B2B route, day one (part two) Old Woking to Mellow farm

Blimey, under two weeks to go..! Hope you’re all starting to feel match-fit…

So, then, here’s the second part of the route for the first day... And here’s me imploring everyone to put a little bit of time aside to take a proper look at it in the next week or so. Although we have grabbed a few people by the ear to lead smaller groups out, it’s really important that everyone has a sense of where we’re going!

As you can see, it’s pretty detailed (the second day’s ride, which I’ll post next week, will be nowhere near as fussy) but I think it does cover all bases.

Once you start to follow the route on a map, it’ll make a lot more sense. So grab a copy of these directions, get Google maps up on your computer, and have a good old butchers… For those of you who are so inclined (you geeks), the Landranger OS maps I’ve been using that cover the route are Nos 176 and 186.

A general breakdown of the whole trip (not just the route) to come next week – but for now, please do set aside a bit of time for this beauty: (Note from Dom: This route will be in the biketobestival pack with the songs, equipmnt list and contact details coming your way next week and the Google Maps route is here: http://goo.gl/maps/YqeTG )

Section 6: Old Woking to Aldershot

1. Once in Old Woking, you’ll come to a mini-roundabout. Go straight over. After approximately half a mile, you’ll reach another roundabout. Go straight over, following the B380 (signposted Guildford).
2. Keep on the B380, over two roundabouts, following signs to Pirbeck and Aldershot. Eventually, you’ll hit a T-Junction. Turn left, and then almost immediately right at a roundabout, doubling back on yourself. Very soon, take a turning on your left signposted Aldershot (A324). A member of the B2B support team will be present here to point you in the right direction!
3. At the T-Junction with the A324, turn left. Keep on this road until you hit the Junction (with traffic lights) with the A323. Turn right, following signs to Camberley/Farnham.
4. Keep following the A323, signposted Ash and Aldershot. Cross a railway line with Ash Station on your right. After approximately one mile, reach a roundabout. Go straight over (A323 Aldershot). Very soon, you’ll reach a big roundabout. Go straight over (still A323 Aldershot).
5. Follow the dual carriageway for approximately a quarter of a mile. Then bear left on to the B3208, signposted Badshot Lea and Crematorium.

Section 7: Aldershot to Farnham (a short section, but a tricky one!)

1. Follow this road through Badshot Lea, and then straight on, following signs to Farnham.
2. After approximately two miles, you’ll reach a large roundabout with a supermarket just off it. Go straight over, following signs to central Farnham.
3. B2B HOTSPOT! You’ll almost immediately hit two roundabouts, feeding on to one another. The second of these is Flipping Massive and very busy. So take a huge amount of care.
4. At the first roundabout, take the first left and head into the right-hand lane. Once on to the second roundabout, head into the right-hand lane and stay there, following the roundabout all the way around until the exit to central Farnham.
5. B2B HOTSPOT! You’ll now hit the Farnham one-way system. The best way to give yourself a sense of direction is to imagine, as you approach it after the previous roundabout, that if you could, you’d cut a straight line through the town centre as the crow flies.
6. The one-way system veers off to the left and then back on itself to the right, and then left through the beginnings of the high street. You’ll reach a set of traffic lights, with Barclays Bank in front of you and Sound and Vision shop on your right. Turn left and head into the right-hand lane.
7. The road then veers to the right. A member of the B2B support team will be present here to point you in the right direction! Follow it, staying in the right-hand lane. This will take you back up to the high street, where you turn left, following a sign to A325 Petersfield.

Section 8: Farnham to Mellow Farm (yippee!)

1. The A325 takes us almost all the way there. Follow it out of Farnham.
2. Very soon, there are three roundabouts in fairly quick succession. At the first, bear right. At the second (junction with the A31) go straight over. At the third (mini) roundabout, turn right, passing the Bengal Lounge on your left.
3. Follow the A325 through Alice Holt Forest. Pass Birdland on your right. Go through Bucks Horn Oak. Pass the Halfway House pub on your left, ignoring signs to Dockenfield/Frensham. Go straight on.
4. After approximately a mile and a half, look out for a bus-stop layby on your left. Immediately afterwards, turn left, following signs to Dockenfield and Frensham.
5. After less than a mile, turn right on to Old Lane. Then take your first turning right. Follow this winding road until you reach Mellow Farm on your right.

