Dorset Ride Sunday 20th May
Posted: May 4th, '18, 12:10
Right then, Sunday the 20th it is. If it doesn't rain...
A mixture of fast flowing and tight and nadgery through Dorset, with a little bit of Wiltshire thrown in, down to the Purbecks, through Dorchester and a back road northern route to finish at West Bay. I'm going to avoid the Bridport/Weymouth coast road. Its lovely but one for evenings and early mornings really. On a Sunday afternoon in May it will be rammed with tin boxes and wobbly Harley riders and probably the odd speed trap. There will be tea, coffee, cake for Smiler, chips and more cake etc en-route.
No Google maps because I hate it with a vengeance and can never get it to work, so briefly, the route is as follows:
8:00 meet at Tesco fuel, Axminster. Opposite Axminster tools, next to railway station (don't go to the main store over the road as there is no fuel station there). Fuel up and leave by 8:30.
Set out via windy route through Marshwood Vale to Broadwindsor, then a familiar road to most but it's a good un: through the tunnel to Mosterton and a good rip down the full length of Tollerdown Road towards Dorchester. Up Smiler's favourite road to Sherborne then a wriggly route to Shaftesbury for a fuel stop then a little loop through the Chalk Vallley and up Zig-Zag hill to Compton Abbas airfield for tea and cake etc.
Winding route through Cranborne Chase via Blandford and Morden to Wareham and the Purbecks for lunch at Lulworth Cove. Swanage is an alternative depending on traffic.
Dorchester, with another fuel stop en-route, north over Giant's Head and across country for a back road blast down into Bridport and West bay for a seaside fix of tea, fag smoke and chip vinegar. Lovely.
Approximately 230 miles, should be in West Bay about 3:30ish.
Pace will be semi-spirited. No track day heroics or maxing out and I'll try not to let the group get strung out. On quiet junctions we'll pause to regroup if necessary. We will be making lively progress though, traffic and conditions permitting, and enjoying any empty space and wheelie popping bumps etc we can find, so 400cc and above only.
System will be drop-off (I'll lead and point to the where a marker is required and the second-placed rider stops to mark and rejoins at the back of the pack when TEC comes into view - and not before...!) Thanks to Robbo87 for volunteering to do the TEC honours. If you could wear your pink leathers for this one Phil (not the ones with the tassels) so we can see you in the mirror, that would be handy.
Traffic can be heavy in the Purbecks, but its a nice spot with some nice little nadgery sections, so we'll hope for the best and if we do get caught by NIssan Micra man we'll just have to kick back and enjoy the scenery for a few miles till we get back on it again.
Needs to be dry for this one or some of the sections can get a rather dirty, so weather-dependent. Fingers crossed.
A mixture of fast flowing and tight and nadgery through Dorset, with a little bit of Wiltshire thrown in, down to the Purbecks, through Dorchester and a back road northern route to finish at West Bay. I'm going to avoid the Bridport/Weymouth coast road. Its lovely but one for evenings and early mornings really. On a Sunday afternoon in May it will be rammed with tin boxes and wobbly Harley riders and probably the odd speed trap. There will be tea, coffee, cake for Smiler, chips and more cake etc en-route.
No Google maps because I hate it with a vengeance and can never get it to work, so briefly, the route is as follows:
8:00 meet at Tesco fuel, Axminster. Opposite Axminster tools, next to railway station (don't go to the main store over the road as there is no fuel station there). Fuel up and leave by 8:30.
Set out via windy route through Marshwood Vale to Broadwindsor, then a familiar road to most but it's a good un: through the tunnel to Mosterton and a good rip down the full length of Tollerdown Road towards Dorchester. Up Smiler's favourite road to Sherborne then a wriggly route to Shaftesbury for a fuel stop then a little loop through the Chalk Vallley and up Zig-Zag hill to Compton Abbas airfield for tea and cake etc.
Winding route through Cranborne Chase via Blandford and Morden to Wareham and the Purbecks for lunch at Lulworth Cove. Swanage is an alternative depending on traffic.
Dorchester, with another fuel stop en-route, north over Giant's Head and across country for a back road blast down into Bridport and West bay for a seaside fix of tea, fag smoke and chip vinegar. Lovely.
Approximately 230 miles, should be in West Bay about 3:30ish.
Pace will be semi-spirited. No track day heroics or maxing out and I'll try not to let the group get strung out. On quiet junctions we'll pause to regroup if necessary. We will be making lively progress though, traffic and conditions permitting, and enjoying any empty space and wheelie popping bumps etc we can find, so 400cc and above only.
System will be drop-off (I'll lead and point to the where a marker is required and the second-placed rider stops to mark and rejoins at the back of the pack when TEC comes into view - and not before...!) Thanks to Robbo87 for volunteering to do the TEC honours. If you could wear your pink leathers for this one Phil (not the ones with the tassels) so we can see you in the mirror, that would be handy.
Traffic can be heavy in the Purbecks, but its a nice spot with some nice little nadgery sections, so we'll hope for the best and if we do get caught by NIssan Micra man we'll just have to kick back and enjoy the scenery for a few miles till we get back on it again.
Needs to be dry for this one or some of the sections can get a rather dirty, so weather-dependent. Fingers crossed.
