The Dean 300 6.00am March 25 th 2017 Dear Rider, Thank you for entering The Dean 300k, an event run under AUK regulations. These notes contain some important information about the event. This is a bare-bones DIY-style event with no controllers or support and may seem unusual unless you ride permanents. At this time of year roads could be muddy, wet, icy, poorly surfaced, closed etc. and the weather could be cold, wet, windy, freezing etc. Make sure that you have lights good enough for riding rough roads and reading the route sheet in the dark for several hours. Make sure that carry sufficient clothes, food, drink, maps, tools and spares. IF YOU ARE NOT SURE THAT YOU CAN RIDE SAFELY THEN YOU ARE ADVISED NOT TO START. As there are no controllers, the controls are not set venues but towns and you must collect receipts or stamps showing the date, time and name of the control town or equivalent information such as the dialling code. ATM receipts are fine (although Coop ATMs may not give the right details). A separate receipt will be required for each rider. If in doubt, ensure that the shop, café or other establishment can issue a receipt before making a purchase. The start is at The Peartree Park and Ride on the Northern outskirts of Oxford, grid ref SP 495 107. It is on the A44 just south of the A34 junction, about 5km from Oxford Station. We will be in the car park beforehand to give out brevet cards and make the tea. At the end of the ride, you need to get a receipt from Peartree Services or other location in Oxford if you aren t returning to this point. After that, fill in your brevet card and post it and your receipts back to me. Make sure that you have answered the two info control questions, filled in your details, signed the card and included your receipts. However, if you do choose to return to Peartree you most welcome to join us at Camp Audax Club Hackney where we can receive your brevet. On offer at the camp will be Beavertown s finest ales including Neck Oil, Gamma Ray, 8 Ball and Lupuloid. You will also have the opportunity to wash it down with some of Granny Jones winter broth.
Route and Food - The route is advisory and the distances approximate. Oxford to Stow is lanesy with a bit of climbing. The BP garage is the suggested Control. Toilets on right as you enter Stow (before control) may be open. Stow to Newent is a mix of B road, lanes and Cotswold hills. There are two descents that are steep and winding and you are advised to descend with caution, particularly if the weather is poor or the ground is wet. There are cafes and shops in Newent town centre. Toilets in carpark, L imm L on way into the town centre. The popular control is the Good News Café, which has space to park bikes to the rear. Alternatively you might want to check out the Crusty Loaf Bakery where you will find very reasonably priced cakes. Newent to Chepstow is rather hilly again through the Forest of Dean. The route passes Tesco for the nominated Chepstow Control but you can use other places in town if you wish. There's no cafe in Tescos so look in the town centre for sit-down food - the Wetherspoons just opposite Tescos is popular and serves a heartwarming Welsh faggot and peas. Alternatively you can continue over the Severn Bridge and use Severn View Services as a control. Chepstow to Malmesbury is mostly B roads and lanes and has a bit of a climb past the Somerset Monument at Hawkesbury Upton. Amanda's Cafe, The Summer Cafe (closes 17:45), Coop and Whole Hog pub (meals after 18:00) are possible Controls. There is also a new Waitrose on the left as you climb out of town that has a sit down café and hot toasties, etc., open until at least 8pm. Malmesbury to Membury takes you past two Wiltshire White Horses as you pass over the Marlborough Downs to Marlborough for an info control. The first is on the ridge to your left as you enter Broad Town and the second on the ridges as you exit Broad Hinton. The control is at Membury Services, the staff know you are coming and they should have more hot food and room temp water on offer than normal. There is an indoor cafe and shop as well as the garage, just keep going along the service road. Membury to Oxford is relatively flat on lanes and B roads, with an info control at Stanford in the Vale. At Oxford Park & Ride there is a Waitrose/KFC that should be open until 23:00. You can also finish in Oxford centre where there should be fast food stalls and convenience stores until late the kebab trailer under the bridge is pukka. Routesheet Key: L = Turn Left, R = Turn Right, SOX = Straight on at Crossroads, X = Crossroads priority against you, T = T-junction, TFL = Traffic Lights, rbt = roundabout, imm. = immediately. sp Somewhere = signposted to somewhere. Bold Placenames indicate a place that you pass through. Justin Jones 39 Harringay Road London N15 3JB
