Calling Midlands UK Distance Riders?

Does anyone fancy a ride to Barton in the Beans?

I’ve just noticed on my silly names thread Chris Dobbie suggested riding to Barton on the Beans and meeting up there or somewhere near there at a purveyor of pintage. Whilst there, we could also bag the villages of Sheepy Parva and Sheepy Magna, which definately count in the game of Blubberhouses* too.

http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37585

Now this sounds like a splendid idea, but now it’s in my head, I have this idea of unicyclists from all over the midlands descending on a tiny unsuspecting village in the middle of nowhere.

It’s very convenient it’s 30 miles from Nottingham, 15 from Leicester, not very far from Coventry, Nuneaton and Rugby. It’s a little bit of a long ride from Birmingham, but Birmingham people could get the train or drive to where the airport is and ride from there, to miss out the dull bit from the centre and then it’d be a nice little ride of 20 miles or so.

Anyone interested?

Joe

  • Which is what the going to places with silly names game is now officially called. It’s a village in the Yorkshire Dales.

ahem, ahem. I know you’re out there. Just cos it’s crappy wet weather doesn’t mean you can escape!

Joe

I’d be up for a ride like that, it’s a bit far from my house though. If I can get a train/drive to somewhere closer then I’m very keen.

I don’t care about the weather, providing it’s not blowing a gale.

Paul

Go on then, I’ll give that a go.
It’s nice and flat, right?

John

Looking at the map it’s mildly undulating in parts but no big hills.

Starting from wherever you want is fine by me.

I’m currently thinking either Sat 12th or Sunday 27th February. Are either of these dates good for you guys?

Joe

Nottingham being the obvious place so we could ride as a group unless someone from further South wants to come too.

Joe

i dont know what my work schedual is for those dates but if they are free i will be up for it… i only have a 20" onza but i like to ride a little distance on it now and again.
id be most up for riding from notts… or even just a session in notts!.

Either date is fine by me.

pk, you are aware this is 30 miles, right? In my book that’s not a little distance on a 20".

John

exactly why i added at the end just a session in notts… i think i would get left behind! quite a bit behind.

Hi Joe et al.,

Personally, I definitely couldn’t do 12th Feb because my wife is on a yoga teacher training tutorial for the day, so I am the kids’ taxi, cook, cleaner, boxing referee, etc for the day, but 27th is definitely more of a goer.

Alan and Mark would probably be up for it too - I’m seeing Alan tonight at Nuneaton JC so I’ll mention it to him then - I don’t think he uses RSU any more.

Depending on your route from Notts., you could also take in Newton Burgoland - wow, another tick in your Blubberhousing notebook.

As I am a bit out of distance training recently, I would probably take the wuss option of starting out from Nuneaton, which might also make a better starting place for any Brum based riders who may like to join us.

Chris

Okay then Sunday 27th it is. We’ll have an more light then too so might get back to our respective starting points before dark.

I’ll post it on uk_unicyclists and also on the emunicyclists list
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/emunicyclists/ for East Midlands Unicyclists.

Joe

Okay, thanks to Chris Dobbie, we have a cunning plan for the ride on Sunday 27th.

The meeting points

  1. Beeston nr. Nottingham (my house)

Here
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=452362&Y=337280&A=Y&Z=1

We’ll aim to meet here at 8.30.

My mobile is (07905) 696427 if you’re going to be late or whatever.

  1. Nuneaton

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=436240&y=293120&z=5&sv=435000,295000&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=435930&y=294195&z=3&sv=435500,294500&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf&dn=801

There is a layby on the left of the northbound A444 north of Nuneaton, just past the ex-railway embankment. The ex-railway is a bit muddy but ridable (except if, like me, you have no tread left on your Coker tyre); this would avoid riding the busy A444 and there is a tunnel beneath the A5.

Chris Dobbie + some others are meeting here at 8.30am

Barton in the Beans
This is about 24 miles from Beeston and a minimum of about 12 from Nuneaton. We shall all aim to get here for about 11:30 and meet up at the crossroads. If we’re running early or late, we’ll organise with mobiles so that we all coincide.

We will then race faster than a fast thing that knows there’s a pint ready for it when the pub opens at 12 towards

The Cock Inn, Sibson
Even the lunch place has a silly name!

Sheepy Magna and Sheepy Parva
These are undoubtedly silly names. Maybe we’ll see some sheep here?

Newton Burgoland
I’m not sure what this name is about…

At this point we’ll split up again and head home.

The details have changed slightly, I’ve put them in a new thread

<http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=38494>

Joe