A one-off Wander... maybe targeted towards beginners... 6/7 July

Yep a brummie though and though:JB.
sooooooooooo I'll talk really slowly:pullface

Looking forward to meeting you all:beerjug:

Terry
 
I don't know what's happened - my trips on the bike are usually accompanied by storm clouds, driving rain and frostbite.

I'm not even taking waterproofs this weekend!

11 o'clock in passenger terminal building?
 
I don't know what's happened - my trips on the bike are usually accompanied by storm clouds, driving rain and frostbite.

I'm not even taking waterproofs this weekend!

11 o'clock in passenger terminal building?

11 sounds good to me... I will have a white Carnation in my buttonhole and carrying The Times :beerjug:
 
Update on rooms....

got shot of swmbo for this one. just need the bloody passport !

We have a new joiner, Giles and Rosie, so I have switched them into what was your double.

Don't worry, Giles first found you a single in the same hotel.... Or so he says :D I guess we'll just have to trust him.

There are now seven of us, on six bikes.

Wapping (Richard)
Robin
Brummie (Terry)
JohnTaylor54 (John)
Giles (and Rosie)
Sdk72 (Steve)

With six bikes we should all be able to keep reasonably well together, let's just look out for the fellow behind and in front when making a turn. If we really do find we are getting too spread out, we can use the marker drop off system. The idea (as always) is not to lose anyone, no matter what.

Giles is on a train half an hour in front of ours. We will meet him in the fuel station on leaving the train.

I have looked at our route down to St Q again, with the idea of maybe missing out the motorway to J5 at St Pol ( where I once came very very close to meeting my maker). On my own or with a smaller group, we could do it, for sure. With six of us, we only need one delay on the train and time will slip away.

There is no great advantage coming off before J5 as that only really brings us closer to St Omer. The alternative is to head down towards Boulogne and then head south east but we are sort of coming back that way on Sunday. Overall, I think J5 is the happiest option (not least as we lose the hour just crossing over) and we have a decent length ride ahead of us on Sunday.

The weather still looks set fine across the whole weekend, including the run rom the train back to home in London in the evening... If it rains I am going to get wet :eek: and blame the man with the seaweed and fir cones :D

See you in the waiting area 'thing' at the Chunnel.

Richard
 
Reading this thread, purelybecause I am nosey (!!!), but really wishing I was off on such a trip into France. So, I shall keep a look out for future trips and think about whether I can join you from here in germany (Cologne, so not too far East).

Have a great time
 
Reading this thread, purelybecause I am nosey (!!!), but really wishing I was off on such a trip into France. So, I shall keep a look out for future trips and think about whether I can join you from here in germany (Cologne, so not too far East).

Have a great time

Hi .. I used to come to Cologne to the. 6 day track meeting (cycling) when I lived up the road in MG. lovey old city :beerjug:
 
Stuck in England because the Train was full. If you're not at petrol station see you at the hotel I guess.
 
Great trip, everyone. Thanks again for arranging it, Richard.

Fuller report to follow when I'm not quite so knackered. :D
 
yep - been in about an hour - good fun.

Thanks for arranging Trixie ... :thumb2
 
Hello chaps and Rosy....

Yup, I think it all went OK. 249.4 miles door-to-door in a day and a half back to central London, which is not bad for a reasonably easy break.

I was pleased that the idea of a later (noon) start on Saturday worked out. If nothing else it gives anyone coming from further afield the opportunity to get to the Chunnel without leaving at sparrows'.

St Quentin, a town that is usually between somewhere and nowhere, is a decent enough destination. It's close enough to be rideable in an afternoon, has sufficient hotels (The Florence was OK, for sure) and a decent enough choice of restaurants within easy walking distance to be useful. Not least, it is far enough away as to offer a decent (240 mile) ride back to the Chunnel on Sunday, using mostly D roads.

For anyone thinking of riding it for themselves, the routes work OK. We rode the longer option on the Saturday (motorway fron the Chunnel, leaving at J5, then down through St Pol, Albert and Peronne) with a coffee stop at Albert.

We rode the longer route option on the Sunday, from St Quentin, via Peronne to St Valery on the outlet of the Somme. To do it and make a train home at say 18:50 you would probably need to do as we did and leave Peronne at nine AM on Sunday morning. This gives you about an hour slack in case you have a problem. Much later and you may end up chasing your tail. On your own you will do it comfortably, with a larger group of say more than six bikes you will need to keep an eye on the clock. If you leave the Chunnel in France with a full tank, most bikes will make the run down to St Quentin without a re-fill. There is a large 24 hour petrol station on entering the town, to re-fill ready for Sunday morning. We refilled at Peronne on the Saturday which then left us a little short (not much, my bike has a 17.5 litre tank, with 22 miles remaining) on the Sunday, meaning a short deviation to find some fuel about an hour short of St Valery. Make sure you leave St Quentin with a full tank and splash a half tankful in halfway round would be my suggestion. There is loads of fuel at St Valery, so refill there and you'll make it most of the way back to London.

We bought some baguettes for lunch on Sunday, which worked out well. There are plenty on places to stop en-route for a picnic. On Saturday, you are a bit between a rock and a hard place lunchwise, the noon start making it awkward, the hour lost in the time difference not helping. My suggestion would be to bring a sandwich and stop for a coffee somewhere. Or better still, scoff it on the train over.

If I get a chance, I'll redo it before the year end, probably in late September or early October, before the light goes. Watch this space for news....

My thanks to everyone who came along; I'm glad it was worthwhile.

Richard


PS John, thanks for your text. Hope it all works out OK with your Mother-in-law.
 
thoroughly enjoyed myself on this wee jaunt. lovely group to travel with too. absolutely splendid. thankyou Richard! :beerjug:
 

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Thank you Richard for a great trip. mother-in-law now home, it was a chest infection, but due to her lung cancer they didnt want to take any chances, and i am afraid Mrs T over- reacted hence my early morning call.

hope to meet you all again soon

John:clap:thumb2
 
Thank you Richard for a great trip. mother-in-law now home, it was a chest infection, but due to her lung cancer they didnt want to take any chances, and i am afraid Mrs T over- reacted hence my early morning call.

hope to meet you all again soon

John:clap:thumb2

Glad she's ok, John.
 
Thank you Richard for a great trip. mother-in-law now home, it was a chest infection, but due to her lung cancer they didnt want to take any chances, and i am afraid Mrs T over- reacted hence my early morning call.

hope to meet you all again soon

John:clap:thumb2

Hey, no worries, these things happen.

At least we were only in St Q, so just a short hop back up the A26, M20, M25, A12 (God that sounds depressing) to get back and make sure all was well'ish.

Look forward to seeing you on other jaunts etc.

Richard
 


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