2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
Moderators: Bearbonesnorm, Taylor, Chew
Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
When I was a teenager, I used to do a sponsored cycle ride where you had to visit as many churches and chapels as possible within about 8 hours.
The record was held by a friend of mine, which topped 80, if I recall. I think I managed about 55 one year - the skill was in crafting a really efficient route. That, and not getting engaged in conversation with the local WI ladies, and eating your body weight in Victoria Sponge cake. More tea, vicar?
The record was held by a friend of mine, which topped 80, if I recall. I think I managed about 55 one year - the skill was in crafting a really efficient route. That, and not getting engaged in conversation with the local WI ladies, and eating your body weight in Victoria Sponge cake. More tea, vicar?
Last edited by Ian on Mon Oct 31, 2016 10:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- voodoo_simon
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Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
^^^
That sounds like a great idea for a ride!
That sounds like a great idea for a ride!
Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
Bearbonesnorm wrote:Bit of both Gabe, the more remote ones are usually open - not Chapel's though, they tend to be locked.On another note, are churches in Wales still left open like they used to be in down here in Devon? Or do they get locked up to stop undesirables nabbing the valuables?
Ok......... expands the options
The noise goes quiet when I'm on my bike :)
Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
It even has a website nowadays (http://www.rideandstrideuk.org/what-is/)voodoo_simon wrote:^^^
That sounds like a great idea for a ride!
They didn't have such fangled stuff when I was a boy. We used to plan it out on old OS maps and measure distance with a little map measuring wheel.
- godivatrailrider
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Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
The trailquest reference is merely the idea of having multiple points you navigate between rather than the coordinates having various values, strict time limits and leaderboards etc.Bearbonesnorm wrote:Only a bit like one, although you can make it like one if you want.If it's a bit like a trailquest it's be really entertaining.
Some folks are more suited to a leisurely approach rather than having a 200km route to follow.
I would be just as happy to have taken part and covered 40 welsh miles as the folks that do 150.
This sort of event is more my thang than say Bearbones 200. :)
- Bearbonesnorm
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Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
I think it's the same for many people and the thought of an imposed 200km isn't a pleasant one. Making it 'multiple choice' opens things up to many more people, which is never a bad thingSome folks are more suited to a leisurely approach rather than having a 200km route to follow.
I would be just as happy to have taken part and covered 40 welsh miles as the folks that do 150.
This sort of event is more my thang than say Bearbones 200. :)
May the bridges you burn light your way
- whitestone
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Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
We used to do some of the Trailquests in the South Lakes and Yorkshire Dales areas - as easy or as hard as you wanted to make them and a nice way to investigate an area over three or four hours. I see the Winter event and the Welsh Ride Thing as being similar to a multi-day Trailquest or Polaris but without the competitive or timed elements and a chance to explore an area of Wales I don't know particularly well. The BB200 is closer in spirit to an ITT or reliability ride.
Both have their place but if one doesn't "float your boat" then fine. I like both, I'm happy pottering about but I also like to test myself now and again.
Both have their place but if one doesn't "float your boat" then fine. I like both, I'm happy pottering about but I also like to test myself now and again.
Better weight than wisdom, a traveller cannot carry
- Blackhound
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Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
Expecting this chapel to be on the list which passed on WRT a couple of years ago:
P5041326 by blackhound59, on Flickr
P5041326 by blackhound59, on Flickr
- RIP
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Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
Ohhh, go on then, maybe I'll discover a late-in-life piety on the way round. I can picture the pre-departure gathering around Stu: "he's NOT the messiah, he's a.......". Anyway, it's a good opportunity to add to my bag of graveyard kips, the benefit of those being if it all becomes a bit too much you can just be rolled sideways by your team-mates into a convenient hole...
"Reg"
"Reg"
"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP
The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
- RIP
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Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
"We used to plan it out on old OS maps and measure distance with a little map measuring wheel". - Ah. Er, I have a bit of a confession to make at this point...
