Bradford route - Day 1 - Bradford to Sheffield

Jack's back (most of us have vests like this)

Our send off this morning in Bradford was well attended. Some of us were interviewed by BBC Leeds, BCB Radio of Bradford, and Alice, a student from Leeds Uni. The Lord Mayor was also there, to interview Mary, celebrating her 80th birthday.

The entourage arrived in Sheffield after a fairly event free journey that took approximately 7 hours. The weather was fine, with a slight tail wind, and there was only 1 puncture today. We met up with one of tomorrow's riders, Ruth on the edge of Sheffield and then enjoyed the company of our hosts at the Lescar Pub. The local Friends Of The Earth people who are putting us up are most hospitable, and the chocolate chip cookies are highly tasty! We're feeling surprisingly perky and looking forward to tomorrow's ride to Nottingham.

Mary, being interviewed live by Daragh Corcoran of BBC Leeds

Thanks a million to everyone who has been Tweeting messages of support @climatechains and re-Tweeting our updates; we're really touched! You can follow our updates there at twitter.com/climatechains

Some more photos from the Bradford send off can be seen on Albert's Flickr

Bradford latest summary

This blog entry contains the salient points for the Bradford-London route. This is not a static blog entry, and this info will change to reflect the current state of play as I get more confirmed details. I'm aware that there are gaps in the info below, so please could people involved help me complete the details, particularly confirmation of who's riding when in the table that follows.

Underneath the table is a list of the key facts for each leg of the journey, for which I also ask that those involved send me info for inclusion where applicable.

The details on this blog entry are partially for our own benefit, but also partly for the benefit of people not riding with us, but helping us in each city. Therefore, it's important that we keep this blog entry as current as possible so people have an idea of how many people are arriving and what is already planned.

Finally, at the bottom of this blog entry is a link to the Leeds COP Network's Bike-based campaigning page, which will help people get more of an idea of the practicalities involved.

Info below last update by Albert on 29/11/09

---

WHO IS RIDING, AND WHEN

* riding this day

# wants accommodation providing this night

(#) might want accommodation this night

Name	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
Heather Blakey	*#	*#	*#	*#	*#	*
Sam Lawrence	*#	*#	*#	*#	*#	*
Jack Blakey	*#	*#	*#	*#	*#	*
Bill Phelps	*#	*#	*#	*#	*#	*
Mary Keynes	*#	*#	*#	*#	*#	*
Geoff Gilbert	*#	*#	*#	*	*#	*
John Bibby	*#	*#	*#	*#	*#	*
Ellie Parker	*#	*#	*#	*#	*#	*
Protag	*#	*#	*#	*#	*#	*
Albert Freeman	*
Keith Thompson	*
David Dodwell	*
Sam Fleming		*
Claire Welling		*#	*#	*#	*#	*
Ruth Chiat		*#	*#	*#	*#	*
David Pattinson			#	*#	*#	*
Peter Devine					*	*
James Haigh					*#	*
Yee Wye Tay					*#	*
Andy Tennent					*#	*
Eion					#	*

---

KEY FACTS FOR EACH LEG

Monday: Bradford to Sheffield

Approx miles: 40

Meeting time/place: Centenary Square at 08:30
Route: Bradford --> A638 and/or Spen Valley cycle route (John's route) to Cleckheaton --> Heckmondwike --> B6117 to Thornhill --> Netherton --> Midgley --> A637 to West Bretton --> Low Barugh --> Barnsley --> A61 to Worsbrough --> Birdwell --> A6135 to Chapeltown --> Ecclesfield --> Sheffield

Number of riders: 12

Number needing accommodation: 9

Team member dealing with accommodation etc: Albert

Details of accommodation: (6 in one house, 2 in another, and 1 in a third) in S10/S11.

Evening plans: Meeting up with some of our hosts and FoE to eat at Lescar Pub, Sharrow Vale Road, at 6pm

Morning plans: Possibility of press to see us off.

Tuesday: Sheffield to Nottingham

Approx miles: 40

Route planner: Bill

Route: Go to railway station to meet Claire if timings permit --> A616/A6135 --> Renishaw --> B6419 --> Mastin Moor --> Shuttlewood --> Bolsover --> B6417 --> Stony Houghton --> New Houghton --> Pleasley --> unmarked road to --> Baxterhill --> A6075 --> B6021 --> Sutton Parkway railway station --> Kirkby in Ashfield --> A611 --> Hucknall --> Bulwell --> Sherwood Rise --> Sumac Centre

Number of riders: 12

Number needing accommodation: 12

Team member dealing with accommodation etc:

Details of accommodation: Sumac centre 245 Gladstone Street. Meal and floor space at Sumac plus floor space, showers, drying with Taz and good samaritans in vicinity.(Forest Fields) plus with Taz, about 10 mins ride from Sumac on the west of the City near the Queens Medical Centre (main hospital on Derby Road) and have floor space for about 5 people in warm flat, with hot shower, secure bike parking (housing asscociation) and communal coin-operated laundry with dryers.

