Blimey. Good luck all - I guess the midges aren't out yet, especially with all the rain!

Love to do this, but it's a proper commitment!

Hardtail weighs 20.5 pounds, but it's a bit harsh for all day use, so if I was wearing a pack, I wouldn't use it. The Stumpy FSR weighs 25 pounds, and is nicer to ride for big rides, especially if wearing a pack. If bivvying out, my pack weighs about 11 pounds plus water, so it's a lot of extra weig...

Plain chocolate (but why does nowhere stock it - it's much nicer than milk choc)
followed by a Yorkie
then scotch egg
then BLT sandwich
and a bottle of Lucozade to wash it down

Quite nice these balanced diets!

Many a happy hour spent blowing up and tying balloons, massaging them into the bed, and then lying in comfort until a balloon pops in the middle of the night. Polaris's used to be funny - at night you would hear: snore snore snore BANG ,followed by "sh1T". This would happen regularly from ...

So, let's get this straight:

no confirmed finish time
outside assistance from Stuart (may not have been Haribo, but "perked up" sounds unfair to me)

Nah, don't believe it. I think you need to have another crack at it.

Just kidding - blimmin good effort!

Nice one fella - looks like you got away without needing lights as well. Looks like a genuine fastest time - be interested to see how much of your time was riding compared to total time - I spent around 2 hours "not riding" when I did it - still can't see how, but there are a couple of ste...

Can you go the night before and kip in the car? Your 4am start could become 5am, and you could still be off earlier...... The Visitor Centre in Knighton has bogs open all night, kids drinking in the field until the early hours, and a car park to leave your car. They don't mind people leaving cars th...

Pedalhead, I would try to start an hour earlier - the first hour or so can be ridden without (decent) lights, and to do the ride 1 way in 12 hours will be doing extremely well. Not sure how wet it all is over there at the moment, but where it's wet, it will slow you down. Good luck with it - the nav...

IMBA say EWE as it is "easier" (about 100m less climbing), but to save the "easier" bit for the return leg could be common sense. The route is sort of waymarked for EWE, but not the other way (the waymarking is very old painted yellow arrows on gateposts etc, but you have to look...

Ian, if you are going to have a crack at the double, it's there for the taking, but you can't mess about, The stopping time adds many many minutes to the overall time (even just the gates etc). You will need to have a dry spell of approx 3 weeks before your attempt to make the going easier (this is ...

s'pose there is a couple of million litres in those there reservoirs

Yes, total time of 12 hr 10 is the time to beat. When I did it, it took 13 hours total or so with full bivvy kit, and over 2 hrs was spent not riding (lots of gates, feed stops, shop stop, and a small amount of pushing). It's a great day out in the wilds (I saw 3 people all day, and 1 of those was d...

Not aware of any attempts, but I suspect there will be an attempt this year. I am surprised how few single attempts there have been on the TCW. I am only aware (from STW and other forums) of about 6 single attempts. I've done the single, but rode back the next day on the road (which with the hill ou...

Have you a plan to recharge the batteries on your GPS?
How much fuel for 10 days cooking?
How are you carrying water?
Take some paper maps and a compass - just in case your GPS stops being reliable.

Good luck with it - sounds a fantastic trip.

There were some good kit lists before the event, so now, looking back, what did you carry that you would have struggled without, and what did you carry that you didn't even look at using? My best bit of kit - toss up between dry socks and laserlite tent Most useless kit - waterproof trousers - they'...

Used in KIMM/OMM type events - meant to be great, just don't expect proper waterproofness, and you'll rip them on silly things, but good for sitting around in

Top event, great cake and coffee. Really enjoyed meeting a few like minded souls before, during and after, just wish I didn't have the southernmost bivvy spot to myself! Hip flask of whisky had me making my own entertainment though! Top moments - climbing a few of the hills to be met by views as stu...

I think I have about 67km for Saturday, with an overnight at a far flung corner, then 30km or so on Sunday. Am going for all CPs and am not spending too much time minimising mileage as this is a training ride for the big events of the summer. Looking forward to it now, especially as I've just got a ...

It has to be carrot cake, quite moist with lots of icing. I ride for miles for carrot cake.....

I like that. Big lead in, and then a final "I haven't asked permission yet..."

So it's just a dream then? (but a good one)

Good book for keeping a fire going I assume? I have slept in it in -6 on the tops of Forest of Bowland, granted that I also slept on heather (no, I wasn't that lucky!), and wore every single item of clothing I've owned since I was 6. It'll be fine, Wales isn't that cold/wet/snowy/miserable in Januar...

My kit list, probably underkill, but it's only 1 (long) night: Laserlite tent Rab Top bag Sleeping mat MSR pocket rocket Ti pan some clothes some food some spare bike bits (a tube) tools (gas canister + multitool) nothing adventurous up there, but I don't have a tarp or bivvy bag, so a tent it is th...

Steve, I quite agree with all your sentiments. I am one of those time limited riders who just wants to ride a bike in the great outdoors. Have done the Trans Cambrian, the PBW/MTL and love the idea of just getting away. Unfortunately have missed the entry for your Cairngorms Loop, but will be doing ...