What can I do for a 2025 challenge ?

[godivatrailrider]

So I can get the train to Leominster, with the Brompton, visit the church and collect a few geocaches on the way back to Ludlow

[jameso]

It’s the day to day “where can I go today” riding

Do you have Lost Lanes Wales? (LL Central also covers your area)

[godivatrailrider]

Yeah James I have both of them I was looking in them a few days ago… a couple of lovely ones not far from me
I’ve already gpx’d the Worcester one but started it from Stourport, that’s certainly on the to do list

[MuddyPete]

I think this is what you're looking for...

https://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/phpB ... hp?t=25161

I was there !!!

I know!
It sounds like that's what you're looking for: #bemoreReg

[godivatrailrider]

I’d only ever be a pale imitation of Reg

[Tractionman]

if you like a bit of industrial archaeology, as I do, then the NLS historic OS maps are great for looking at what was there 100-150 years ago, old mines, tramways, etc, and because the maps are overlays then comparing the historic OS with the modern aerials is easy:

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=1 ... orld&o=100

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=1 ... World&o=50

I also like a bit of 'benchmark bagging', again easy to do with the NLS historic OS 6" maps as bench-marks are marked with a 'crow's foot' and 'BM':

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=1 ... orld&o=100

and then upload the results here:

https://www.bench-marks.org.uk/

all good (crowdsourcing) fun

[RIP]

Yeah those NLS maps are facinating, I can pore over them for hours. I was looking at a Scottish one a while ago and spotted a line with crosses signifying a tramway or freight railway, it even had several branch lines and went for miles. The strange thing was that it was way up high on a remote moorland with no obvious start or finish features. What on earth was it for? I finally twigged - it was used by shooting parties for carrying their gear:

https://www.secretscotland.org.uk/index ... useRailway

I once navigated a BaM trip from Stoke to Manchester using a 1948(?)-vintage OS map. Some areas were only just recognisable but I enjoyed hours of pleasure trying to match "then" to "now". So that's a good game to try.

[Tractionman]

I once navigated a BaM trip from Stoke to Manchester using a 1948(?)-vintage OS map. Some areas were only just recognisable but I enjoyed hours of pleasure trying to match "then" to "now".

excellent, I like searching out the 'lost' trunk road sections, like the old A6 etc, the old OS (and Bartholomew's) maps are great for that, there's a 'ghost roads' Fb group too that pops up on my feed, with pics of old road junctions, abandoned petrol stations and cafs, and tarmac with cats eyes and white lines disappearing into trees and undergrowth!

tramways though are really my thing, the old 'stone blocks and iron rails' that Bertram Baxter wrote about (great name)

[vegancheese]

Inspired by the guy that ran every street in San Francisco, I did....RESIO. Ride Every Street In Oldham. From home each time it took me 45 rides. Took my Strava buddies a few rides to figure out what RESIO was. I certainly got to know my local area quite well...

[RIP]

tramways though are really my thing

The place for tramways is, as Mr Toppler will tell us, North Wales. If you fancy a nose around there I can lend you my full set of J I C Boyd's Narrow Gauge Railways Of North Wales books. A lifetime of exploring there for you .

My 'navigate using decades old maps' ploy naturally, and sadly, works best in ex-industrial areas which have changed almost out of recognition.

Frog has just started his new 'visit places with interesting customs' game (my "Wacky Britain" book would be a good guide there) - Cheese Rolling, Bog Snorkelling etc.

Some ideas are born from constraint rather than freedom, as we discovered during Lockdown. I became a bit peeved when Boris went off on his Lockdown ride 7 miles from Downing St which he claimed was "local". I said to MuddyPete that if Boris could then so could we. So over the following few weeks we visited the four points exactly 7 miles (to the nearest yard) to the north, south, east and west of our Town Council offices, sticking to as straight a line as possible on PROWs. I must say it was some of the most fun I've ever had, and it was the enforced constraint that was the root of the pleasure.

[RIP]

Another one! I'm a big fan of fords too. No, not the motor vehicles. Although I suppose you could drive a Ford through a ford.

Millions to visit and ride through. How many can you bag in a day? My record was six near Church Stretton (only a couple of stops up the line for you GTR!).

Crack on!.... https://www.wetroads.co.uk/

[godivatrailrider]

Wow some great suggestions here … liking the ford one there’s a fabulous long one, more a river flowing down a road than a typical ford, Clee St Margaret , 7 miles away 50m long https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clee_St._Margaret

Geocaching will be great and quite a few involve churches so I can hit a few things with that …

[whitestone]

Wow some great suggestions here … liking the ford one there’s a fabulous long one, more a river flowing down a road than a typical ford, Clee St Margaret , 7 miles away 50m long https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clee_St._Margaret

Geocaching will be great and quite a few involve churches so I can hit a few things with that …

50m! Pah! I give you Noyna Ford http://streetmap.co.uk/map?X=390745&Y=441740&A=Y&Z=115 (near Colne) - the ford covers more of the map than the word "ford" next to it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jru_qsAVEDc

[Tractionman]

tramways though are really my thing

The place for tramways is, as Mr Toppler will tell us, North Wales. If you fancy a nose around there I can lend you my full set of J I C Boyd's Narrow Gauge Railways Of North Wales books. A lifetime of exploring there for you .

lovely stuff, yes J I C Boyd, another brilliant 'student' of our railway heritage, I love his maps, they're works of art, and great for exploring 'in the field'

back in 1984 I did my 16+ History project on 'narrow gauge tramways and railways'

cheers,

Keith

PS, +1 for fords too!

