Possible long ride east Sat 25th July

[Ming]

Cheers for the advice, Scotty - I'm planning on doing that on the way back

I've got the route pretty much sorted now and it's about 230 miles. Assuming we leave as planned at 9am, coffee stop will be about 10.30am and lunch about 1pm ish. Just depends on traffic and how often I take the wrong turning. Should be back in Exeter before 5pm.

Meeting point for the start is Wickes car park on Eagle Way, Sowton Ind Est, Exeter. The services at J30 gets horrendously busy so this is just 200 yards past it, and we're heading off in that direction anyway.

I've done the route in MyRouteApp but not sure I can share it if you haven't got an account. Happy to make the route public so you can download it to your device.
Anyone wanting to join midway let me know where you're thinking and I'll give you a rough ETA, but don't want to be hanging around for ages as it's a long enough day as it is

[Tvrv37]

Cheers for the advice, Scotty - I'm planning on doing that on the way back

I've got the route pretty much sorted now and it's about 230 miles. Assuming we leave as planned at 9am, coffee stop will be about 10.30am and lunch about 1pm ish. Just depends on traffic and how often I take the wrong turning. Should be back in Exeter before 5pm.

Meeting point for the start is Wickes car park on Eagle Way, Sowton Ind Est, Exeter. The services at J30 gets horrendously busy so this is just 200 yards past it, and we're heading off in that direction anyway.

I've done the route in MyRouteApp but not sure I can share it if you haven't got an account. Happy to make the route public so you can download it to your device.
Anyone wanting to join midway let me know where you're thinking and I'll give you a rough ETA, but don't want to be hanging around for ages as it's a long enough day as it is

Thinking of joining you around Dorchester. Give me a time and a pin drop on Google maps or can you WhatsApp me a gpx file?

[Ming]

Should be at Poppies Cafe, Bovington about 10.30am. Quick cuppa or a fried breakfast but that will restrict the lunch time stoppage

[ptolemyx]

Herr Ming - any chance of a Google map of the likely route?

[Ming]

Herr Ming - any chance of a Google map of the likely route?

I've absolutely no idea how to do that as I've compiled it in MyRoute-app. If you have an account with that I can share it or I can WhatsApp it to you if you let me have your number, unless anyone cleverererer than me can explain how I can put the MRA route on to the forum in a way everyone can see it

[Tvrv37]

20260722_062729.jpg

[Robbo87]

20260722_062729.jpg

Well done that man.
Gotta say though that I agree with fellow Grey One Ptolemyx in that good old Google maps give a nicely detailed indication of routes and is definitely my preferred way of road planning - easy to calculate the eta for any stops amongst other things.

[ptolemyx]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/yETW6mr8zGesNXhEA

[Ming]

Ride is definitely going ahead, now I've seen the weather forecast
Route is going to be changed slightly, as I've been doing dry runs in the van this week and some roads are closed/have roadworks and Dorset Council have obviously found several tonnes of gravel and have decided to fling it all over some of the roads.

Problem I have with Google maps is you only get limited waypoints so you end up with it not necessarily going the way you want it to, but I'll try to do it on Google later and see what we get. We may have to do it in 2 parts.

Can you let me know who's meeting where so I don't hang around. Ta

[Tvrv37]

[glow=]

20260722_062729.jpg

Well done that man.
Gotta say though that I agree with fellow Grey One Ptolemyx in that good old Google maps give a nicely detailed indication of routes and is definitely my preferred way of road planning - easy to calculate the eta for any stops amongst other things.

Google is ok for indicative routes but for detailed planning particularly in areas you don't know or other countries there is much better out there.

[ptolemyx]

So Andy knows who's joining where.....

At 09.00 leaving Wickes, Eagle Way, Sowton Ind Est, Exeter EX2 7HY :-
1. Our glorious leader Andy (Ming)
2. Brian

En route at wherever to be edited by whoever:-

[Robbo87]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/yETW6mr8zGesNXhEA

[Robbo87]

Should be at Poppies Cafe, Bovington about 10.30am. Quick cuppa or a fried breakfast but that will restrict the lunch time stoppage

Are you stopping in Gillingham for lunch, if not then where and roughly when?

[Ming]

Should be at Poppies Cafe, Bovington about 10.30am. Quick cuppa or a fried breakfast but that will restrict the lunch time stoppage

Are you stopping in Gillingham for lunch, if not then where and roughly when?

That depends. If people want to have a brekkie at Poppies then Gillingham will be just a coffee stop. If it's coffee first then lunch will be at Gillingham. Unless you want to eat at both, in which case you need to see a dietician

Come fuelled up and we'll get away with just one stop for juice. There's plenty of garages en route so I'll look for one about halfway. There will be a couple of sections I've included that aren't great (dodgy surfaces, town centres) but they lead to tasty bits. We're not going back every other week so might as well do as much as possible in one day - apologies if you'll have to clean your bike a bit more intensely afterwards

So far : Exeter 9am Ming and Herr P
Approx 9:45am Phil and Wendy? @ Raymonds Hill
Poppies Cafe, Bovington Camp Approx 10.30am
Old Brewery, Gillingham..... Dunno, I'm guessing between 1pm and 2pm, but who knows what we'll encounter on the day

See you folks Saturday