My neck has not yet recovered after the HT550 so another ticket available. - If anyone needs one, please IM me.

Thanks Phil. You too!

Really hoping that Andrea and Martin make it to the end now.

After doing a solo ITT in 2019, I loved the camaraderie of the group start. I arrived Thursday night and stayed in "Hobbit House" at By the Way and had a relatively relaxing Friday - including a little ride down to Crianlarich with Karl, Andrea, Andy and Lars. This all helped to minimise t...

htrider wrote: ↑Fri May 28, 2021 11:22 am Worth keeping an eye on Ruth Crewe's progress - she is on a gravel bike!

Ruth had 2 punctures in the first 30 miles or so which was very benign terrain. She hopefully fared better since then.

I do run in to other issues with being able to digest food due to lack of sodium. Gastric emptying for me at higher intensities has always been a problem TBH. So far, 4 months using it on long runs up to 10 hours, i've had zero issues. No palate fatigue. I too have had show-stopping stomach issues ...

I'll ask again for clarity - why not split the route up into smaller chunks? Does that still overwhelm the OS App due to the amount of data? Beyond my technical competence which - as you may have gathered from the above is limited ! :oops: I assume the total amount of mapping data is probably about...

For the riders, anyone up Friday (I'm there from Thursday evening) I'll be going out for a gentle ride. No specifics, probably head to a cafe/pub etc. No specific start time, only be an hour or 2 max. I'm staying in the Pinetrees but i'll be around Tyndum (probably the real food cafe) if I'm not th...

Thanks all ! I cancelled my Pro subscription to Outdooractive and went back to the OS app. With the Micro SD card in and a huge amount of nurse-maiding (over 5 attempts for each), I finally got both legs of the HT550 downloaded to my phone so I will try to use that as a backup and to refer to if I n...

I have downloaded the Viewranger app and it told me I had to download the Outdooractive app too - they say they are linked apps, but it doesn't seem to be very seamless ! Viewranger only allowed me to download a small area of the whole route. I subscribed to Outdooractive "Pro" level but t...

Thanks everyone !

I have ordered a 32GB MicroSD card for my phone to get more memory and will then try the Viewranger app.

My plan was 100% Brisker gloves with Buffallo Mitts if necessary.

I tried various neoprene gloves after Nick Bubb raved about them after HT550 2019 but he is a tough yaughtsman and I didn't get on that well with them.

A couple of people who's views I respect have recommended 100% Brisker (?) gloves. They seem to be lightly insulated. Both people have raved about them. I have a pair of Large 100% Brisker gloves that I have only worn once and realised they were too small. I bought and XL pair and they fit me bette...

Last year I struggled with cramping legs on a couple of big adventures - The Yorkshire Dales 300 and Cairngorms Loop 300. Both times involved trying to keep up with Whitestone of this forum ! :cry: I have tried various things and I came across a firm called Precision Hydration https://www.precisionh...

Apologies if this has been done to death elsewhere ... I usually load my planned routes to the OS Maps app on my phone and download the maps before I go and use this as a navigational backup on the ride. However, for the Highland Trail 550, the GPX (separate out and back) routes cover so much land t...

But looking forward to seeing everyone Looking forward to finally meeting you too Mart after being so close together in 2019 ! :-bd I am getting to Tyndrum By The Way on Thursday night to hopefully minimise the last minute panics! There are so many unknowns and uncontrollables with these adventures...

I had my Garmin Edge 530 on a trip yesterday following a course for 17.5 hours with 20% Backlight always on and there was still 35% battery at the end. If I do need to top it up it seems to charge quite quickly from a power bank and I usually do this at a short stop or on a section of the route that...

I'm in ! :-bd Hobbit House booked from the Thursday night at Tyndrum By the Way to hopefully will have a build-up with the minimum of panic! However, I am worried about trashing something key on my bike before getting there because spares seem thin on the ground. I have ordered some Hothands handwar...

I find the biggest challenge is my stomach. - On about half the big events last year I got to the point where I couldn't hold down any food or drink and emptied my stomach and felt grim. On the Cairngorm 300 it luckily only came at the end and I decorated the car park. On the BB200 I had to bail bac...

Rab Kinetic Plus waterproof/softshell jacket - very impressed with it so far. It's lightweight, soft, stretchy, very breathable and pretty waterproof (with a waterproof measure of 10,000mm and breathability of 35,000cc/sqm/24hrs). - Perfect for changeable conditions. I originally got it for climbing...

or look at the Lakeland 300 which is more "gravelly" (I believe, haven't done this route). Having done it once and bailed twice, I wouldn't describe the Lakeland 300 as "gravelly" ! - It does have gravel and road sections but shares much of the Lakeland 200 route and includes th...

I have just signed up - Thanks for flagging it. - I loved it last year and met a few Boners for the first time.

I have a couple of Elite Fly bottles with flip tops but wouldn't really recommend them. The flip lid bit doesn't seal very well and dirt still gets underneath and onto the drinking nozzle bit. The flip cap is also quite fragile. I used to have some old Zefal ones with a rubber bung that pushed onto...

Thanks Shaf ! My Sonder Transmitter Carbon (Large) is my MTB / Bikepacking bike. It has done over 4,000 miles including most of the big UK bike-packing routes (HT550, Lakeland 300 etc.) The only damage was inflicted by me causing cable rub at the head tube due to having the harness too tight when I ...

For # 2, I now use these pads in normal life - they are not cheap but are pretty effective: https://www.tena.co.uk/men/products/incontinence-pads-for-men/tena-men-protective-shield When I pee when cycling I find it helps once things have stopped to do a couple of squats and then lift each leg high i...

boxelder wrote: ↑Sat Feb 20, 2021 11:28 am

included 3 x Lakeland 300's

You did the Lakeland 300 three times? Were you training for something, or a local maybe?

1 the weekend before the first lockdown and 2 after. The first 2 were cut a bit short so only the 3rd was fully completed.