YACF Camping Trip 2010 - Andover, Hampshire - Sep 17/18/19

[LEE]

<<<<<<  PLEASE START BOOKING YOUR PLACE WITH CAMPSITE <<<<<
On the basis that you should stick with a winning formula I was thinking of organising a repeat of last year's camping trip.

Photos

All details are contained within last year's thread.

The location worked well, the food was good, the beer was good and the "Tour de Andover" was good.

This year I would reverse the Tour route such that the concentration of pubs was greater at the end of the ride.

Anyway, this is a mere "toe in the water" to see who would be interested.  Reply to the post with your declaration of intent.
Summary

There's a pub near me  Map that does decent meals Wyke Down and has a campsite  (Nothing more than a small, mowed, field but civilised enough with toilet block/showers)

It's about 95km west of London, 85km east of Bristol, 50km North of Portsmouth, 140km South of Birmingham and is right slap-bang in the centre of many beautiful southern Audax routes. Andover is an hour from London on Waterloo-Exeter line also (Andover station is 5km from camp site but Whitchurch Station makes for a much more pleasant 8km ride.)

The Tour de Andover route is mostly flat, around 40 miles and what hills there are, are very short and at the start of the ride. 

The site is very close to the Newbury Downs should anyone want to do their own thing and do a bit of climbing.  I can provide a 50km circular route that takes you to Combe Gibbet, for some nice views over Newbury and Hungerford, before heading back to camp via a superb downhill run through Faccombe Wood.

HOW TO RESERVE A PLACE


Contact the Wyke Down and pay your deposit (or full amount) then
1) SEND ME A YACF PM (Personal Message - Click on "PM" underneath my Avatar)
2) TELL ME "I AM DEFINITELY COMING"
3) TELL ME YOUR EVENING MEAL CHOICE (MENU)
4) TELL ME YOU MOB# (I will not distribute it)
5) TELL ME YOUR REAL NAME
6) TELL ME YOUR ADDRESS (I will not distribute it)
7) TELL ME WHEN YOU EXPECT TO ARRIVE AT CAMPSITE (We really need to be sat down at 18:30)
I will be collecting menu information up until Tuesday Evening (14th September).  Please don't send me anything unless you are 100% sure you'll be attending, there's no panic, wait until you are positive[/b]

Sort of Interested or Confirmed to date:
LEE - Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Salvatore - Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Jaded - Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Wowbagger (Mr) -  Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Wowbagger (Mrs) -  Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Dasmoth -  Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Dasmoth Mrs - Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Basil - Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Kim - Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Rogerzilla - Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Charlotte - Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Julian - Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Speshact - Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Tail End Charlie - Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Hummers - Deposit Paid Sat
Pompey Phil - Deposit Paid Sat
Rower40 - Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
AndrewC- Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Flatus - Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Boab - Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Vernon - Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Clare - Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Thing1 - Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Thing2 - Deposit Paid Fri/Sat
Urban Biker - Fri/Sat
Chillmoister - Sat
TimO - Fri/Sat
Tim - Fri/Sat
Tim (Mrs) - Fri/Sat
Mercury - Sat
Guest 1- Fri/Sat
Guest 2 - Fri/Sat
Guest 3 - Fri/Sat



Agenda

Cycle towards Campsite from your respective homes.
Arrive Friday/Saturday
Friday evening will be a "cook your own" meal at our tents.
Saturday Morning will be a "Fry your own" breakfast at our tents
At 12:00 on Saturday you are invited to join me on a pleasant afternoon ride for a couple of beers/Pub lunch
Those arriving later can choose to follow ride route or stay on campsite (note pub is not open all day)
As soon as pub doors open (6pm) make our way inside for food and drink (see below for info about booking meals)
Meal is booked for 7pm
As soon as pub doors close wobble 50 yards back to our tents
Fall into tents and/or have a few for the road (bring your own)

Sunday morning cooked breakfasts (bring your own food, there should be a few stoves in use I expect)
Finish eating
Say some goodbyes
Start your journey home


Here is a BIKELY track of the 60km ride we will use.
Here is a route sheet you can print off.  Ride due to start at 12:00 on Saturday but feel free to ride earlier or later.  It has accumulated Km (Km) and Miles (Mls) plus deltas in Km (Kmd) and Miles (Mlsd).
Distances are rounded to 1 decimal place which explains any slight differences.  Since no 2 cycle computers read the same it may be better to use the delta distances beteen instructions.

