All the bears.

[Dave Barter]

cool, whens the group start

1st April

[fatbikephil]

cool, whens the group start

1st April

That works - nice weather, nay midges and a reasonable amount of daylight.
Joking apart its about time there was a 500 plus 'proper' bikepacking thing south of t' border.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Easter would likely be a good time and maybe I should remove Dave's favourite gate too.

[fatbikephil]

Count me in!

[Richard G]

That's a hard pass from me.

[ledburner]

Climbing route names generally have sensible names attributed to the first person to complete the route.

Generally sensible on classics up to a certain time, when climber took themselves too serious and fought for fame and recognition. Must have been hard before Instagram

Quite a few sound more like a creative porn movie name, often names come from books the climbers were reading, some from a silly joke/situational comedy, others clearly inspired by a specific feature on the climb etc. It's a mixed bag to say the least.
Some climbing routes go by project names, so they have their name before the first ascent.

At Froggatt there is a route named strapiombio, a young John Allen name the neighbouring route a similar sounding transgender medical procedure 'Strapadictomy'.

[whitestone]

As an ex-climber route names were something of an art form. Some crags have a theme - the Scafell Crags have Lord of the Rings for example. At the other end, a friend delighted in innuendo laden names

When I lived in Wales and very soon after I started going out with Cath I did the third ascent of a very bold route on Cloggy (the big cliff off to your right when going up the Llanberis path up Snowdon), I also took a huge fall off it when a hold snapped so had a lot of bruises (it wasn't vertical). My climbing partner's wife had instructed him to be back by 9pm "or else". We headed off to the pub then Cath took my battered body home while my mate got a lift with a friend up the Pass to his house. "Oh, I fancy another pint in the Vaynol". Several pints and a couple of hours past the deadline he got home. He couldn't understand why his door key wouldn't work. In his drunken stupor he failed to notice his sleeping bag on the patio so he slept in the wood shed until the morning when he got into the house via a "sober" route only to find that his wife had nailed the door shut with 6" nails

A couple of weeks later the friend who'd given him the lift and I did a new route, the name didn't take much thinking about: Bed of Nails

[Asposium]

Would people fancy a group start the second Saturday in September, so, 10th September 2022?
School holidays have finished.
Still long days, warm, but not too hot.
Weather usually fairly well settled in September

[Bearbonesnorm]

Would people fancy a group start the second Saturday in September, so, 10th September 2022?

Happy to help arrange something if there's interest.

[godivatrailrider]

Four Corners of Hell sounds about right. Agree clockwise. You’d start in Llanbrynmair and do the yellow first (2015, which was a good vintage), reverse a chunk of this years route and pick up the 2013 and 2017 routes (also very good). 2018 and 2019 I didn’t do, but know the trails, so all good. The sting in the tail is finishing with the 2014 route…

I really need to map this and work out how far it is

If,say, someone found themselves with some time on their hands during Wimbledon fortnight…. Which of these routes is the ‘best’ ? Best not necessarily being easiest,but I’d not be looking at the toughest most unpleasant route… above yellow 2015 is well regarded…. Is it possible to get this route ?

[fatbikephil]

Interested but it would be a toss up between this and the BB300.... Count me as a mebbes

[Asposium]

I aim to start Rhayader on Saturday 10th
Take a week off work and have a semi- leisurely ride.
Bothy for night one then 100 ish km a day thereafter.
Enjoy the route as much as anyone can a BBx route.

[Bearbonesnorm]

If,say, someone found themselves with some time on their hands during Wimbledon fortnight…. Which of these routes is the ‘best’ ? Best not necessarily being easiest,but I’d not be looking at the toughest most unpleasant route… above yellow 2015 is well regarded…. Is it possible to get this route ?

Anything other than 2014 I recall that 2015 was a 'fast' year and that 2017 was nice.

[Verena]

Ooo, maybe...tell me more,.what is it and where and how far? Am just in the process of rejigging all my plans for this year...

[godivatrailrider]

If,say, someone found themselves with some time on their hands during Wimbledon fortnight…. Which of these routes is the ‘best’ ? Best not necessarily being easiest,but I’d not be looking at the toughest most unpleasant route… above yellow 2015 is well regarded…. Is it possible to get this route ?

Anything other than 2014 I recall that 2015 was a 'fast' year and that 2017 was nice.

Which colour was 2017?

[Bearbonesnorm]

Which colour was 2017?

I'm completely colour blind so no idea. I'll try and find the gpx out.

[HUX]

Has anyone produced a gpx for the whole outer loop yet? If so could i get a copy please.

[Bearbonesnorm]

what is it and where and how far?

It's the perimeter of all the BB200 joined together (thank you Dave). 685km in total. Goes north just beyond Ffestiniog, south towards Lampeter and east near Clun. It'd be quite a thing undertaken an an ITT with an eye on the clock.

Has anyone produced a gpx for the whole outer loop yet? If so could i get a copy please.

Emailed you Hux.

[Verena]

Thank you Stu. Yep, quite a thing....