I booked the red lion, shall I cancel that now? Best do it asap if there's a change there. Assuming they're still open when I pass tomorrow..

There's a way to kimble area from whiteleaf that avoids the main road also. Or most of it anyway. Worth figuring out as the route would go there from Whitehead area anyway, red lion pub or not. Not a good road though agreed. Especially if you're the one with the coffee machine in tow : )

I'm happy with a few miles after dinner with a few pints inside, part of the fun right?

(Edited once I escaped the noise of Costa.. )

I'm sure you'll have fun watching me...beer and bike lightweight that I am

Im easy on which pub. I'll check out the distances from Sam's spot tomorrow and report back. Make sense to stay at the Red Lion given its booked. It really cant be that far and it's bad luck to disappoint a Chilterns landlord on a month with a vowel in it.

Sorry, either pub is good with me I thought the consensus was that the red lion was closed?

Once we know which pub, can the table booker please confirm what time it's for, how many for, and whether the pub wants a pre order for starters/mains. If they do, I'm arrange this by email

I'll go past the red lion today on a route-planning ride to check if they're still open, maybe grab a menu if the site is down. If it's looking ropey we can re-book elsewhere. Think I have a nice enough ride planned that's quite adaptable. Does use some tarmac sections on quiet lanes for regrouping and a fair number of easy byways or wider tracks that are currently holding up well. Whiteleaf/Cadsden is the far point for Sat so onto Kimble after that is no faff wherever we go for food.

Haven't got a plan for Sun, depends on how long people want to be out? From Whiteleaf there's a bit of byway then 3 miles on road to hit the Ridgeway towards Chinnor and Stokenchurch, from there looping back to Wendover and Tring could be a 6hr ride depending on where we decide to head back from. Alternative is to reverse our route using some other trails in places, a shorter time/distance to Tring. No need to decide until the day and I can prep a basic GPS for that area.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/17855780

6km from Plough at Cadsden (just round corner from Red Lion, right by the end of a nice descent) to Little Kimble, via a climb and a -drunk-safe- descent, easy to see how you could cut the up-down out and just use the footpaths that cross the railway line. FPs at that time of night will be fine.

Reporting in from the Red Lion where all is well and I have copies of the menu! Descent down to here was heartstopping on semi slicks, could do with a pint but will carry on!

Brilliant James!!

Let's stick with the Red Lion then, and depending on the time/drunkedy levels, we can go off road or its 4km of mostly downhill along back lanes, with half a mile on the A4010, though even that has a footpath, or as I refer to them, as share-used byway.

Just back from my recce and the field and woods is off the main road. I have absolutely no doubt that despite approaching it from each direction and making careful mental notes of what the gates look like and the landmarks you pass to get to it, I will lead us straight past it and we'll be halfway to Aylesbury by the time I realise we've gone too far.

Sam has grafted for three years to turn his 2 acres from a nightmare of brambles, fallen trees and fly tipped rubbish into a bit of an open-air man cave, so we really have to respect it and the location must not be publicised anywhere anyhow anytime. He's not coming on the ride but insists on meeting us at the woods, and despite my protestations, will have a big fire going in the round house to welcome us. Seriously - what a top bloke.

This sounds amazing

Does Sam have a favourite tipple.

I for one would be more than happy to put into the pot to present him with a little 'thank you'.

We can help him drink it then :-D

Zippy, it's brilliant. He's built a round house with a fire pit, a shepherd's hut and a shed for the wood pile. It's all basic and clearly hewn from bits he's found here and there. @veryjealous. There's even a toilet* ... a TOILET!!!!

Does Sam have a favourite tipple.

Mbnut, great idea. I'm not sure if Sam is a drinker but he could be, and I was thinking we might do a whip round at dinner. I'll buy him a bottle of something nice and we can present it to him on arrival.



* ok, it's a shed with a bench and a bucket and you have to drop saw dust in after ya drop her pants but it's far from the worst thing Ive ever pooped in**

** the worst thing I've ever pooped in was a thunderbox*** just north of Innisfail in Queensland. I was on a round Aussie motorbike trip in 1984 and was suffering from one too many Chiko Rolls****. With guts gurgling I was delighted to see a road side bog but my joy turned to despair when it became clear that it hadn't been pumped out for, well, ever, and the deposits of other visitors actually came up over the top. I had no choice though, so added to the mess. Halfway through I heard scampering and clattering, and was more than appalled to realised the place was infested with rats which starting sniffing hungrily about my feet.

Worst. Bog. Ever.

*** Thunderbox


**** I give you, the Chiko Roll

He's not coming on the ride but insists on meeting us at the woods, and despite my protestations, will have a big fire going in the round house to welcome us. Seriously - what a top bloke.

Whip-round is a good plan.

the location must not be publicised anywhere anyhow anytime.

Goes without saying.

