Just spent a day in rain and cloud doing the recce. Visibility poor. Enjoyment high.
The carpark charge is £3.60 for the day and the machine does not give change.
Quite a full day so it's important that we get away on time at 10.30.
The first section of the ride out, and last section of the ride back are both on the road. I suggest that you take a rear light just in case the weather is poor, and could be useful if in cloud.
A real mixture of terrain from shale singletrack to stoned farm track almost all of which rolls well and has good grip. No deep muddy sections.
The pub is primed and will hopefully be able to serve us quickly. It really will help if food is pre-ordered so anyone who hasn't done this yet and who wants pub grub please look at the menu on page 3 and pm me your order. The final list will be sent to Bridges on Wednesday night.
Although the morning and afternoon sections are about the same length, approx 60% of the climbing is in the morning, so have a good breakfast, check granny engages easily, and feel relaxed about walking. I do.
Our route makes the final descent off The Mynd down Minton Batch. This is not steep, but it is long (approx 3K), a bit technical and great fun. There are many great routes down the east side of the Long Mynd and its always difficult to choose the best pay-back for the effort taken in getting to the top. Minton Batch is one of the longest, and probably takes the longest time to complete. It will keep you on your toes.
See you on Sunday
Rob