Tailpiece

When I have a vague idea for a new ride, I go out with a voice recorder and map (and bike!) and try it out, recording timings and mileages and, most importantly, directions. I also record possible points of interest such as old buildings, information boards etc. Back at home, all this info is transferred to a preprogrammed spreadsheet, where false starts and bits that didn’t work out can be removed. The spreadsheet can also shift the timings from whatever time I happened to go out, to those appropriate to a Clarion ride and other factors such as lunch venue availability and trains to get to the start. It can also “stretch” the timings, to give me an idea of how long the ride will take at typical Clarion “cat-herding” speeds.

What comes out of all this is a printed set of directions with mileages and approximate timings, which I take with me on the ride. Multiple copies can be produced in case we split up. So although high-tech gadgets are used to produce it, there is no gadgetry needed for the ride itself – just eyesight, a compass and a map.

Speaking of maps, I don’t tend to produce maps for my routes. I guess we all vary in how we mentally visualise a ride – I personally find that I usually have a rough “mental map” in my head, so if I am leading the ride I don’t need to see the route on a map, although I always take one in case we get lost or change the route on the way. There is also the fact that relying only on a map may lead to errors; a list of directions can incorporate subtleties like “go through the gap in the hedge between the third and fourth exits” or “turn left opposite the greengrocer’s” which you can’t really communicate with a map. However, I have produced maps for some of my rides, as they do help to quickly summarise a route for anyone not familiar with it. I mark the route on a copy of an OS map, and then copy that.