"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP
The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
- voodoo_simon
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Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
Me too! Still don't use a navigating GPS unit... (on the buy list for Finland...)RIP wrote:"We used to plan it out on old OS maps and measure distance with a little map measuring wheel". - Ah. Er, I have a bit of a confession to make at this point...
Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
Puts me in mind of an old Welsh joke: when a tourist travelling through Wales asks an elderly lady standing outside a chapel why are there always two chapels in Welsh villages she replies "Oh, that'll be the one I don't go to, me".
I used to do the sponsored ride around the churches and chapels of the Forest of Dean and lower Wye Valley a few years ago with a couple of old riding buddies now no longer with us; happy memories, thanks for bringing it back to mind Ian
I used to do the sponsored ride around the churches and chapels of the Forest of Dean and lower Wye Valley a few years ago with a couple of old riding buddies now no longer with us; happy memories, thanks for bringing it back to mind Ian
We go out into the hills to lose ourselves, not to get lost. You are only lost if you need to be somewhere else and if you really need to be somewhere else then you're probably in the wrong place to begin with.
Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
My pleasure.I used to do the sponsored ride around the churches and chapels of the Forest of Dean and lower Wye Valley a few years ago with a couple of old riding buddies now no longer with us; happy memories, thanks for bringing it back to mind Ian
I wish now I'd kept a better record of where we rode. Mostly south of Hereford and into the Golden Valley - it was as less than 5 miles between churches in places. Mind you, you could do about 20 within the Hereford city boundary if you were canny enough.
It used to get increasingly difficult as the day wore on, because if the church was manned you had to get your sheet validated. Once you'd got over about 30, all the old ladies would coo "how many...?!" and then keep you talking...
Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
Nice theme. Church porches (do chapels have porches?) make for handy spots for getting a bit of shut eye on an overnight ride. And cleaner than the bus shelters favoured by audaxers. Usually a couple of long wooden benches on each side, failing that a well-swept flagstone floor.
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Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
Church porches are more favoured by audaxers than bus stops. Bus stops just tend to be a bit more frequent than churches.
I had a fantastic time on the TNR so I'm in for this one along with Mrs Tiger. Looking forward to the glorious weather, high mountain passes and the ready supply of fine coffee and delicious continental cuisine.
I had a fantastic time on the TNR so I'm in for this one along with Mrs Tiger. Looking forward to the glorious weather, high mountain passes and the ready supply of fine coffee and delicious continental cuisine.
- Blackhound
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Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
Kipped in a church porch that is early on in both the Sandstone Trail and the Berwick - Derby Pennine cycle route. Nice and quiet and being closed unlikely to be disturbed.
Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
Unusually the no 1 child's birthday falls closest to the weekend before so I'm in for the first time.
- RIP
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Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
Probably tempting fate to even consider anything about the Winter Event before one’s survived the Winter Bivi, but hey, the anticipation’s the thing...
If it’s “eglwysi neu gapeli” then I was wondering what might be the scale of the challenge? Spent a pleasant evening trying to tot them all up....
For example if Stuart goes for a rough oval shape bounded by Derwenlas, Corris, Llanymawddwy, Vyrnwy, Llanfair Caereinion, Caersws, Van, Nantymoch, and Derwenlas, I think there could be 105 gridrefs for chapels and churches. Of those, 9 are churches and 17 are “now converted” buildings; leaving 79 extant chapels. It would seem that if you’re yn fynychwr capel then you might have your work cut out . Yn fynychwr eglwys... easy peasy.
Aside from our superhuman colleagues who could probably cover those 105 before tea time without raising a sweat, mortals will probably be setting their sights a bit lower and maybe hoping that Stuart restricts us to “less than 20km away from Llanbrynmair”? I reckon that brings it down to 64 – with 6 churches and 13 “now converted” ones, so 45 chapels . That area would still include Mach, Corris, Dinas Mawddwy, Caersws, and Staylittle, and an amusing outlier (there always has to be one it seems!) over towards Llanfair C.