B2B start point... Doin' the Lambeth Cycle!

After a fair amount of to-ing and fro-ing and a good deal of gnashing of teeth this end, we’re very pleased to announce that we have a (glorious) start-point for the inaugural Bike to Bestival…

We’re going to be pushing off on the morning of Tuesday 4 September from the fantastic  Lambeth Palace on the south bank of the Thames, just west of Waterloo. Have a good old squiz for yourselves here:

http://www.london-se1.co.uk/places/lambeth-palace/map

A little bit of background to the behind-the-scenes wrangling on this one. Because of everything going on in central London this summer, it’s been nigh-on impossible to get permission to gather as a group anywhere of real prominence. Unfortunately, that ruled out our first choice of Trafalgar Square – and pretty much any of the Royal Parks.

Thank the lord, then (or more specifically in this case, the Archbishop of Canterbury) for the lovely Malcolm at Lambeth Palace for stepping up to the plate… It’s a great place to kick things off, too, right on the river and slap-bang on our route out of the Smoke, with the added boon that we’re going to be avoiding almost all of the central London traffic snarl up and be on our way out towards Richmond Park before you can say “Yes! We’re off to bleeding Bestival!”

More details to follow, but for those of you starting to plan your journey, we’re going to need everyone to arrive between 9.30am and 10.15am, to load up the vans with kit and get ready for the off just before 11am. We’re very aware that this could potentially be a tricky time in terms of people arriving in London weighed down with bikes, tents, rucksacks etc… We’re currently thinking of ways to try and make this easier for you. So keep ‘em peeled…

In the meantime, check out our Facebook page for details of the next social on Sunday 12 August, from 2-6, at the Royal George pub just off Charing Cross Road. Get yourselves down there friends!

Warren, Dom and Sophie

Answers to your questions

This weekend I’ve been looking through the emails we’ve received so far at B2B towers and there seem to be a couple of basic themes that it’d be good to cover. Below i’ve sketched out a few thoughts on each of them. Please feel free to comment, question or add to the discussion.

What bike should I ride?

I suppose the answer to this question is "Do you have a bike at the moment?" If you have a bike you are comfortable with then that is the bike to do the ride on. Warren and I both ride road bikes (Warren's is modern and fancy materials and mine is retro and steel). On the ride last year (Lands' end to john o'groats that the buskers on bikes did) there was also a guy on a homemade bike (“The lady in red”... yes it had a name) mostly made from rust and another fella on a mountain/hybrid bike. If you don't have a bike already then something that you will use afterwards is a great
buy. I wouldn't suggest buying a mountain bike, unless you usually ride on rough terrain as the tyres are bumpy and make things slow on the road, but if you have a mountain bike you can always change those for more slick tyres.

Through all this it’s a good idea to think about what you will be doing. On the ride to Bestival you will be riding for 5-6 hours a day with 2 or 3 snack stops and a main meal break. We will aim to average about 10-15 miles an hour (or thereabouts). This is a steady but brisk pace starting at only three times as fast as walking, but it’s an average including the hills we may actually walk up. The obvious choice for this type of ride is a touring road bike, but whilst not the ideal, I would happily do this distance and speed on a Brompton, mountain bike or city bike. That is me though. Whatever bike you choose get used to riding it for more than an hour at a time so your bum gets used to it and your leg muscles are comfortable.

We will only be riding for two days, but we want to be ready to party when we get there. If you regularly ride a bike I would suggest getting out for a few 2-3 hour rides before we go. If you don’t or haven’t ridden much recently, then get in touch telling me what you’ve got to ride and what experience we have and we can work out a light training programme to help you along.

I’m not that musical/I only play a .... Is this OK?

Yes.

We are going to pick easy songs that most people can sing/play along etc. Warren plays guitar and I will have a banjolele or mandolin. Quite a few will be bringing ukuleles so there will be a small group of you strumming together. If you play an odd instrument, however well/badly, consider bringing thast and we can make a feature out of it.

Warren is in the process of booking a couple of weekend socials for those that can’t get here in the week. We can have a bash at a few tunes then. We aim to record a video of some songs with Warren and I playing so you’ll have something to practice to.

Bike to Bestival tickets now on sale!!!!

Hi Guys,


The BiketoBestival tickets are now on sale!! We sent out the link to those of you who expressed an interest a few days ago, and got to meet a few of you at the pub the other night.