The Dean 300 6.00am March 25 th 2017 - Page 1 Oxford to Stow - 44km 0 R @ TFL out of Park & Ride sp Water Eaton P&R 0.1 2 nd exit rbt sp Woodstock 0.4 1 st exit rbt sp Woodstock 2.1 1 st exit rbt sp Cassington 2.2 2 nd exit rbt sp Cassington 5 R sp Bladon 8.4 L@T sp Long Hanborough 10.7 2 nd exit rbt sp Witney 12.6 R sp Finstock 15 L sp Finstock 19 SOX sp Leafield 22.8 In Leafield - R sp Technical Centre 26 SOX sp Shipton 27.5 R at T sp Banbury - A361 27.8 L sp Milton-u-Wychwood 29.2 By park - R sp Lyneham 31.1 R at T no sp 33.1 L at T sp Churchill 34.7 L at T sp Bledington 42.7 L at T sp Stow - A436 44.4 L at ts sp Cirencester - A429 44.6 R into STOW CONTROL BP Garage Control opens 07:30 Closes 09:00. Garage. (other shops & ATM available in town) Newent to Chepstow - 49km 102 retrace to T where L sp Ross 104.6 L@X sp Mitcheldean 110.5 SOX sp Mitcheldean 113.6 1 st exit rbt then imm R sp Flaxley 119.2 L@T sp Gloucester - A4151 119.4 soon R sp Soudley (easily missed) 122.7 R@T sp Cinderford 123.1 2 nd L sp Blackpool Bridge on RH bend 125.2 R@T sp Parkend 130.9 L sp Bream (after Parkend) 133.5 R@T sp St. Briavels 133.6 L sp St. Briavels 134.5 L@T sp St. Briavels Stow to Newent - 57km 44.6 L from Control 44.8 SO@TFL sp Evesham - A429 45.1 L@TFL, imm. L sp Upper Swell 57.1 After Ford L sp Farmcote 62.1 R@T no relevant sp (down steep hill, descend with care) 64.2 In Winchcombe - L@T no sp 69.2 After Golf Club, just before phonebox R no sp - Stockwell Lane (down steep hill, descend with care) 70.8 R@T sp Bishops Cleeve 71.1 2 nd exit rbt 72.2 2 nd exit rbt sp Cheltenham 72.8 1 st exit rbt sp Stoke Orchard 73.3 3 rd exit rbt sp Stoke Orchard 77.1 L sp Elmstone Hardwicke 77.7 By Harrow Farm - R no sp 79.9 R@T sp Tewkesbury - A38 (busy) 80.3 L@TFL sp Apperley 89.7 L@T sp Gloucester 91.5 R sp Newent 92.1 SOX sp Newent 101.2 L@T sp Newent 101.4 R then imm L@TFL sp Town Centre 101.6 NEWENT CONTROL Opens 09:24 Closes 12.48. Cafes and shops in the town centre 138.3 L@X sp Chepstow - B4228 149.3 R sp Chepstow (blue cycle route sign - on L bend) 149.7 R@T no sp (continue over bridge and round one way) 151.0* L (imm. after church on bend) 151.1 R@TFL - A48 (busy) 151.2 L@TFL 151.3 L into Tesco CHEPSTOW CONTROL Alternatively continue to Severn View Services at 158.6km Opens 11:02 Closes 16:04. *Other options in town centre SO at 151.0km
The Dean 300 6.00am March 25 th 2017 - Page 2 Chepstow to Malmesbury - 49km 151.3 retrace to A48 where L@TFL (up hill) 152.4 1st exit rbt sp Aust Cycle route 152.5 R sp Aust joining cycle path 154.2 Cross road - continue on cycle path, keeping R, over bridge 158.6 R onto road joining rbt Severn View Services on left 158.7 1 st exit rbt sp Thornbury 158.9 keep L sp Thornbury (cycleway) 164.5 L@T sp Thornbury 165.1 L@T (by Ship Inn) 165.2 1 st R - Old Gloucester Road 165.5 Bear L onto A38 cycleway - Spencers Court 167.4 R@ 2nd TFL sp Tytherington 171.9 L@T sp Cromhall 173.2 1 st R after entering Cromhall - Cowship Lane 176.1 R@T sp Wickwar 176.3 L@T sp Old Cider Mill 176.6 R sp Hawkesbury (cycleway) 181.9 R@T sp Hawkesbury Upton 184.5 L@X sp Cirencester - A46 184.9 R sp Cirencester - A433 185.7 1 st R (easy to miss) 188.8 SOX sp Sherston 191.2 R@X sp Malmesbury 191.5 By Rattlebone Inn - L@T no sp 199.3 2 nd exit rbt no sp 200.2 R sp Town Centre 200.7 MALMESBURY CONTROL Malmesbury to Membury - 56km 200.7 continue through one-way 200.8 R@T - Oxford St 201 L@T no sp (in town) 201.3 2 nd exit rbt sp Wootton Bassett 209.8 In Causeway End - R sp Dauntsey, by Three Crowns School Hill 210.6 L sp Grittenham 212.5 L@T no sp 216.9 SOX no sp - New Road 217.1 2 nd exit mini rbt no sp 217.5 3rd exit mini rbt no sp 224.6 R@T sp Avebury then imm. 224.7 L sp Rockley 236.5 R@T sp Town Centre INFO CONTROL AT NEXT JUNCTION 236.9 L on steep downhill onto Silverless St (easily missed) 237.1 SOX no sp 247 By The Bell R@triangle sp Hungerford 249 SOX sp East Ridge 253.5 L@T sp Membury Industrial Area 255 After crossing Motorway L by No Through Road sign then continue SOX, follow private road to; 256 MEMBURY SERVICES CONTROL Opens 14:32 Closes 23:04. Garage and shops and cafes further round the corner. Opens 12:42 Closes 19:24. Cafes, pubs, Coop etc. Waitrose Café also available at 201.3km
The Dean 300 6.00am March 25 th 2017 - Page 3 Membury to Oxford 50km 257 Retrace to public road where L@T 257.2 SOX sp Lambourn 257.7 L at T sp Lambourn 260.5 In Lambourn - SOX no sp 274.3 L@T sp Stanford 277 R sp Stanford Village 277.4 INFO CONTROL ON LEFT 279.4 R@T sp Pusey (really SO) 283.2 R@T onto busy A420 sp Oxford 283.4 1 st L sp Longworth 289 SOX sp Cumnor 296 2 nd exit rbt sp Oxford 296.7 L@T no sp (really SO) 297 L@T sp Cumnor Hill 299.7* SO all TFLs (Botley Rd Continue for 2km and SO under railway bridge SO TFL 1 st exit rbt then imm 3 rd exit rbt onto Hythe Bridge Street Over canal and bear L 302.2 SO (bearing R) at TFL into Beaumont St 302.5 L at TFL (wide road called St Giles becomes Woodstock Rd) 306.4 3 rd exit rbt sp Park & Ride (busy) 307.8 4 th exit rbt into Peartree Services for FINISH. Opens 17:44 - Closes 02:28. Petrol station open 24h, Services open until midnight. Sign your Brevet Card, enter your details and the answer to the two Info Controls, put in the bag along with the 6 receipts or other Control proofs.