What are your feelings about next year?

[Asposium]

Lockdowns, or more regions in tier4, between Jan until about March. Vaccine rollout should start to improve things in Q2 and Q3. But, if there are further variants which achieve vaccine escape, then all bets are off.

yup
i feel vaccine escape is our biggest problem at the moment.
the virus will change, we just have to hope one of the changes doesn't permit vaccine escape.

everything else is just letting things work through..

[Chew]

Things staying as they currently, until Easter.
Hopefully then a combination of sufficient people being vaccinated and the arrival of Spring will help things, and we’ll see restrictions being relaxed over the summer.

If you’re thinking dates for the WRT, then the August bank holiday would be the most pragmatic time, with a format similar to this year.

[Bearbonesnorm]

If you’re thinking dates for the WRT, then the August bank holiday would be the most pragmatic time, with a format similar to this year.

Yeah, I'm starting to think August - just seems so far away

[In Reverse]

I'm reasonably optimistic.

If we can get up around the 2million jabs per week that the NHS are hopeful of then that will the the majority of the most vulnerable sorted by mid-March. By the time we get to Easter hospitalisation numbers will have dropped by 90% or more and we should see a steady opening back up, including domestic travel and tourism.

Can't see big events like Ard Rock happening, but smaller events should be fine and I suspect they'll be very well subscribed. I think by the time we get to mid/late summer people in rural areas will be used to having people passing through and they'll be welcoming of it.

Won't be booking any overseas travel just yet, it's impossible to see how that will go. I missed out on the Holy Land Trail this year, would love to do that next year but I think Israel will probably be very strict on letting the unvaccinated in. The Granguanche Canaries event might well be a go-er though. TNR would be lovely too...

[fatbikephil]

Same as every year, albeit form a different perspective. I've no idea what will happen, what will happen to me, what will happen to the world. Aliens could turn up and enslave the entire human race, an asteroid could annihilate the entire planet, I could get cancer. The virus will likely persist for ages, the vaccine programme will take ages, restrictions will last for ages, politocos will bang on about it all for ages. I will just keep buggering on.
Thank fu*k for beer, bikes and bivvies

[Rob S]

I can't see a significant improvement happening until the summer, then, maybe. The whole population doesn't need to be vaccinated, only the vulnerable. Then the rest of us need to be sensible for another twelve months or so (distancing from people we aren't familiar with, masks when necessary etc). It will be a gradual shift back to some form of normality. So I'm hoping some low-key trips will be able to go ahead come this summer.

[thenorthwind]

Same as every year, albeit form a different perspective. I've no idea what will happen, what will happen to me, what will happen to the world. Aliens could turn up and enslave the entire human race, an asteroid could annihilate the entire planet, I could get cancer. The virus will likely persist for ages, the vaccine programme will take ages, restrictions will last for ages, politocos will bang on about it all for ages. I will just keep buggering on.
Thank fu*k for beer, bikes and bivvies

I'll have some of whatever you've had Phil

Well said though. I don't think much will change soon, but am hopeful that by the summer we will have a similar situation to August and September this year where everything's a bit weird but stuff is still possible. I'm not really worried about it. It'll be what it'll be. I'm lucky to be able to say that, not worry about the possibility of work, my health, mental or physical (too much anyway), etc. so I'm not going to sweat whether I can go abroad to ride my bike or not.

Edit: that's not meant as a put-down to anyone who's disappointed that they might not get to do the trips they want next year BTW, just how I see it for myself.

[pistonbroke]

I have every intention of running the Spanish Divide trip at the end of May. The new route has been written and recced, it is very different to the Coast to Coast route that a few here have done. It's a bit more mountainous than the C2C and takes in the sources of the 3 longest rivers in Iberia as well as the usual selection of castles, canyons and iconic film sets. The full route is published on wikiloc in the new Bikepacking section. It's the usual 9 sections but it will be up to you how fast of slow you want to go.

[AlasdairMc]

I doubt I’ll leave Scotland in 2021. I had aimed to do TD for my 40th but it’ll have to wait.

I’m getting a van so will likely do a road trip up North when conditions permit, although I’m well aware that a lot of places have been swamped - I’ll be paying for campsites and travelling midweek.

My main concerns that have changed my plans are lack of bothies and public transport options, hence riding loops from a base seems a better option for me.

[Jurassic]

I doubt I’ll leave Scotland in 2021. I had aimed to do TD for my 40th but it’ll have to wait.

I’m getting a van so will likely do a road trip up North when conditions permit, although I’m well aware that a lot of places have been swamped - I’ll be paying for campsites and travelling midweek.

My main concerns that have changed my plans are lack of bothies and public transport options, hence riding loops from a base seems a better option for me.

This pretty much echoes my thoughts and plans as well. I'm hoping the Costas/Balearics/Canaries will be open for the masses though so that Scotland isn't quite as busy as it was last summer.

[AlasdairMc]

This pretty much echoes my thoughts and plans as well. I'm hoping the Costas/Balearics/Canaries will be open for the masses though so that Scotland isn't quite as busy as it was last summer.

Wasn’t it said that those who went abroad and basically ignored all social distancing were responsible for a big spike this year? That’s something to look forward to then.

I am hoping things calm down a bit. In the Highlands it isn’t helped by woeful underinvestment in tourist infrastructure.

[Jurassic]

I am hoping things calm down a bit. In the Highlands it isn’t helped by woeful underinvestment in tourist infrastructure.

Yeah, I already have a camper van but we didn't go anywhere in it last summer because it was so busy. My buddy and I rode up Glen Lochay, over the Hydro road into Glen Lyon and back over the road that runs between Ben Lawers and the Tarmachans back in August and it was incredibly busy. Lower Glen Lochay was packed with tents pitched next to the river and the section over the top past where the Ben Lawers visitor centre used to be was like a mountain stage of the Tour de France with parked cars and campers nose to tail on both sides of the road!

[Taylor]

Depends which Island you go to in the canaries, Tenerife has loads of covid, Lanzarote has about 40 active cases currently.
A face mask at all times when outside the home/accommodation but not during exercise. Walking to the beach=mask on, sit down on the beach=mask off, etc. Etc.

Wasn't that bad. The worst bit is the 10 days isolating when you get home if it's not in the safe travel corridor. I've got a bathroom to refit at home which will keep me busy and the kids have Christmas presents to play with, the wife is being a pain in the arse though and is traveling to Luton from Bristol for an early release test. Hardly seems worth it for 4 days of freedom in tier 3.

[ScotRoutes]

My plans for April include installing a barrier on the A9 at Drumochter

[Dave Barter]

My plans for April include installing a barrier on the A9 at Drumochter

Can we have one on the M5 at Exeter please. Brixham full of brummy accents today

[Wotsits]

Got lots that i want to do, but the fact that it doesn't seem certain that the vaccine will prevent transmission, i can see this possibly impacting on events..