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This is quite probably a better route than mine.

It's certainly true that there's not much pleasure in riding up the main road after Shillingford - we've gone that way in the past simply because it seemed to be the quickest way to get to the cafe. You will have to use your own discretion on the day.

If, as seems quite likely, there is much snow and ice we shall have to postpone the ride, so let's keep all our fingers crossed.

Descending from the ridge to Crowmarsh is swings and roundabouts. The Nuffield descent down Brixton Hill is the more used road so will be cleaner.

The detour through Dorchester rather than using the bypass is no further and doesn't take any longer so is a good choice IMO.

Have a good ride and I hope the weather is kind :)

Cheers

John

If you want a GPX or TCX of the route you can get one from here where I put the route in from the sheet. Click on View Full Route...

[ame]http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2051481[/ame
[/ame]

John

With my locals hat on this would be my preferred route from Stoke Row...

[ame]http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2057583[/ame
[/ame]

Note that all of the descents from the ridge here are narrow and will be wet and covered in copious amounts of debris. The Nuffield descent will probably be the cleanest as described above but isn't as pretty a road as the one I've suggested. The descent down to Well Place (Berins Hill) is steep and has a sharp bend at the bottom so I've avoided that. The road from Ipsden to Crowmarsh is one of the prettiest roads you could ever wish to cycle along.

Note that if we do get snow next week the Chilterns will be hit hardest and these lanes do not get cleared or gritted and can be clogged with snow and ice well after the lower level roads are clear.

Once you've gone through Shillingford take the left into Dorchester where the road splits into a dual carriageway and cycle past the abbey and through the pretty village. Keep straight on and it eventually turns into a wide tarmac cycle path alongside the A4074 to the café. This is MUCH nicer than the A4074 which is a horrid road to cycle along, basically treated as a dual carriageway, fast and busy.

John

This doesn't look like it's going to be a very warm ride! MetO going for a feels like temperature of -6C at 9am!

John

I'll be entering this Audax for my January 100km and see if I can get beyond April this year for doing one a month (the weather scuppered me last year as my planned one was cancelled and no time to do a substitute).

I've not done this one before but cycled most of the roads at one time or another.

John

I love this website! I'm now addicted to see which local roads and hills I've never cycled and get them coloured in Amidar style! Here's my spiderweb for 2012 (3222 miles total)...

John

Couple of things to look forward to over the next week or so...

27th November - Morning Sky
Saturn and Venus very close together in the pre-dawn sky. Look rather low down in the southeast from around 6.30am. Venus is unmistakable as the brightest point of light in the sky. Saturn will be less than a degree away above it. Also try and spot Mercury to the lower left of the pairing. Mercury has its best morning apparition of 2012 in late November and early December. It is very easy to spot if the sky is clear and you have an unobstructed horizon.

28th/29th November - Evening Sky
The Moon and Jupiter have a close conjunction on this night. Jupiter will be the bright object just to the upper left of the very nearly Full Moon. They are closest together just before 1am on the 29th. The pair are close to the V-shaped head of Taurus the Bull, also known as the Hyades.

Leonids are predicted to be low rates this year. You need to look after midnight for Leonids as the radiant doesn't rise until after 22:30. You will not see any before this time and very few for a few hours afterward. Best time to look is before dawn on 17th November. There could be another peak on the morning of the 20th as well.

Better to look forward to the Geminids which is the best shower of the year IMO, they are due to peak on the night of 13/14 December. Best rates are usually around 1-2am but you will see them before midnight as the radiant is already high by then. There is no Moon interference this year as well.

Forecast now looks like a dry afternoon after a damp morning.

I don't mind the rain (if it's brave enough to fall) but it might change my choice of steed for the ride...

Forecast not looking great for Saturday at the moment but still a way off...

"Thursday mostly dry, predominantly cloudy, with a risk of fog patches which may not clear. Friday dull and cloudy, with early light rain and drizzle. Wet for much of Saturday."

I'm planning on joining thee (as long as the timings work for me as I'm going out in the evening). I will join the outgoing Oxfordinghamshiretonshire party from Wallingford as I did for the Town and Gown ride in May. Hopefully I'll be on my new SS conversion :)