Al wrote: ↑Wed Oct 16, 2019 10:39 pm Happy make some suggestions.

Never mind make suggestions Al ,get ya hole out this year

Al wrote: ↑Wed Oct 16, 2019 10:39 pm ... there’s a fantastic pub in clun ...

The White Horse? I have fond memories of the black pudding Scotch eggs.

Get my hole out is this going to go full deliverance?

Be great to catch up with you all if I can wrangle it round child commitments - should have hopefully recovered from the bb200 dyfi forest death march by then.

White horse pub is the one - fantastic food and even better beer brewed on the premises. Nice easy ride from there up to bury ditches for a bivy spot too.

What did you do to blacken your names in the bridges Reg?

"What did you do to blacken your names in the bridges Reg?" - good question Al. Beats me, we were just a perfectly standard bunch of BBB bikepackers on a perfectly standard BBB outing. Absolutely no idea what the problem was...

Al to be honest we really done nothing wrong apart from walk into the pub and order lunch and beer, we even asked for bags to cover the wooden chairs so not to leave a mess, I personally think that the day that was in it with the weather the youngsters really didn't want to be stuck at work

Maybe they were intimidated by the panda on Reg’s head...

Are you guys talking about our visit to Bridges on last year's winter bivy?

I remember drying lots of kit, lots of banter, being hungry and ordering a big bowl of chips and something (scampi or goujons?) but no one else being that hungry, and drinking a few pints. I thought we were rather charming!

Then we left and went the wrong way

I too thought we were exemplary in our behavior (for once) and I apologise for taking us up the hill the wrong way

Hmm, after reading my illustrious colleagues' comments about what a good bunch the boozers in the Bridges pub were, I'm convinced US lot must have been quaffing away somewhere else entirely .

Gonna need to sort me transport arrangements out shortly. We starting at Stretton or Welshpool then MaM ole mate? Or even somewhere a bit wacky like Craven Arms?

RIP wrote: ↑Fri Oct 18, 2019 4:08 pm
Gonna need to sort me transport arrangements out shortly. We starting at Stretton or Welshpool then MaM ole mate? Or even somewhere a bit wacky like Craven Arms?

Don't know yet mate, will message stu see what his lot are planning and then we'll make arrangements, could all meet in same cafe but head out to bc pick up Al on the way and work from there, bit pushed with work at the moment though (new job has me in on my current rest days from old job) so ain't really had time to think about it, maybe left in your hands this year reg as a lot of contracts are following me to new job so will be quite busy

Coolio. Let's see who else pops their head above the parapet. Might have to bash out the proverbial executive decision eventually though .

Decided to start from Stretton railway station at about lunchtime Sat - seems not much point Welshpool since down there in January - then to Bishops Castle via whatever tracks/byways present themselves. Will then perch in a quiet corner of any or all of the Bells/Tuns/Castle and await events/drinks/food. If rubbish starts being spoken so much the better. Search out a barn or pigsty later on, then return to Stretton for Sunday brunch/lunch.

Something to throw into the mix - on the Saturday the Salop Sludger starts in BC from the six bells.
It’s a mountain bike treasure hunt - you get some of the grid refs and the rest you find along the way by solving clues. I did it last year and it was a right laugh.
https://p.facebook.com/events/583929645 ... __tn__=C-R
Nothing to stop you getting pissed and sleeping in a hedge afterwards.

Edit

From last years email as that Facebook page currently doesn’t tell you much:
There is no set route - the ride route is completely up to you. All we do is give you 9 locations, in the form of Ordnance Survey grid references. These are found later in the email. You have to find another 3 locations when riding.
One small tip, clockwise may be easier when ticking off the locations to the North - otherwise you’ll be turning around to get the secret locations.
Remember, when leaving and entering Bishops Castle, please be aware that it is a busy Saturday, so people, cars, tractors, dogs, horses, cattle, traction engines, who knows what else may be about - don’t go crazy! we would like to do this again.

What's dates the Welsh winter bivvy?

I think it’s all the same weekend

Aye, 14/15..

What's dates the Welsh winter bivvy?

I'm all over the place at the moment Jay, so if you want to throw your hand in with the Shropsire posse, crack on

No problem

Shropshire lads I will be joining you

I won't be joining you now

I've just been informed that we're going on the santa express at seven railway on th Saturday

What time were people thinking of meeting on the Saturday? SWMBO has informed me that she forgot that she's busy on Saturday afternoon so I need to work out if it's feasible for me to come.

There seems to be a general convergence from various points of the compass onto the Three Tuns in Bishops Castle early Sat evening..... a convenient haystack will no doubt be selected afterwards....

Apparently there's now a rumour of an incursion from across the border, and I'm sure I read about it somewhere too... Obviously we call upon all stout yeomen to step up to the ramparts and do their duty. We'll be ready for them. Actually I'm pretty convinced there's an ancient Bishops Castle town statute that allows (nay, compels) us to shoot with our longbows any Welshmen, native or adopted, still abroad on the streets after dusk. Or is that Chester. Whatever. Those Welsh bowmen will be no match for us, especially those from, for example, ohh I dunno, west Montgomeryshire.



..... . To be honest any arrows we might lob will only be those destined for a dartboard, as per last year - we'd soon buckle under the Celtic onslaught and end up quaffing(*) ales(/tea) with them . It'd be ace to see as many BBers as were in the Ragleth last year. The 3 Tuns suggested booking if you wanted their 20-course banquet but those of sterner stuff know that BC Co-op is open until 10. Maybe we end up with a BBB Cymraeg-Saesneg joint force to rout those Salop Sludgers!

(*) "quaffing is very similar to drinking, only you spill most of it" (Pratchett, T)

Hoping to join you - just need to work out where to start from - it’s not an area I know too well

. Sent msg.

Beer in the tuns is a bit ropy these days - I would be looking to the castle, the vaults or the six bells.
Castle has its own bike wash and very nice food.