2013-05-12 51 0

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Sun 12 May 2013 in 51,0: 51.6778850, 0.0141189 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Location

The middle of a field sandwiched between the M25 motorway and A121 road in Enfield.

Participants

• jondclarke

Plans

jondclarke intends to head down by Sunday noon. I'm going to try this as a double at around noon after 2013-05-12 51 -0.

Ordnance Survey shows a public footpath cutting across the field, about 200m from hashpoint. Google maps [1] makes it looks like getting from one hashpoint to another won't be trivial, with a 2.5 mile diversion to find a bridge that doesn't only carry the M25 or a series of pipes... [2]. Given that I'll be using my off-road bike, that shouldn't be too bad. (I'll try to be a naughty but considerate cyclist, getting off my bike when I'm away from bridleways and other people are around.) I should be able to follow the footpath along the W side of the Lee, then across the A121 bridge, roads to Lodge Lane, S out of the estate on the footpath, then E across the field until I reach the internal corner of the field, bearing 300, and the left-hand of the two isolated trees, bearing 050.

Expedition

Change over to the next set of maps & plans, and head for the second hashpoint to see if I can earn the multihash. It's only a few hundred metres away as the crow flies, but between me and it there lie a flood channel, the main River Lee navigation, a side channel, several ditches and, with the need to find bridges, the massive M25 motorway (twice...). Having finally started thinking through the Tron concept, I kept heading north, hoping I'd find a way down to the flood channel on my right. Thankfully, there was a path, and the slope wasn't too bad - I decided not to ride as it was steeper than I'd anticipated and I'd not brought a helmet, but I could walk down, still astride my light cycle. Found the road bridge easily enough, and rode through Waltham - I'd heard of the abbey many times and never seen it. Thank you XKCD & Geohashers - I'd never have seen this otherwise.

Found my way into the housing estate I was looking for, without the anticipated steps down from the main road (hurrah!). Found the footpath and still didn't even need to dismount. So what would the field be like? Clearly the locals use it for dog walking (judging by the incredible quantities of "spoor" I was finding). Finally, finally, I dismount my light cycle - it felt rather inconsiderate to ride through the edge of the farmer's crop when I could walk just beyond the edge instead. Would I spot the tree I was after? Yes, excellent - this is looking good. I could see the tractor's tyre tracks, and with a couple of strides I'd reached an area barely touching the farmer's crop. I lined up my landmarks, and yes, my multihash is in the bag! I can see a way out of the field continuing in the same direction, so return for my light cycle, carry it over the crop to the tractor tracks, get out the kite (still mildly dreading the arrival of an irate, perplexed landowner - "why are you flying a kite whilst riding a bike in the middle of my field?), take my next photos, and head out east then south to the road.

And a fairly uneventful ride back - I didn't stick too closely to my route, but I'd built in such a safety margin there was no risk of breaching Tron because of that. Slightly lost through Gunpowder Park (with earthworks where they used to make, well, you get the idea), and then I'm at the River Lee again - loads of beautiful stretches, lots of happy walkers and cyclists. Gaffed up with Tron one final time - passing a bunch of rowers carrying their boats out, I missed that the path continued along the Lee - I dismounted (only the 2nd time), started crossing a bridge and then turned back. Doh! Smurfed it again... If I'd kept on across the bridge I'd have been able to carry on the route, so turning back was unnecessary. Grr. Couple more Tour Guide photos, given that my route passed the site of the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games. A lovely day in central London, with lots of happy tourists (like me...), and I'm home. 45 miles in a pleasingly symmetric 4h44m (so, 10mph).

Photos

• 2013-05-12 51 -0 17 attempt 2nd.jpg

  Readying myself for the attempt on the second hashpoint of the day

• 2013-05-12 51 -0 18 tour waltham abbey.jpg

  Tour Guide: Waltham Abbey, at the most northerly point in my route

• 2013-05-12 51 -0 19 field.jpg

  Hmm, the second hashpoint of the day is in this field somewhere...

• 2013-05-12 51 -0 20 2nd success.jpg

  My 2nd success of the day, for the multihash, showing my No Batteries tools

• 2013-05-12 51 -0 21 2nd landmark tree.jpg

  That nice distinctive, nearer, tree was my first landmark

• 2013-05-12 51 -0 22 2nd landmark corner.jpg

  And my second landmark. I forgot to record my Silly Grin TM! Hopefully the presence of my zebra hitched at the landmark is sufficient evidence of my own presence there...

• 2013-05-12 51 -0 23 2nd kite.jpg

  And my 2nd kite success - getting good at this whole flying a kite whilst astride a bike taking a photo lark

• 2013-05-12 51 -0 24 2nd tron fail.jpg

  NO! A 2nd Tron fail... should have kept going under the bridge. Instead, did only my 2nd dismount of the day, and then tried crossing the bridge and did a U-turn. Smurf...

• 2013-05-12 51 -0 25 tour olympic stadium.jpg

  Tour Guide: the London 2012 Olympic Stadium

• 2013-05-12 51 -0 26 tour limehouse.jpg

  Tour Guide: Limehouse Basin, economic powerhouse of Victorian London's docks

• 2013-05-12 51 -0 28 tour fail tower bridge.jpg

  Tour Guide fail... yes, that's Tower Bridge in the distance behind the huge cement lorry

• 2013-05-12 51 -0 29 tour tower.jpg

  Tour Guide: the Tower of London

• 2013-05-12 51 -0 30 tour big ben.jpg

  Tour Guide: St Stephen's Tower (with Big Ben inside - pedantry award?)...

• 2013-05-12 51 -0 31 tour parliament.jpg

  Tour Guide: ... and the rest of the Houses of Parliament

• 2013-05-12 51 -0 32 end distance.jpg

  My final distance of 44 miles, plus one when I forgot to turn on my bike computer at the start. Was going to match that with my Tron cycle route planning to show I'd done the route I claimed but given I totally smurfed that - who cares?

• 2013-05-12 51 -0 33 end timestamp.jpg

  And a final date & timestamp from the TV, showing I've done it all in 4h44m on one day