[LEL17] LEL The Start

[alwyn]

Yes, at the school. £35 for the week Saturday to Friday. Limited to 60 places.

[ElyDave]

Can I book one now?

[alwyn]

I'm afraid not. Sorry.

[ElyDave]

so how does it work then?

[rob]

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.

[jsabine]

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.

[Moleman76]

And a "nice" climb over Epping Forest between there and Loughton to get your knees nicely warmed up

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

[Phil W]

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. 

[Redlight]

And a "nice" climb over Epping Forest between there and Loughton to get your knees nicely warmed up

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 

[mattc]

And a "nice" climb over Epping Forest between there and Loughton to get your knees nicely warmed up

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?

[Moleman76]

And a "nice" climb over Epping Forest between there and Loughton to get your knees nicely warmed up

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 ...

[Somnolent]

In 2013 I used the parkatmyhouse website  (now JustPark)
You can book that already and rates seem to be ~£20-£25 for Sunday-Friday

[alwyn]

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.

[Wine Mechanic]

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.

[alwyn]

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

[Planet X Paul]

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.

[Ivo]

I'm also planning Debden House campsite, it should be a fun start and after finish location with that many riders camping out there.

[yanner]

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.

[alwyn]

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.

[The Wheeler]

Hi,is their any car parking near the start of the ride.
Rob Gill   

[hellymedic]

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=99932.msg2091253#msg2091253

[alwyn]

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.

[Wobbly]

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.

[Wheelspin]

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.

[The French Tandem]

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!