Of course rank amateurs like me will enjoy reading Stu’s gridrefs list, then nip in a straight line to the nearest chapel with a pub next to it and hunker (not Hunka) down for the duration. Hopefully there’ll be a nice graveyard to bivi in as well. With pint in hand I’ll be wondering how long it would take to visit all 6426 Welsh chapels......
Whatever we get, it’s a cracking theme I reckon
“Reg”
If it’s “eglwysi neu gapeli” then I was wondering what might be the scale of the challenge? Spent a pleasant evening trying to tot them all up....
For example if Stuart goes for a rough oval shape bounded by Derwenlas, Corris, Llanymawddwy, Vyrnwy, Llanfair Caereinion, Caersws, Van, Nantymoch, and Derwenlas, I think there could be 105 gridrefs for chapels and churches. Of those, 9 are churches and 17 are “now converted” buildings; leaving 79 extant chapels. It would seem that if you’re yn fynychwr capel then you might have your work cut out . Yn fynychwr eglwys... easy peasy.
Aside from our superhuman colleagues who could probably cover those 105 before tea time without raising a sweat, mortals will probably be setting their sights a bit lower and maybe hoping that Stuart restricts us to “less than 20km away from Llanbrynmair”? I reckon that brings it down to 64 – with 6 churches and 13 “now converted” ones, so 45 chapels . That area would still include Mach, Corris, Dinas Mawddwy, Caersws, and Staylittle, and an amusing outlier (there always has to be one it seems!) over towards Llanfair C.
Of course rank amateurs like me will enjoy reading Stu’s gridrefs list, then nip in a straight line to the nearest chapel with a pub next to it and hunker (not Hunka) down for the duration. Hopefully there’ll be a nice graveyard to bivi in as well. With pint in hand I’ll be wondering how long it would take to visit all 6426 Welsh chapels......
Whatever we get, it’s a cracking theme I reckon
“Reg”
"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP
The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
Reg - you got too much time on your hands!
Some of my pics https://www.flickr.com/photos/107347896@N06/sets/
We’re gonna need snacks
#TakeLessBike
We’re gonna need snacks
#TakeLessBike
- RIP
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Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
Yeah I never was very good at time-management . However I love maps so I'll feebly protest that it's no worse than time spent, say, in an art gallery - maps are little works of art in themselves. And I spotted a few places I didn't know about that would bear a future visit. Meanwhile I could hear a football match on down the road, and watch punters outside walking to the town's nightclub, so wasting time is not just my prerogative it would seem
"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP
The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
- whitestone
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Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
Cath and I are in! Looking forward to some snow or crispy conditions rather than the sleet of last year - this might be a bit on the optimistic side.
Better weight than wisdom, a traveller cannot carry
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Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
"Crispy" - Tyrrell's 'Naked' ones (150g) for me please.
"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP
The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
- RIP
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Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
T'other "Winter Event OS Maps" thread seems an opportunity to rejuvenate this one. Only 6 days to go until the traumatic details are revealed in all fashionable colour supplements; with lots of room still for guesswork, speculation, conjecture, cogitation, and suspicion.
"136 and 135". Well that slices my hypothetical "oval shape" nicely in half latitudinally, reducing the potential religious establishments by half to only 53, or 3 every hour of a 2x8hr outing. Hmm.
The excitement is palpable (whatever that means).
R
"136 and 135". Well that slices my hypothetical "oval shape" nicely in half latitudinally, reducing the potential religious establishments by half to only 53, or 3 every hour of a 2x8hr outing. Hmm.
The excitement is palpable (whatever that means).
R
"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP
The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
Just went to enter and entries are closed. Bah humbug!
Is there a reserve list?
Is there a reserve list?
Not so much a gravel grinder.... more a gravel (mud and tarmac) groveller...
- Bearbonesnorm
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Re: 2017 Winter Event - Entries Open.
Aside from sending everyone a personal invitation, I probably couldn't have done anymore to make people aware of the entry closing date.Just went to enter and entries are closed. Bah humbug!
Nope, sorry.Is there a reserve list?
May the bridges you burn light your way