Similar thing (but relatively minor compared to kip-spot location) with route info really, was thinking about it as I recorded some routes today, with some luck if it's a quiet weekend we can ride some trails that should be kept offline really, just for good order. I'll get the route info to Ben before next weekend so he can distribute as needed.

Hi chaps. Its all sounding like a couple of fantastic days. Im really looking forward to it.

Arrive at Red Lion -
"Hello, just checking all's OK as your website's down"
"All fine thanks .. er .. why didn't you just call, instead of riding here to ask?"
"haha, I was passing anyway!"
"Ok .. People don't think to use the phone anymore do they, all on the internet isn't it?"

My kind of pub : )

Menus -
IMAG1439[1] by james*o, on Flickr
IMAG1441[1] by james*o, on Flickr
IMAG1442[1] by james*o, on Flickr

And importantly, local brews -


Shame about the trails though,


(joking .. that's Woburn logging trail last week. Didn't get as far through it as I thought I could!)

TheBrownDog - PM sent.
P

Are you sure you've not entered a parallel northern universe through some forest trail portal? Those prices on the menu look very reasonable

Excellent, this looks like fun!

I'll send out an email to participants re menu selection this evening or tomorrow evening (at work, no access to gmail)

Suggest we pick from the a la carte menu unless anyone is particularly opposed to that

So, current arrangements are:
10am at Berkhamsted
12am at Tring
7pm at pub

There are 12 attendees, if your name isn't on the list below you won't be getting an email from me asking for your food choice. If you want to come and you're not in the list below please can you ping me a PM or post up on here?
Zippy
RIP
TheBrownDog
Mbnut
Crewlie
Pickers
jameso
jamesatthelodge
MuddyPete
Blackhound
Dr Nick

All sounds good. I noticed a couple of trains arriving in Berkhamstead about 10am so will aim for one of those. If my plan changes such as heading straight to Tring will drop a note on this thread.

All this talk of mud reminded me I only have summer tyres on my 29er so will be riding an old skool 26er for the weekend.

This all sounds great.
food order placed.

Think I might need a warmer sleeping bag!

I did a dry January this year, (from Jan 4th as my wife had over catered for new year and I had to finish the cider....) and I'm still going.
Probably best if I don't re-start on this ride, otherwise I'll be in a ditch somewhere, after a half...

Without wanting to start a "what tyres" thread. My options for this trip are:

26x2.25 Rocket Rons, tubeless. Pretty new, they've done this years BearBones 200 and 4.5 hours round Afan.

26x1.95 panaracer trailrakers - pretty old, and will have to run them with tubes. (although, I might not actually be able to use these, as the "spare" wheels I happen to have are centrelock discs,a and I don't have any of them )

Could someone who knows the "trails" give an informed opinion please!

Do any of you train experts know how likely I am to be able to get on a London bound 8.40 train (London Midlands) on Saturday with Christmas shopping in full swing? I have visions of still being on the platform whilst you lot are sat round a campfire swigging malt.

crewlie wrote:Do any of you train experts know how likely I am to be able to get on a London bound 8.40 train (London Midlands) on Saturday with Christmas shopping in full swing?

I dunno what your trains are like -- but our "intercity" ones have a bike carriage thingy anyway - and I've never even booked one of them when going london bound. If you book a bike space, you should be sorted. It does mean getting a specific train - but hey ho!

Zippy wrote:Without wanting to start a "what tyres" thread. My options for this trip are:

26x2.25 Rocket Rons, tubeless. Pretty new, they've done this years BearBones 200 and 4.5 hours round Afan.

26x1.95 panaracer trailrakers - pretty old, and will have to run them with tubes. (although, I might not actually be able to use these, as the "spare" wheels I happen to have are centrelock discs,a and I don't have any of them )

Could someone who knows the "trails" give an informed opinion please!

Sounds like you're stuck with your Rocket Rons anyway though. I don't the trails particularly well, but they can be very sloppy/slippy, so I'd probably take the most mud-biased tyre you have. With some luck it'll be barmy cold and the trails will freeze over

I'm most likely to bring my rigid 29er with me on this trip, will have changed my Nano 2.1s to a Butcher/Purgatory combo by then

Interesting point re xmas shoppers on trains, getting on as far out as Northampton should be OK though? I'm boarding at Leighton Buzzard so if you can't get on at NH there'll be no hope at all for me at LB!

Reckon trains from Northampton/Wolverton to Tring are at 08.25, 08.50, 09.25, 09.50, 10.25, 10.50. Drawback with Tring is you have to change at Milton Keynes.
If you were OK riding with the early-risers from Berkhamsted, you wouldn't need to change at MK and could get 08.05 (arr 08.46) or 09.05 (arr 09.46). Those two also stop at Long Buckby.

On Sunday, from Berkhamsted to Northampton you'd have trains at xx.26 (no changes) and xx.50 (change at MK).
From Tring you'd have xx.29 with a change at MK.

Have a play with train times here: https://www.buytickets.crosscountrytrai ... uytickets/

Hope that helps a bit.