Key: L = Left, R = Right, @ = at, SO = Straight On, X = Cross Roads, immed = immediate/v.soon, T = T-Junction, sp - Signposted, PUB = Public House (a Beer Shop)

Example: R @ T then Immed L = Right at T-Junction then turn Left almost immediately (Left turn should be visible).

Km   Kmd   Mls   Mlsd   Instruction
0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   "START - The Wyke Down  Pub/Campsite
Turn Left out of Pub Car Park"
0.5   0.5   0.3   0.3   L - sp The Wykes
1.4   0.9   0.9   0.5   L @ T - sp The Wykes (appears SO)
2.1   0.8   1.3   0.5   L @ T - sp Finkley
4.4   2.3   2.7   1.4   R - sp Smannel
5.4   1.0   3.4   0.6   SO @ X - sp Little London
5.4   0.0   3.4   0.0   PUB (The Oak)
8.0   2.6   5.0   1.6   So @ X - sp Penton Mewsey (Care! A343) Descend with Care!
9.3   1.3   5.8   0.8   2nd R - sp Wildhern
10.9   1.6   6.8   1.0   L @ T - no sp
11.6   0.7   7.2   0.4   L @ T - sp Charlton
11.9   0.3   7.4   0.2   PUB (Old Bell & Crown)
12.0   0.2   7.5   0.1   1st R - no sp
12.6   0.6   7.8   0.4   L @ T - no sp
13.8   1.2   8.6   0.7   L @ T - no sp
15.1   1.3   9.4   0.8   R @ T then immed L - sp Clanville
15.8   0.7   9.8   0.5   L @ T then immed R - sp Appleshaw
17.4   1.6   10.8   1.0   R then immed R (around recreation ground)
17.9   0.4   11.1   0.3   PUB (The Walnut Tree)
18.6   0.7   11.6   0.5   L then immed L - at grass triangle in Redenham
20.2   1.6   12.5   1.0   SO @ X - (Care! A342)
21.4   1.2   13.3   0.8   R @ T - no sp
22.3   0.9   13.9   0.6   L - (into Stanbury Road)
22.8   0.5   14.1   0.3   L @ T - (into Thruxton)
23.5   0.7   14.6   0.4   PUB (The George Inn)
23.9   0.4   14.8   0.3   PUB (The White Horse)
25.6   1.7   15.9   1.0   L @ T - no sp
25.9   0.4   16.1   0.2   PUB (The Amport Inn Now "The Hawk Inn")
26.5   0.6   16.5   0.4   SO @ X - sp Abbots Ann
28.4   1.9   17.7   1.2   R @ T - sp Fullerton
28.5   0.1   17.7   0.1   PUB (The Eagle)
29.5   0.9   18.3   0.6   SO @ X - sp Red Rice (Care! A343)
33.2   3.7   20.6   2.3   SO @ X - sp Fullerton
35.4   2.2   22.0   1.4   R @ T - sp Stockbridge
35.9   0.5   22.3   0.3   PUB (The Mayfly)
36.0   0.1   22.4   0.1   L - sp Chilbolton
37.5   1.5   23.3   0.9   PUB (The Abbots Mitre)
38.7   1.2   24.1   0.7   L @ T - sp Wherwell
39.4   0.7   24.5   0.4   R - sp Longparish
42.4   3.0   26.4   1.9   L - sp Longparish (over A303 using fly-over bridge) (Care! do not cross A303)
43.0   0.6   26.7   0.4   L @ T - sp Longparish
43.2   0.2   26.8   0.1   R - sp Forton
43.9   0.7   27.3   0.5   R @ T - no sp
44.6   0.7   27.7   0.4   PUB (The Plough Inn)
44.7   0.1   27.8   0.1   R - sp Barton Stacey (Southside Rd)
45.3   0.6   28.2   0.4   3rd L - (Nuns Walk)
46.9   1.6   29.2   1.0   L @ X - (sign - "unsuitable for HGV") easy to miss
47.7   0.8   29.7   0.5   R @ T - no sp
49.4   1.7   30.7   1.1   R @ T then immed L - sp St Marybourne)
49.4   0.0   30.7   0.0   PUB (The Hurstbourne Inn)
53.4   4.0   33.2   2.5   PUB (The Bourne Valley Inn)
54.2   0.8   33.7   0.5   PUB (The George Inn)
54.4   0.2   33.8   0.1   L - sp Andover (at War Memorial) Note.  Coronation Arms is 200 yards further on
56.4   2.0   35.1   1.3   L - sp Middle Wyke
57.2   0.8   35.6   0.5   R - sp Andover (on LH bend, appears SO)
58.0   0.8   36.1   0.5   R @ T - sp Andover
58.6   0.5   36.4   0.3   Finish - Wyke Down Pub / Campsite