Any events planned: event at Sumac Centre, and possible send off in morning too

Wednesday: Nottingham to Peterborough

Approx miles:55

Route planner: Geoff

Route: city centre --> A6011 (A52) towards Grantham for few yards --> By cricket ground minor road E --> Adbolton --> almost to Holme Pierrepoint --> R (ESE) --> Cropwell Bishop --> Langar --> Harby --> Waltham on the Wolds (AT THIS POINT MELTON MOWBRAY RAILWAY STATION IS ABOUT 5 MILES SW) --> Roughly SE --> Wymondham --> Thistleton --> Clipsham --> Pickworth --> Great Casterton --> Stamford --> E out of Stamford along the B1443 to Barnack --> R along minor road through Ufford --> Marholm --> Peterborough
Number of riders: 11

Number needing accommodation: 12

Team member dealing with accommodation etc: Bill

Details of accommodation: A whole Church (hall, lounge, 3 sets of toilets and cycle storage plus beds overnight. Westgate Church, 70 Westgate, Peterborough, PE1 1RG

Any events planned: A food event is planned, with others invited too. There is also a reception in the brewery next door.

Thursday: Peterborough to Cambridge

Approx miles: 40

Route planner: David

Route: B1091 --> Farcet --> B1095 --> Pondersbridge --> B1040 --> Ramsey St Mary's --> Ramsey --> B1040 --> Warboys (stop at school for tea and cakes approx. 11:00) --> B1040 --> Pidley --> B1050 --> Somersham --> Earith --> A1123 --> B1050 --> Willingham. Then one of two options:

1) Turn SE on a back road through Rampton to Cottenham, then take the B1049 south through Histon and into Cambridge, OR

2) Join the not-yet-in-use guided bus route which runs along the old railway about a mile south of Willingham on the B1050 into Histon and then Cambridge.

Number of riders: 12

Number needing accommodation: 10 but David Pattinson might stay with his son here, or with the whole group if we are all together in one place

Team member dealing with accommodation etc: Ellie

Details of accommodation: Castle Street Methodist Church

Any events planned: send-off in morning from time-eating insect in Cambridge

Friday: Cambridge to Walthamstow

Approx miles: 50-52

Route planner: Sam

Route: south on Queens road --> Trumpington road --> Trumpington --> across the M11 briefly --> A10 --> B1368 London Road --> Puckeridge --> A10 --> Right
at crossroads, to Colliers End --> Wadesmill B158 --> Ware --> A1170 --> Broxbourne --> B194 --> Waltham Abbey --> A112 --> the Hornbeam
Number of riders: 16

Number needing accommodation: 16

Team member dealing with accommodation etc: Heather

Details of accommodation: Hornbeam Environment Centre - floor space basically. There are a few beds offered in houses, but it would be good to know soon if we want to take these up, as they were offered some time ago.

Any events planned: none for Friday night, rest night ahead of The Wave

Saturday: Walthamstow to Central London

Approx miles: 10

Number of riders: 18+
Accomodation: no large scale plans have been made for accomodation after The Wave. Some are coming back by train that night, some coming back the next day, with accomodation being arranged individually, or collectively in smaller groups.
Any events planned: The Wave!

---

BIKE-BASED CAMPAIGNING GUIDANCE

As mentioned above here is the link to the Leeds COP Network's Bike-based campaigning page: http://www.leedscopnet.info/about-resources/bike-based-campaigning/

Cycling for Action on Climate Change

With just 4 weeks to go until The Wheels to The Wave rides Climate Chains in both Bradford and Manchester are hard at work getting everything ready for the off.

The purpose of the Climate Chains rides is to raise awareness of the potentially dire consequences of climate change, encourage others to take action ahead of the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen and join The Wave march http://the-wave.org.uk/ to ensure a real deal is struck to stop climate chaos. We welcome your help. There are many ways in wish you can lend your support: join us for a section of the ride, offer a cyclist a bed for the night, host a social gathering at which we’ll participate, join our facebook group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=139922536366 and invite your friends to do so too.

The ride from Bradford will travel to Sheffield (Mon, 31st Nov.); Nottingham (Tues, 1st Dec.); Peterborough (Wed, 2nd Dec.); Cambridge (Thurs, 3rd Dec.) and Walthamstow (Fri, 4th Dec.). And the ride from Manchester Airport will travel to Castle Donington (Tues, 1st Dec.); Stratford-upon-Avon (Wed, 3rd Dec.); Oxford (Thurs, 4th Dec.) and Walthamstow (Fri, 4th Dec.).

There is a separate cycle ride to The Wave being organised from Bristol and Swindon. The Bristol Blue Wave http://www.bristolbluewave.org.uk/ will leave from The Cathedral Park, Bristol on Wed, 3rd December for the 150 mile ride to The Wave.

If you are already in London there are 3 ways of getting on your bike and getting involved.

On Friday, 4th December: Join us as the ride travels to Heathrow and celebrate with us as we reach our finish in Westminster. You can join the long-distance cyclists in Slough for the final 21 miles of the ride from Manchester Airport. Email info@thewavevelo.org.uk for joining instructions.

On Saturday, 5th December: Join us and hundreds of other cyclists for the Climate Emergency bike ride http://www.campaigncc.org/bikeride2009. It begins in Lincoln's Inn Field at 10 am and finishes at Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park at 12 pm, from where it will lead into The Wave march. This ride is approximately 6 miles long and will stop at the BP and E.ON offices on-route.

On Sunday, 6th December: Join Ride Planet Earth, who will be having an International day of cycle action against climate change with rides taking place concurrently around the World. The London ride http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=92551293898 will begin from Angel Tube Station at 11.45 am.

If our Wheels to The Wave routes aren’t passing near where you live and you are unable to get to London by coach or train http://www.stopclimatechaos.org/the-wave#transport to join The Wave march on Saturday, 5th December then why not get a few friends together and stage your own Ride Planet Earth http://rideplanetearth.org/ cycle event on Sunday, 6th December.