Advntr have created this map which some may find useful https://advntr.cc/uk-bikepacking-routes/

It seems to be tied to Komoot so not much use to me but if you are a Komoot user...fill your boots

official ... bikepacking. Oxymoron to this one .

RIP wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 5:38 pm official ... bikepacking. Oxymoron to this one .

I saw this doing the rounds on social media, and had to resist wading in. A map with every bikepacking route in the country? That'd be a full set of OS Explorers then?

Leave 'em to it Reg. They're not worf it. Etc.

Oh dear. In the Scottish section they list the Southern Upland Way. Oh dear oh dear oh dear.......

htrider wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 7:01 pm Oh dear. In the Scottish section they list the Southern Upland Way. Oh dear oh dear oh dear.......

Seems like it’s one of those lists where the routes themselves haven’t actually been ridden by the contributors?

There’s no mention of the HT550 - I wonder if that’s deliberate on their part, or Alan just not wanting it published widely?

There’s no mention of the HT550

I'm sure there's mention of the HT and a couple of other routes at the bottom of the article.

htrider wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 7:01 pm Oh dear. In the Scottish section they list the Southern Upland Way. Oh dear oh dear oh dear.......

Well it'll be a lesson in maps vs. reality for someone

thenorthwind wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 6:33 pm A map with every bikepacking route in the country? That'd be a full set of OS Explorers then?

Good one!

They're not worf it.

My Stephen Wright rocking-chair is definitely on the verge of tipping backwards tonight so had to have another viewing of this gem. 'Big Train' - little known but 2nd (3rd?) best comedy series of all time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOun2I5I_co

HT550 on a gravel bike
That’s just sadistic

I couldn't see Shaf's 'North Peak 100' route listed.

I think the trouble is that there are so many routes these days, that your finger would need to be well and truly on the pulse to know of everything.

I do think 'official' was likely the wrong word to use. Perhaps better to have called them 'Recommended Bikepacking Routes' or 'Some reet stonking routes' or summat else probably.

It would have made more sense to provide a list of links to the sites where these routes are already listed.

johnnystorm wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 9:05 pm It would have made more sense to provide a list of links to the sites where these routes are already listed.

That has been pointed out to the compiler. Routes change.

johnnystorm wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 9:05 pm It would have made more sense to provide a list of links to the sites where these routes are already listed.

But then how would komoot get a mention

sean_iow wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 9:30 pm

johnnystorm wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 9:05 pm It would have made more sense to provide a list of links to the sites where these routes are already listed.

But then how would komoot get a mention

Silly me.

sean_iow wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 9:30 pm

johnnystorm wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 9:05 pm It would have made more sense to provide a list of links to the sites where these routes are already listed.

But then how would komoot get a mention

i thought it was more to do with the Radavist wannabe's at advntr.cc getting their egos massaged

woodsmith wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 10:28 pm

sean_iow wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 9:30 pm

johnnystorm wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 9:05 pm It would have made more sense to provide a list of links to the sites where these routes are already listed.

But then how would komoot get a mention

i thought it was more to do with the Radavist wannabe's at advntr.cc getting their egos massaged

I also see the big bear 530 isn’t listed on there for wales

Thought it was a pretty useful guide to be honest, a few on there I'd not heard of or links that look useful and a good start point by area. There may be unintentionally rough (SUW?) routes there but who in the UK will have ridden all of these, enough to vouch for the guide on the ground?

They'll have called it 'official' etc or put 'gravel' in there as Google SEO is what gets things found - titles or headers of articles generally end up being shaped by that if traffic is what they're after (Advntr will be for sure)

Last point. We can't talk about accessibility on one thread then say a guide like this is flawed for lack of adventure/missing the most rugged routes etc.

I think it's more likely the use of 'official' that's raised some eyebrows James. After all, no routes are actually 'official'. There's (thankfully) no governing body that sanctions routes or checks that they fit some criteria or other. Trouble is, calling something 'official' sets a mark of sorts and also peoples expectations ... especially true if people are new to the whole thing perhaps?

IIRC the author works for Komoot.

Not sure if they've got their SEO worked out TBH James. You have to type "Official UK bikepacking routes" into Google to get it as a hit. Miss off the "official" bit and Red Bull comes up as the top hit then bikepacking.com with adventr.com nowhere to be seen.

Misses Ian's Cambrian Trail from the Welsh list as well.

Misses Ian's Cambrian Trail from the Welsh list as well.

I think you'd be here all day trying to list anything missed off Bob Every route's as 'official' as every other and there must be at least 10 mapped routes that run N-S Wales.

whitestone wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 12:53 pm Not sure if they've got their SEO worked out TBH James. You have to type "Official UK bikepacking routes" into Google to get it as a hit. Miss off the "official" bit and Red Bull comes up as the top hit then bikepacking.com with adventr.com nowhere to be seen.

Misses Ian's Cambrian Trail from the Welsh list as well.

I think the results will be linked to how much traffic the site gets generally, can't imagine Advntr traffic is very high (yet/that's the aim isn't it). So while I should've said it may be why not 'it is why' - SEO isn't my area at all - I'm just suggesting another side of why titles end up as they do. Generally, look at road.cc's content and you can see how clearly SEO biased that is - 10 best this, buyers guide to that etc. I know at Evans the SEO guys were keen on the gravel term all of a sudden when googletrends picked it up, before that they had us calling Arkose an 'Adventure Road' bike as a combo of 2 more SEO-friendly words.

Trouble is, calling something 'official' sets a mark of sorts and also peoples expectations ...

Someone who took that tag as any guide of value would be a liability to themselves online in general...
...and isn't that half of the world's problems