Braunton 150

Javi · Post by **Javi** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 8:39 am

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... zGvngU5eC9

ianpv · Post by **ianpv** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 11:13 am

Good luck Javi, going to be wet after yesterday, but it's a bit calmer today at least...

Nevis · Post by **Nevis** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 12:07 pm

ianpv wrote: ...a bit calmer today at least...

Until tomorrow when Katie arrives. Looks like it may blow through quite quickly though. Fingers crossed.

Have a good one whatever the weather.

Scattamah · Post by **Scattamah** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 7:18 pm

DNF'd this...beautiful route...got caught in some abysmal weather on Dunkery Beacon. It was like the wind/rain combo on the Winter Bivvy 2015 but worse. By the time I'd gotten to Minehead, I was shaking like a leaf. Big thanks to Lump for getting me to the start (or near enough) and for some good riding, Ben for the ace route, and Steve 'n Duncan for keeping me in stitches all weekend.

Greetz

S.

whitestone · Post by **whitestone** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 7:53 pm

I got to Coombe Martin and scratched. I was getting really bad cramp such that I could hardly pedal on the flat. As a result I couldn't generate enough warmth to fight off both wind and rain so found a pub and rang my wife to pick me up.

Rode with Ian (ianpv on here?) and Gabriel for most of the first day until they left me on the climb out of Minehead. Bivvied at Allerford, got the first taste of things to come on the loop around Porlock and was considering quitting then until I got on the descent into Shillet Wood which was brilliant

Enjoyed a lot of the next section apart from the long push in to the wind out from Oare Water. Did the climb out of Valley of the Rocks then the cramp hit by the time I crawled up the hill to Trentishoe I was done in so just aimed to get to the nearest pub, cafe whatever which happened to be Coombe Martin.

I've just got home, I took a few shots on the first day so will post them when I get sorted out.

Thanks to Ben for a great route. Some unfinished business for me

Richard G · Post by **Richard G** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 9:00 pm

Were any of you guys in the group of three who were camping (with a fire!) just off the side of a rocky climb (right by a metal gate)?

On the subject of gates... holy sub standard are there a ridiculous number of gates in the area. Hard to get any kind of rhythm up.

Scattamah · Post by **Scattamah** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 9:05 pm

Yes...that was me, Steve and Duncan loafing about by the side of the trail. I take it you were one of the two pushing on up that hill :)

Greetz

S.

Richard G · Post by **Richard G** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 9:09 pm

Pushing? How dare you suggest such a thing! We were just giving the KOM of the mountain a chance to retain their best time.

But yeah, we were thinking about you the next day, because when we went over the beacon (and a few tough areas before) in the night the weather was nasty. When you hit those areas it must have been horrific.

Scattamah · Post by **Scattamah** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 10:03 pm

Well you certainly weren't skipping! *grins* That track along the river from Tarr Steps was ace but the climb up the track was a bit rubbish.

And yes...the weather up on Dunkery Beacon on Saturday was quite possibly the worst I've been out in. Standing in the lee of the trig point (the only kind of shelter available during the peak of the storm) the wind still wanted to whip Lois from my hands. It was one of those "laugh because this is totally absurd" moments. 10 outta 10 for sh'ouse timing to hit the high point at peak storm.

Greetz

S.

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 10:08 pm

Quite a high attrition rate on this route then, owing to the weather and/or the terrain

This weekend didn't really work for me as the girls have their birthdays yesterday and tomorrow, but I might take a closer look at this in a couple of weeks.

Scattamah · Post by **Scattamah** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 10:17 pm

@Ian - if you catch this route in the dry, it will be brilliant. There are currently a lot of claggy bits that are punishing if you pick the wrong line (at least on the bits that I did). With hindsight, I'd take less stuff so the bike is lighter due to the amount of HAB involved.

Greetz

S.

whitestone · Post by **whitestone** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 10:30 pm

Ian wrote:Quite a high attrition rate on this route then, owing to the weather and/or the terrain .

As Alan notes it was quite damp/muddy on the western part (the first bit at least) but it's a bit rockier to the east. I found the farm fields the hardest as they were soft ground cut up by hooves and they were often in to the wind. There's some cracking riding though. There's also some steep climbs - I think at least one is in the 100 road climbs book

@scattamah mentions clag - the rain washed that off my bike in minutes

The claggy bits are in shady, sunken tracks so will take a while to dry out (at the start I was riding with someone who knew the early tracks and he mentioned that they'd be horrible in the wet)

ianpv · Post by **ianpv** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 10:35 pm

Hi Whitestone - yes, that was me! I stopped just by the toll road at about 1.30am, Gabe carried on. Glad I did stop for a bit of a rest as that section after the toll road across the moor was brutal and would've broken me I think.

