Having had such an awesome Autumn hopefully the next 12 weeks will fly by and we'll soon be into the Spring again.

And that's got me thinking... SDW beckons, but not in a day, in a comfy 2 days with a cheeky stop over (which is really quite unique).

Here're the details. Register your interest in this thread.

We'll finalise the numbers and timing next Spring once we know if we're gonna have a decent and dry early Summer again. It could be a thurs/fri, friday/sat, sat/sun, sun/mon. Am open to suggestions. But let's get the ball rolling...

DAY 1:

> Start: Winchester station/King Alfred statue, fairly early (around 0800).
> Distance to cover: 43 miles
> Time in the saddle (approx 6 hours)
> Arrive at Gumber Bothy National Trust camping barn mid-late afternoon
> There's a decent male and separate female toilet/shower block, and kitchen
> Collect wood and get the fire going!
> Light the BBQ - once we've got a head count i'd organise the food for the evening BBQ, and breakfast and lunch for Day 2, and drop it down there the day before so its waiting for us
> Sleeping is basic in the old barn on raised beds on comfortable mats (like the deep ones you used to roll on at school)

DAY 2:

> Hearty breakfast
> Make lunch from supplies
> Distance: 57 miles
> Arrive Eastbourne
> Train back to Clapham Junction

YOU WOULD NEED TO CARRY:

> Lunch and trail snacks for Day 1
> Small change of clothes/travel towel
> Sleeping bag

ESTIMATED COSTS INVOLVED:

> Train travel to Winchester (allow £15)
> Camping barn (£8)
> BBQ/breakfast/lunch supplies (allow £20pp)
> Train travel Eastbourne - home (allow £15)

2 days is a nice way to enjoy it. It still offers a bit of a challenge with some decent daily mileage and a really cool stop over.

Hmm, gives me a target to aim for in getting my fitness back (what fitness would that be? I heat you cry). Sounds like a good plan. You forget to include ear-plugs in your kit list

I'd be up for this, dependent on date - one of the routes I've not done yet

Mark, your ESTIMATED COSTS INVOLVED concern me!

> Train travel to Winchester (allow £15)
> Camping barn (£8)
> BBQ/breakfast/lunch supplies (allow £20pp)
> Train travel Eastbourne - home (allow £15)

Nowhere in your figures can I see costs for alcohol and as hardcore Moles are serious athletes that require a daily alowance of Grog to motivate them, this needs to be reassesed!

I read ya Kev... the proposed port of call is in the middle of nowhere, previously i've put beers in with the food supplies so can cater for that. However there is a pub in Eartham which we could cycle to, but i dont fancy 57 miles with a hang-over on day 2!

Definitely with you, Kev. Personally, I like the sound of cycling to the pub, as the cycling home tends to wear off the effects of alcohol anyway

Plus there's plenty of minerals and vitamins in a good ale, ideal for the balanced and scientifically-determined diet that a thoroughbred athlete like myself finds essential.

markymark,

I would be up for the that, I haven't done that distance before (off road) so it sounds like great a test and a good laugh. Let me know the dates so I can confirm.

Cheers
Mark

I am keen. Will need to see what they final dates are but sounds far more civil and fun then the trial that was SDW in a day that you all endured this year.
Lloyd

Keep the comments coming in chaps, register your interest and we can build up to it with a nice size group. By March'ish i'll take a look at who's up for it and start a bit more detailed planning...

I'm up for this, assuming we can get a suitable date and so long as it's dry as I don't fancy wet chalk!!

100 miles in a day is possible for most of us but very hard, doing this over two days should be fun as I think you then have more energy to up the climbing pace to a point where you're not bouncing off every rock. That's not to say we'd be riding hard, just saying it let's you enjoy things more.

I reckon the 100 miles in a day this year made me much stronger mentally but physically it feels like it's taken a while to recover from. That won't stop me doing SDWIAD again next year though, only this time with less tools in my backpack!