The FAQs are on an earlier email, so please just take a minute to read them all. You need a ticket to bestival and you need to be over 18 are the key things to remember. If you have any questions then plaese email us at biketobestival@bestival.net. My phone number is on the ticketing page, and I'll be off-grid, or camping as Sophie likes to call it, until Tuesday.

http://www.wegottickets.com/sct/3mF5pybtbj

Just a reminder that we are raising money for Cancer Research UK.  Once you have your ticket we will send you an invite to the Just Giving Team page. We ask that everyone who is fundraising aims to raise at least £200,however if you want to do 10 times that, knock yourself out. A glittering prize to the person who raises the most.....watch this space!

To keep up with our news, keep an eye on the blog and facebook/twitter. All the links are below...

We can't wait to meet you all!!

Thanks

Warren, Dominic and Sophie - Bike to Bestival 

http://biketobestival.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.justgiving.com/teams/BiketoBestival2012
http://2012.bestival.net/news/bike-to-bestival

Tickets now available for Bike to Bestival from www.WeGotTickets.com

Tickets and social

Hi guys,

By now those of you that registered an interest should have received booking information in the form of a link in an email from biketobestival@bestival.net. The link has only gone out to those who have contacted us so far but will be going public shortly.

Thanks to those of you early birds that have got in there already with your tickets, information on the charity side etc will be winging its way to you shortly.

Lastly; I hope to see some of you for a beer and a chat this evening at the Lock Tavern. Please feel free to come along whether you have purchased your ticket or not. If you've got questions then we'll be there to answer them.

Dominic

Bike to Bestival FAQ's

Just in case you had any questions...

Bike to Bestival FAQs

1. How long is the ride going to be?
   We’re going to be starting off from central London (see No 2) and heading down to Southampton via Guildford. The idea is to cycle part of the Olympic cycling road-race route, probably joining it somewhere around Hampton Court; we’ll then follow the route down to where it hugs the outskirts of Guildford to the east, before heading west. Until we have the precise route (it’s coming, we promise!) it’s hard to give an exact distance; but if you consider that the quickest road route from London to Southampton via Guildford is approximately 80 miles, and then factor in avoiding main roads as much as possible (we want to make the ride as pleasant as we possibly can), we’re looking at about 90 miles in total. That’s 45 miles a day – not an insignificant distance, undoubtedly, but one that is eminently achievable, even for the relative novice, with some dedication and training... Don’t forget, also, that there’ll be short ride to the pre-Bestival campsite once we get on to the Isle of Wight. But by that point you’ll be so chuffed/gagging for a cold beer, you won’t even notice... 
   
   
   
2. Where will the ride start – and when?
   The start point will be somewhere prominent in central London. Ideally, we’d like to kick things off in Trafalgar Square – we’re currently looking into the logistics of this. But wherever we set off from, it’ll be somewhere where we can make a big, happy noise about ourselves – and pose for some choice pics! Each day’s ride, taking into account tea and lunch breaks, will take approximately six hours; so the start time on Tuesday 4th September will be around 11am, with a probable meeting time an hour or so beforehand to load bags/tents/instruments into the support vans. 
   
   
   
3. How much is the ride going to cost me?
   The cost of registration will be £40, payable online. This money will cover nearly all of the cost of the trip, including two nights'
   

camping (on the Tuesday and the Wednesday before Bestival), food and a return ticket on the ferry to the glorious Isle of Wight. We're currently still plotting ways with Bestival to transport everyone's bikes back to London; if you require this, there may be another (small) fee to pay closer to the time - but obviously we're hoping we won't have to tap you for any more funds...

4. Who are we raising money for – and how much do I need to collect?
   The whole ethos behind Bike to Bestival is to have as good a time as we possibly can – and to stretch out the whole Bestival experience for an extra few days! At the same time, though, we’re looking to raise some very serious cash for a very worthy cause. The charity we’re going to be fundraising for is Cancer Research UK. Buskers on Bikes’ connection to Cancer Research, UK goes back to last year, when we took on the Land’s End to John O’Groats bike ride as a travelling band. We chose Cancer Research as a charity that would strike a chord with a huge amount of people – and since then we’ve learnt more about the fantastic work they do. They gave us wonderful support on last year’s ride, too – and they’re massively enthusiastic to get involved with Bike to Bestival (and they have an army of volunteers we’re hoping to rope in for some roadside brewing up!) We’re going to be asking everybody taking part in the trip to raise a minimum of £200. Obviously, we’d like to think that most of you can go way beyond that and Bestival are offering incentives if you break certain fundraising barriers. Details on this, and on a central fundraising site, coming very soon... 
   