The really bad weather on sat hit me at about ilfracoombe so I just put my head down and ploughed on knowing the end was in sight - if I'd been further out I would've scratched as i was getting really cold. Pretty pleased to complete it sub 30 hrs on my first ITT.

Would be a fantastic route at the end of summer when dry and the bridle ways less churned up. Thanks Ben for sorting it!

Richard G · Post by **Richard G** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 10:51 pm

Definitely sounds like the best way to finish it was to avoid the weather by ploughing on through the night. I'm kinda gutted I didn't go at it like I did the BB200.

mountainbaker · Post by **mountainbaker** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 8:39 am

I went at it like the BB200, it's a LOT of climbing to do in one hit, I clocked up 19000 feet and I peeled off before Coombe Martin. If I had had suspension forks and bigger tyres, I'd probably have been fine, but the descent off Dunkery, and some other really rocky ones around Porlock destroyed my wrists (which are still recovering from TD last year).

I'm going to have another crack at this in the summer I think. It is a cracking route, yes some bits are tough, but really only so bad because of the brutal wind and rain burn on the tops. I'd love to see more of the route in daylight, that track down after the climb out of Porlock Weir to Sixacre X, down into Oareford, seemed amazing, very high, big exposure old mining railway perhaps? It was pitch black for me, would love to see it in the day.

I'm thinking of trying on June 21st or thereabouts. Lots of light.

@whitestone, was great to meet you and ride together till Minehead. @ianpv sub 30 is a great time. I should have stopped with you and slept a bit! Doh!

AlanG · Post by **AlanG** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 8:47 am

Javi is still going after a night out with Katie! He's over the heavy South Common section and heading towards the "best cafe in North Devon". I wonder if he knows/cares?!

biggaygibbon · Post by **biggaygibbon** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 9:54 am

I hope everyone 'enjoyed' the ride.
Thanks to those who gave it a crack and jolly well done. Saturday was certainly a bit blowy....
I will update the ride completion page on the website as people send in finish times and GPX files.
Javi is out there now, stopped in Lynton. Last night must have been interesting.
Thanks again. It was a lovely site seeing 25 odd bikepackers riding out through Braunton.

whitestone · Post by **whitestone** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 10:21 am

Some shots and (rambling) thoughts http://bobwightman.blogspot.co.uk/2016/ ... n-150.html

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 10:31 am

Id like to have a ride of this as iv ridden that way before and there's some good trails over exmoor any chance I could get the gpx of the route off someone please to look at :0)

Scattamah · Post by **Scattamah** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 11:01 am

If you haven't found it already Mike, it's on this page... http://www.braunton150.org/?page_id=43
It's a cracker - you'd love some of the lumpy descents.

For anyone considering doing this route, expect plenty of HAB.

Greetz

S.

Richard G · Post by **Richard G** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 12:20 pm

mountainbaker wrote:I'd probably have been fine, but the descent off Dunkery, and some other really rocky ones around Porlock destroyed my wrists (which are still recovering from TD last year).

We hit the Dunkery descent at 2 in the morning. Duncan went off like a lunatic... I was somewhat more cagey!

Lump · Post by **Lump** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 12:54 pm

Scattamah wrote:DNF'd this...beautiful route...got caught in some abysmal weather on Dunkery Beacon. It was like the wind/rain combo on the Winter Bivvy 2015 but worse. By the time I'd gotten to Minehead, I was shaking like a leaf. Big thanks to Lump for getting me to the start (or near enough) and for some good riding, Ben for the ace route, and Steve 'n Duncan for keeping me in stitches all weekend.

Greetz

S.

Anytime. Nice to chat some cod sub standard and get a few miles in fella ☺

liamg · Post by **liamg** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 6:09 pm

Thanks for organising Ben. It was fun riding with you at the start and I have to say, some of the riding on that 1st day was the best I've done in the UK. Great weather and great trails. The 2nd day is a bit of a blur in my mind, but the fun stretches were spaced just close enough together to keep my head in the game.

biggaygibbon · Post by **biggaygibbon** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 2:14 pm

Thanks for al the feedback people. I think we saw the best and the worst of what Exmoor had to offer. Ironically some of the best trails are on the westward leg. The weather made that a head down and plough on affair for most people though.
I will get the times and finishes up on the website in the next day or two along with a little write up.
Thanks all those that made it down/across.
A memorable weekend for many reasons.
Worth an annual slot in the calendar I think.

Cheers

Eardles

biggaygibbon · Post by **biggaygibbon** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 2:36 pm

If anyone got any good pics let me know.

Cheers

Braunton 150

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