Daventry area Nov 9th/10th...

[RIP]

Thinking along lines of Long Buckby station after lunch or earlier if majority view, back by Sunday morning? A quick squint seems to show tracks/BWs linking canal, Braunston, Flecknoe, Shuckburgh, Hellidon, Charwelton, (Woodford?,) Farthingstone, Everdon. A few pubs/woods/barns round there. Or bivvy in Catesby railway tunnel . Back via Dodford and Norton maybe, or Daventry breakfast?

Perhaps our Arran/Daventry Correspondent knows some good Spots? .

All ideas/contestants welcome!

'Reg'

(the area reminds me of the game (yeah ok a silly one - so? ) that I used to play with a mate travelling bored along the A5 - "match the place to the fictional family member". We tried to populate a fading old-English stately home with people using place names on road signs. For example Grimscote was the ancient butler, Ashby St Ledgers the fearless explorer, Preston Capes the mad uncle, Blakesley the boot boy, Potterspury the gardener, Silverstone the chaffeur, Aunt Flore the dowager duchess, Yardley Gobion the vicar, and Old Stratford the doddering valet. Never did work out who Weedon Bec was...)

[BigdummySteve]

If we end up Northampton way there is trail from chapel Brampton up to Market Harborough, good for a breakfast
Of course there is always the grand union canal.

[RIP]

I've just been msging my pal who reminded me his favourite character was 'One And A Half' Miles. Miles was the rather camp bloke who was often in the local pub and got his name because he got drunk after only one and a half. Not sure my pal had quite understood the rules of the game , but with quite amusing consequences .

There's an interesting pub in Farthingstone ('the ostler'? yeah alright Reg we get the idea). Went there many years ago and got fed a very nice 'special' cheeseboard which they apparently still do. Some of the pub meal prices round there look pretty, er, premium now so maybe it'll be bring-yer-own-potnoodle....

[BigdummySteve]

There is always the wharf at bugbrooke it’s on the canal, happen to know a slightly cheeky bivvy spot just up the road as well

[RIP]

. We like cheeky.

[BigdummySteve]

Another option would be to keep on the cut all the way through Northampton, hang a left at billing aquadrome, follow trail up to sywell then past pitsford res pickup midshires way to MH, cheeky bivvy somewhere off the trail, breakfast in MH then across to pickup grand union for return loop?

[MuddyPete]

IIRC, Weedon Bec was the stand-in bass guitarist from that band (you know the one...they did that tune that went like....ooohhh, how did it go now...?) that had that top 60 album when we were in the third year....

....and actually he's been living off the royalties from the sample that DJ did in the 80's for that washing-up liquid advert....

...etc...etc...

That game sounds like a fabulously creative way to spend an afternoon in the pub, Reg . Again.

Will the bikes be coming out of the car, this time?

[RIP]

I'm probably getting confused with Bert Weedon...

[slarge]

Have a look around Badby woods, there's the remains of an old manor house somewhere near there that might be good for a cheeky bivvy. Been quite a few years since I've been over that way so ignore me if it's rubbish......

[RIP]

Ah cheers Steve. A manor house eh - that'd be a first! Ooh yes just spotted it on t'map. Badby woods themselves are very slopey aren't they, but I've spotted another large wood not too far away.... BDS has some ideas as well so maybe we just stand outside Buckby station, blindfold ourselves, spin round a few times, then go thataway.... (I think BenC was asking about random-ride ideas recently. There you go Ben - get off the bike, blindfold on, spin round, set off again )

Rumours Mr Picton is partaking of this jape so that's three of us anyroad.

[RIP]

Cooked up a rough route, have emailed you Rich/Steve, see what you reckon. There's an unfortunate number of pubs along the route, which I can't explain. The main thing is there isn't one at the start, as there was on that fateful February day that Pete was referring to above....