[voodoo_simon]

Inspired by the guy that ran every street in San Francisco, I did....RESIO. Ride Every Street In Oldham. From home each time it took me 45 rides. Took my Strava buddies a few rides to figure out what RESIO was. I certainly got to know my local area quite well...

Nice

[MuddyPete]

Wow some great suggestions here … liking the ford one there’s a fabulous long one, more a river flowing down a road than a typical ford, Clee St Margaret , 7 miles away 50m long https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clee_St._Margaret

Geocaching will be great and quite a few involve churches so I can hit a few things with that …

You could, of course, combine several themes in each ride. Perhaps ride every street on a 100-year-old map of an area of interest, whilst visiting every church, crossing every ford, visiting every geocache, then bivi out and catch the train home .

There'll be hardly any time for the pub!

[RIP]

back in 1984 I did my 16+ History project on 'narrow gauge tramways and railways'

You'll have to pop over on the ferry sometime and we could tour some old haunts. If we run out of ideas with Boyd, there's always my nine-volume "Ironstone Quarries Of The East Midlands". I wandered a lot of those in the 1980s when there was still plenty to see but there's not much now.

Then again I could come in the opposite direction and see some old NI's ones and Bord Na Mona .

Sorry Mart, your thread, back to you .

[RIP]

There'll be hardly any time for the pub!

Steady on! But you've come up with another there. Mart's a bit of an ale man, so how about visiting every "National Inventory Of Historic Pub Interiors" establishment?

[Polisherman]

I've just plotted a (very) rough 1st draft of a Highest English Railway Station to Highest Scottish Railway Station. 500km-ish. Would be a nice wee jaunt...

[Tractionman]

back in 1984 I did my 16+ History project on 'narrow gauge tramways and railways'

You'll have to pop over on the ferry sometime and we could tour some old haunts. If we run out of ideas with Boyd, there's always my nine-volume "Ironstone Quarries Of The East Midlands". I wandered a lot of those in the 1980s when there was still plenty to see but there's not much now.

Then again I could come in the opposite direction and see some old NI's ones and Bord Na Mona .

Sorry Mart, your thread, back to you .

sounds good!

sorry OP, yes, I guess the message from all this 'tram-festing' is...

looking to the past is a gateway to plotting our future rides

[godivatrailrider]

You could, of course, combine several themes in each ride. Perhaps ride every street on a 100-year-old map of an area of interest, whilst visiting every church, crossing every ford, visiting every geocache, then bivi out and catch the train home .

There'll be hardly any time for the pub!

Not sure I like the sound of the last line

Yeah I think I'd be doing a combination of themes. It's shaping up quite nicely :)

[godivatrailrider]

Sorry Mart, your thread, back to you .

Nah it's open to all now ! One never knows which suggestions will strike a chord!

[godivatrailrider]

There'll be hardly any time for the pub!

Steady on! But you've come up with another there. Mart's a bit of an ale man, so how about visiting every "National Inventory Of Historic Pub Interiors" establishment?

Pubs is an obvious one for someone such as myself with a penchant for decent ale. But there aren't as many as there used to be so maybe just add it as another sub-theme.
I want to enjoy cycling again, so make time for tea & cake, stop for a pint, sit and take in the scenery, make time to stop and chat with folks I meet....

Quite looking forward to the New Year now

[Sajama]

Yeah those NLS maps are facinating, I can pore over them for hours. I was looking at a Scottish one a while ago and spotted a line with crosses signifying a tramway or freight railway, it even had several branch lines and went for miles. The strange thing was that it was way up high on a remote moorland with no obvious start or finish features. What on earth was it for? I finally twigged - it was used by shooting parties for carrying their gear:

https://www.secretscotland.org.uk/index ... useRailway

I once navigated a BaM trip from Stoke to Manchester using a 1948(?)-vintage OS map. Some areas were only just recognisable but I enjoyed hours of pleasure trying to match "then" to "now". So that's a good game to try.

The shooting narrow rail line ,not much left better on the track
It's a nice route over the moor in the dry from Kilmacholm to lochwinnoch but don't go near it if it's been raining for a few days.

[psling]

Yeah we have a station in Ludlow and we’re only one stop / short ride to Craven Arms and the start of the Heart of Wales line and all its interesting stops. I love doing this, having previously got trains to Leominster / Hereford / Church Stretton / Shrewsbury and ridden home. good suggestion. Would definitely be up for more of this.

You really must take a journey out to Sugar Loaf Halt then, it's on the Heart of Wales line. Smallest platform in UK I believe, just don't doze off on the way
Great choices for riding back too; just make sure it's train out, ride back just in case you can't flag the train down