought we might not get there till 2pm kept saying, "You do know we stop serving food at 3, don't you?" I felt like saying, "You do know we're bringing 35 cyclists who want food, don't you?" Anyway, they had no room for us to have lunch there today (we arrived at 2pm) so we decided to carry on to the Shepherd & Dog at Langham which we often visit when cycling in the evening. When we arrived the Shepherd & Dog said that they serve food all day and they have plenty of space for 35 cyclists to eat (it's a really big pub). The prices are perhaps slightly more, but the food is decent and they do lots of bar snacks, etc.

So, the revised route is here: Route Revision 3 May. I've shaved 3-4 miles off it as well so we're now looking at about 47 miles, split as follows:

Manningtree to tea stop: 15 miles
Tea stop to lunch at the pub: 16 miles
Lunch at the pub to end: 17 miles

We had a real mix of weather today, including a couple of hailstorms, some lovely sunshine but a very prevalent wind. Still this mostly flat ride was still very enjoyable and the railway station, the tea stop and the lunch pub are all prepared for our arrival...

[Wobbly John]

Also, calling Wobbly John, if you are still going would you like a lift by car? I have various means of getting two bikes in/on/behind my car.

Have PM'd to arrange, thanks. 

[Woofage]

I may have a car problem (MOT expired) therefore I may have to go by train. I am familiar with the service to Ipswich, but what's it like Ipswich to Manningtree wrt bikes on the train?

Wobbly John and Marco: if I get the car sorted you're welcome to travel from BSE with me. I have a large estate car + bike carriers for the roof.

[Auntie Helen]

Ipswich to Manningtree is fine - it's a very short journey (10 mins) and if you get the train that came from Norwich there's a huge guards van, but other trains should still have bike spaces. The annoying thing about Ipswich is that there aren't lifts so you have to carry your bike up and down stairs to change platforms. Annoying if you have a heavy trike...