Tonto, Roobell et al (*) willing to take a risk riding with us?!

al, not "Al" - bit far for him to come probably

[Tonto]

Looking likely that I will be joining you.
Call it a potentially firm maybe

[RIP]

Nothing like a bit of clarity I always say. And that's nothing like it .

Good stuff Tonto, look forward to meeting you! Did that fagpacket route look feasible this time of year? Bit long maybe. BDS has ideas too so I guess we'll just have rock-scissors-paper until someone wins. Mrs Perrin is away that weekend (medieval re-enactment thing - she's one of the old battleaxes oops only jokin') so I can start anytime but maybe 1-ish suits most? Firm it up next Thu/Fri.

Roo, are you in?

Who's that chap in Milton Keynes too? Or was he Traffic-Cone-Seatpack-Man, in which case erm...

That Devon/Dartmoor lot are looking far more organised than we are aren't they? But then looks can be deceptive..

[BigdummySteve]

I hope it’s going to cold, I’ve just ordered an exped HL down mat, my other exped HL synmat had a tenacious taped split, then a pitched on an unseen bramble with Scott the other weekend, my thermarest Ubershite leaks, must warranty it.

I’ve sent them off so in an ideal world I’ll end up with 3 mats in varying degrees of warmth/weight, of course my lad will get the choice.

Hopefully it will be a good weekend, need it due to domestic issues

[Gummikuh]

Hi Reg et al.

I am in Milton Keynes, well Cranfield, I don't remember any traffic cones, so can't be me!

What sort of distance were you thinking? I would avoid the Grand Union as it's a puncture fest.

Pete

[RIP]

Hi Pete. A loose route round Flecknoe/Farthingstone is 30 miles, 1600'. Easily cut short if desired/required though. Pub's got Northamptonshire skittles and "ploughmans" type food. Hoping Tonto knows Daventry breakfast spots. It'll probably all change on the day .

[BigdummySteve]

I would avoid the Grand Union as it's a puncture fest.

There are a lot of hawthorn twigs, I regularly pull thorns and twigs out, the towpaths were one of the reasons I went tubeless, I think my record was around 12 punctures in one ride
So yeah, avoid if not running tubeless.

[Roobell7]

I'm up for this

Here's a few pictures from along the proposed route I rode through both these below last week and didn't get sink up to the axles.

Mud by Andy Wright, on Flickr

Dirt Trail by Andy Wright, on Flickr

The watering hole at Farthingstone has plenty of character(s) and serves wet cyclists

Farthingstone by Andy Wright, on Flickr

As do others

Charwelton by Andy Wright, on Flickr

The Catesby Tunnel is being turned into a motorsport wind tunnel

Today’s ride by Andy Wright, on Flickr

Just be careful not to wake an Exiled gwome

Lands of Exiles by Andy Wright, on Flickr

Andy

[RIP]

Plenty to think about there Andy! Would be good to see you. Could you PM me your email addr pls?

[BigdummySteve]

Do any contestants have a spare mat? My ordered exped may be missing in the post. My only alternative is an old self inflating roll mat, big as a tree and heavy as a black hole

[RIP]

Yep can do Steve (Exped u/l), unless one of local posse have one?

[RIP]

Looks like you, Pickers, Tonto, Roobell, Gummikuh and Reg will be inflicting themselves on the local populace, so far .

[BigdummySteve]

Yep can do Steve (Exped u/l), unless one of local posse have one?

Cheers hopefully it will turn up before the weekend, not hopeful as it’s 5 days overdue.

[RIP]

Dug it out, don't ferget yer schnoz/pump.

12.25 Long Buckby station then gents. Gonna p1ss down (Pickers expects nothing less so it has to ) - but luckily only while we're in the pub .

[Gummikuh]

Hey Guys,

I am going to swerve this one, sorry but I reckon it's going to be horrific out there! I went out last weekend and it took me nearly an hour to go 300M of the worst sticky mud.

Definitely when its more normal out there.

Pete