Would anybody be interested in a NW England (Not the Lakes) winter bivi?
Do you have a Fat Bike?
If not don't worry all off road bikes are welcome, there's a route for you, but you will need an Ordnance Survey Explorer 285 map and the skills to follow it too meet up at different spots.

This one is on the same day at the other winter events meet up at noon to 1pm on Sat Dec 15th for a beach and woodland bivi via a pub stop or a take a way & pub visit.
Meeting up at Heatons Bridge Inn, 2 Heatons Bridge Road, Scarisbrick, L40 8JG
If you can ride in please do, but we do have the permission to park at the pub, but please note, when looking at the pub please park between the white lines as close to the pub as you can, because if you park elsewhere you risk getting blocked in by the Sunday fishermen.

The plan is simple pub meet (hot food snacks 12 until 2pm), leave pub, tarmac on quiet lanes to start, gravel roads, cycle paths, sand dunes and beach riding and a woodland bivi, followed by beach riding, cycle lanes, a very short busy road section before a park and then the canal, gravel roads then back lanes to the pub again for a beer before we head home.
The aim is to arrive back at the pub around 12 noon on Sunday where the cars are parked around noon for a pint (as a thanks for using their car park).

Meeting point to be sorted by numbers interested in coming.

What to expect:
~50k around coastal flat lands
Pub start, ice cream on Southport Pier, Pub or take away, camping in very sheltered woodlands, but a night time walk on to the beach to watch the star (fingers crossed). No fires. lights essential.
Social pace at the speed of the slowest.

Well done for stepping up John

Bearbonesnorm wrote:Well done for stepping up John

No worries.
Wales or Yorkshire would be my choice but I don't fancy the drive.

Several riders signed up through social media links.
And several others showing an interest.

Sign up below if you are interested

Signs up and declares his interest.

I'm not very good at this marketing bollox, but I don't want to build anyone's hopes up.

Please note there will be no exciting, thrill seeking bits to this ride, I've seen hillier football pitches.
It's just a get together to ride bikes and talk bollox.
If you don't like riding up hills it's perfect
If you like blasting downhill it won't be for you

On the contrary JC that's a very British self-deprecating style of marketing ploy - contestants will flock to you in droves now .

I've heard it's grim up north , but I'll come anyway. Give me an excuse to try some bikepacking on the fat bike as I've never used it for that before.

Cheers Jim.

Because the 5 or 6 of us who have signed up all will be on fat bikes, and no skinny wheels have said yes to this winter event will be Fat Bike focused.
I'll change the first post and Subject line to suit this.

So, any one coming on a "normal" mtb or gravel bike will be struggle to ride the sand and dunes so (I'm sorry to say) you will have to detour and hope that we all meet up at a chosen spot. Please bring Ordnance Survey Explorer 285 map

I dont own a fat Bike - Will my 650 B + 2.8 tyres be useless ?

ive done it on a B+ Johnny

OK see you there then

It’s in the diary John, Dec 15th, noon, Burscough...

Will be coming on Big Jon FB, from home... over the hill (Winter Hill) and picking up the canal at Adlington, then canal all the way via Wigan....

Tony, are you making it, or do you have some lame excuse ?

Just call me Lamey Lamington Eric

Right I'll sort out the meeting point.
Who will be driving there and would need to leave their car at the pub overnight?

I'm assuming that we are all riding to the start.

In that case I won't need to ask the pub for over night parking.

If you are driving in please let me know ASAP as it could be a problem.

Plan A is below......
It might not be hilly (looking at the elevation on the bottom of the picture)



But if there's a northerly head wind as their usually is expect a bit of gruelling slog in to the wind at times

not me as also riding in along the canal

Aiming to meet here
https://goo.gl/maps/9jh5ASGYa532

First post updated

Pub meeting and limited parking here at
Heatons Bridge Inn,
2 Heatons Bridge Road,
Scarisbrick,
L40 8JG

The long term forecast (which is bound to change) is looking almost perfect

Riders from on here
JohnClimber
Sam Walsh
Stepehen Edwards
Adam Mitchell
ericrobo - maybe you could hook up with Sam or Stephen who are riding in from Wigan along the canal
Lazarus
Hummerlicious

First post updated

Pub meeting and limited parking here at
Heatons Bridge Inn,
2 Heatons Bridge Road,
Scarisbrick,
L40 8JG

The long term forecast (which is bound to change) is looking almost perfect

Riders from on here
JohnClimber
Sam Walsh
Stepehen Edwards
Adam Mitchell
ericrobo - maybe you could hook up with Sam or Stephen who are riding in from Wigan along the canal
Lazarus
Hummerlicious
Barney - but meeting you by either the chippy or the pub

Depending on the wind strength and direction I may reverse this route as a tail wind on the beach is always a good thing to have.

The forecast is looking very favourable as well.

Anyone else fancy joining up or meeting up for the bivi part of the weekend?

For all of use going on Saturday.....

Please note - Can we all bring a bike lock or two along with us please?

When I was outside The Freshfields Pub it was bloody cold last month. I think if the weather isn't warm on Saturday (heat wave promised) we could head inside for something to eat and drink rather than get chilled to the bone outside.
We can then take it in turns to nip out and check on the bikes every few minutes once we are in the warmth.

Looking at the very wet forecast and where the others are riding this is going to be the easiest of the winter bivi's

There will be no need to bring cooking gear if you don't need it.

We are meeting in a pub that does food for your first dry off

There will be a SPAR stop, a take away plus a pub stop where you can eat if you don't fancy a take away where we can dry out again.

It's a mile and a bit to the bivi spot, if it's still raining we can leave the pub late and set up before getting our head down.

All you may need is to bring (or buy a snack from SPAR) to last you to your Sunday 10am breakfast here at http://mecycle.co.uk/

We pass another shop (a One Stop not a SPAR, sorry) before the ride back to the main meet up point at the pub for another pint.

Bring money, lots of it if you want to stay dry

Any more fancy a wimps winter bivi?

Me please! Oh...

95 miles on a fat bike in the p*ssing rain is not exactly for wimps John