   
   
5. Can under-18s take part in Bike to Bestival?
   After very careful deliberation, we’ve decided that the minimum age for Bike to Bestival participants should be 18. We’re truly; truly sorry if this rules you out. 
   
   
   
6. How many people will be on the ride?
   There will be 90 tickets available for riders to take part in the ride. This is a balance between getting everyone who is interested involved and the practicalities of riding on public roads. Regular cyclists will know that you can’t have groups riding together at once so we’ll need to break up into smaller groups for the main sections.
   

7. Overnightstay?
We will need to stop en-route as this is a two day ride. We aim to camp somewhere in the Guildford area. We are currently looking into the possibilities and will confirm nearer the time. Your festival kit will be there, so we expect the majority of people will be camping together. Facilities for washing and meals will be provided by us at the site. 


8. What should I bring?
Tips and advice as to what to bring will be on the blog and we can talk to you on an individual basis if you are nervous about packing for the trip. As a general rule though here are some guidelines. As well as your bike (in good mechanical order) you will need to bring the following: 

• Appropriate clothing and protective gear. As you will be responsible for your own comfort and safety this is up to you, however we would recommend cycling shorts, gloves, some hi-viz clothing and a helmet as a minimum. 
• Snacks. You will be hungry between meal-stops and it is best to eat little and often. Good snacks for a ride like this would be flapjacks, bananas, powerbars, nuts and jellybabies (I’m veggie so I skipped the jellybabies and took a brand of chocolate coated peanuts in a convenient sugar shell) 
• Water bottles. By far the easiest way to do this is to fit bottles, in cages, to the bike. A bike shop or friendly cyclist can talk you through this. 
• Spares and a repair kit. Realistically you will need a spare inner tube, puncture repair kit, tyre levers and a pump. Anything else you think your bike might need is a bonus. 

A bike lock. A proper bike lock... you know... the sort of thing that would make you feel fairly comfortable to leave the bike outside a supermarket. 


Yourself. In good working order. By that we mean mentally and physically ready for a couple of days riding whatever the weather. We will be cycling in Britain so waterproofs and warm clothing for after the ride will probably be a good idea. 


9. Return Journey, ferry transfers etc?
We are looking at providing transport to the island and support to return riders and their kit to London. Nothing is booked yet, but discussions are well underway and we’ll keep you informed. 


10.How to sign up?
Bike to Bestival is only open to those with a valid ticket to the festival, or those (such as volunteers, bands etc), with a valid means of entry. A registration site will be opened (next week) and those who have expressed an interest will be given early notice of it going online. Once registration is completed we’ll be in touch to set up the justgiving pages and find out a little more about you. 


Terms and conditions

1. You must have a valid ticket to access the festival site.
   
2. Your responsibility is to have a roadworthy bike, (we will help
   with minor probs on route if we can, but bring basic repair kit)
   
3. No valuables/breakables/glass in your luggage
   
4. Bestival and Bike to Bestival cannot accept any responsibility or
   liability for the loss or damage to luggage when in transit or the loss, theft or damage to any bicycle at any time – suggest insurance
   
5. Bestival and Bike to Bestival cannot accept any responsibility for any loss, personal injury or death to any persons cycling to the Festival site.
   
6. You must be fit and able to complete the ride.
   

WHAT WE PROVIDE

1. Leadership – we will organise and lead the ride
   
2. Food – Scheduled meal stops will be catered
   
3. Accommodation – we will provide suitable camping and
   amenities for all stops prior to entering the site
   
4. Transport for your kit (Tents, Rucksacks etc,) to the festival and
   back to the start point
   
5. Securebikeparkingatthefestivalsite–Justbringalock
   
6. Mapsanddirections–Routespecificmapwithkeylandmarks
   and step by step route directions
   
7. Fun – we will try our very best starting with an early getting to
   know you meet up at the Lock Tavern in Camden have very nicely offered us the upstairs room of their smashing pub (scene of many a hedonistic Sunday Best knees-up) on Monday 28 May. We're going to be gathering there from 7pm. So stick it in your diaries, draw a huge red ring around the date in your calendars... and come and join us