Your chance to meet YACF Audax Stars like "Chillmoister" and "Salvatore", accomplished riders of 600km Audaxes and, in Salvatore's case, 600km, 1000km, 1200km, 1400km Audaxes too many times to even keep track of (20 x Bryan Champman 600 is what I've heard)



Londoners..come and see a real Beer Garden


Get off those busy A-roads


Reward yourself with a light supper


Regret eating that pudding

[Salvatore]

Me.

[urban_biker]

And Me

[TimO]

Me three.

Good pub, and good camping, but I need a better route there.  Last year's was largely along the main roads, and a bit horrible.

[Jaded]

I'll put it in the diary, it was a fun weekend!

<edit> bugger - we have the in-laws provisionally down that weekend </edit>

[Wowbagger]

I'd certainly like to go.

[clarion]

Nah.  It was horrid.  Dreadful company.  Rubbish ride.  We'd never ever even consider going back.

[Wowbagger]

The thread title does slightly worry my dyslexic side though. I keep wondering exactly how many YACFers will actually make it to New Hampshire.

[dasmoth]

New Hampshire.

I'm up for it!  Live, freeze, and die?

Failing that, NW Hampshire is tempting too.  I'm rather disappointed we had to drop out last year -- hoping that this September will be a bit quieter!

[clarion]

New Hampshire.

Is there a Hotel?

[Basil]

Well, put it like this. I'm interested enough to make this response so that this thread will live in my R2U. 

[Kim]

I'm in.  But won't be riding all the way from Brum in one go again.  That was a little bit silly.

[Regulator]

I shall put a note in my diary  - but it will all be work dependent.

[LEE]

Me three.

Good pub, and good camping, but I need a better route there.  Last year's was largely along the main roads, and a bit horrible.

Where are you starting from?

If you can aim between Reading and Wokingham you can join the (reverse) Anoraks Delight 200 route at Pamber Heath.  That takes you over Hannington and through Whitchurch before arriving at the camp site.  Wokingham to Pamber Heath looks like it could be done on small roads/lanes.

I can't comment on the London to Pamber Heath section but, from PH onwards, it's a nice route.  I can upload the Anoraks Delight track if you like.

Taste of the Test 200 route, also from Pamber Heath, takes you over Watership Down.  That would be quite an experience with a camping load.

[TimO]

I started at Croydon, but met Andrij at Bushy Park, and then cycled along a route which had the A30 in the middle.  That bit wasn't brilliant, but it was direct.

[Tourist Tony]

I shall put a note in my diary  - but it will all be work dependent.

+1

[Pancho]

Provisionally interested.

I know I always am with these things and then fail to turn up. My problem is children. My weekends are often full on sprog-orientated. But if I can persuade them to stay at school over the weekend, you never know.

[Tewdric]

Very possibly - I should be able to work out a nice route there from here!  Or there's always the train + Brommie option.

[Butterfly]

Provisionally interested.

I know I always am with these things and then fail to turn up. My problem is children. My weekends are often full on sprog-orientated. But if I can persuade them to stay at school over the weekend, you never know.

Why don't you take them? They'll have a great time .

[clarion]

Kids tend to love camping.

[rogerzilla]

They'll be corrupted, utterly and irredeemably.

(actually, last year's was amazingly civilised and everyone was in bed* by about 9.30).


*and not the same bed, either.

[Jaded]

People snored.

[Tourist Tony]

When I organised the Kiddies Weekend in the New Forest, no children were corrupted.



But then, they were the offspring of Fatters, Zipperhead and Arabella.....

[andrewc]

People snored.

   does this mean I'm banned ?

[Jaded]

There's a few of you banned!