Veloviewer. Who is using it, and what do you get from it?
Discussion
Nice. I've got Portland to do as well. But I switched my focus to other places that would do more for my Max Cluster and Max Square. Nothing for me so far this week, as my wife has a week off work so we're spending time at castles, gardens, and cathedrals together, getting some culture in before it all gets closed down again...
Solocle said:
Fancy putting up a link to the tile you got in Poole Harbour? The one that overlaps Brownsea Island.
I went there today, with my wife, to do some Tufty spotting (succesfully). Sadly I missed out on that one of the four island tiles by a matter of yards because we were pressed for time. So I'm gonna need to sneak into the docks now to avoid a £12.50 ferry ride to Brownsea again...
Our walk, and the three tiles I managed to get.
And that annoying single tile that a few extra yards down a woodland path would have delivered. I swear it's laughing at me behind my back...
I've been looking at the docks on Googlemaps. Streetview stops short of where I need to go, and I can see the shadows cast by fence posts so I'm concerned that I won't be able to make it down to the slipway beyond the ferry terminal. It also looks like there is a security barrier where the yellow box and two stop lines are painted on the road leading to the slipway. Did you have any dramas getting down there? I know you discussed this before, too, so I'm going to read back through this thread to see if you've already put up a link to that ride. I realise it is annoying with idiots asking questions which you've already answered...
The annoying thing is how close I have come now on two occasions. You can see how close those red lines are to entering the tile at the northern and southern edges. Worst of all, I know I'd have got it if I'd remembered to take my tile-marked OS map with me. Still, at least it's the one that physically can be done with dry feet from the Poole side. The other three don't overlap land at all. I just don't fancy getting arrested by UK Border Force or port security is all...
Solocle said:
Here you go...
https://www.strava.com/activities/4043554072
It's definitely not border force, I was outside the port's perimeter fence. It's not obviously private, either.
Thanks for that. I can see where you got access now. Perenco - the oil company extracting over on the old BP Wytch Farm field on Purbeck. It's where they keep the boat/raft that takes lorries across to their operations on Furzey Island. Sadly for me, it was all locked up out of hours, and a warning on the gate suggested that the automatic gate is kept shut, closing after every vehicle entry ('No Tailgating' sign). I had another look there tonight, but couldn't find any way through. But I'll go back during working hours now, and try both Perenco and Jenkins Marine - both firms' yards are within the tile, and I only need to wander in far enough to get turned away. Hopefully one of them will have an open gate at some point. If not I'll just have to book another visit to Brownsea Island and pay the £12.50 ferry ticket.https://www.strava.com/activities/4043554072
It's definitely not border force, I was outside the port's perimeter fence. It's not obviously private, either.
Today's attempt...
...failed at the fences and locked gates. I was tempted to sneak through the closing automatic gate at the Yacht Club and ride down to the sea wall, but the yard was full of members coming and going, so I backed out of that option. I'll get this one in the end, it's clearly possible, as you've ably demonstrated. I think it's just a matter of timing the attempt right to coincide with an open gate.
https://www.strava.com/activities/4208098500
Solocle said:
Here you go...
https://www.strava.com/activities/4043554072
It's definitely not border force, I was outside the port's perimeter fence. It's not obviously private, either.
I only went and got that damned tile today! https://www.strava.com/activities/4217067952https://www.strava.com/activities/4043554072
It's definitely not border force, I was outside the port's perimeter fence. It's not obviously private, either.
Perenco's gate was left open and I got in far enough to claim the tile. Can't agree on the "not obviously private" bit. It's clear that you're not meant to be in Perenco's depot. But after sniffing around at Jenkins Marine and seeing that they had too much going on in the yard, I doubled back to Perenco. No one in the yard, and the office didn't look busy either so I risked it, sneaked behind a tanker trailer, and rode the gravel down past the boats to the sea wall. Didn't stop, just spun round and came back out again. As I did so, an older chap with a large belly was striding across the yard pulling on a hi-vis waistcoat and shouting at me. I ignored him, on the grounds that I was already leaving, and carried on back out of the gate. Done now though, so no need to ever go back into the port area.
48 tiles ridden, but only three new ones.
Happy to have closed up three annoying gaps in my Max cluster though.
Edited by yellowjack on Monday 19th October 22:19
loudlashadjuster said:
Would it be cricket to keep your Garmin on on the ferry to Millport to try and increase your max cluster when you cycle round Cumbrae? 
I've considered doing that down on the south coast. Could have saved myself being shouted at in the Port Of Poole if I'd just started my Garmin on the Quayside a week before when I visited Brownsea Island and missed claiming a tile by a matter of yards. The ferry ride definitely would have passed through the tile I 'needed'. Same with the Isle Of Wight if/when I go across there. Recording the crossing would allow me to join up any cluster I get on the island with my mainland cluster, provided I choose the right ferry crossing. It's probably not in the spirit of "tiling", but for the purposes of neatly colouring in my digital map, it appeals to the OCD in me...
While I'm here, I might as well update my recent VeloViewer tiling outings.
Monday 19th October - 66 miles for three tiles. One of them that Poole Harbour one I missed on a visit to Brownsea Island. The stats from that were Max Square = 22x22 (no change), and Max Cluster = 1215 (up by 14 tiles). https://www.strava.com/activities/4217067952
Tuesday 20th October - 40 miles for fourteen tiles. First outing on my Cannondale Backroads in ages, up onto the Old Shaftesbury Drove west out of Salisbury, and back along the Chalke Valley. Mostly a night ride too. Love those! Stats there were Max Square = 24x24 (up by 2), and Max Cluster = 1260 (up by 45 tiles). https://www.strava.com/activities/4221896295
Thursday 22nd October - 56 miles for thirty four tiles. Glad I took the 'Dale again, because the roads were absolutely terrible. Muddier than most bridleways in some places. This one was an attempt to "square off" the north west corner of my Max Square, but one tile 'escaped' because I wasn't properly concentrating on my map reading and when I realised I'd missed it it really was too late to go back for it (front light down to less than half an hour of battery power). Stats for this one were Max Square = 26x26 (up by 2) and Max Cluster = 1292 (up by 32 tiles). https://www.strava.com/activities/4230788411
All this has left me with a few single tiles and small groups that I've missed here and there, but they are a mix of road and byway/bridleway, and they are quite widely spaced. There are six tiles south of the "Porton Down Impossibles" preventing expansion to a 29x29 Max Square, for example. To do them in one ride, even if I started riding within one of those tiles, would mean a 73 mile trip...
...the four Porton Down tiles are the ones near the 10 mile marker on the map. I'd love to do this as a single ride, but the realist in me knows it'd be best to break them into three groups, and combine them with other tiles to the north and west as a more efficient use of time.
I'm quite surprised at the speed of Max Square expansion over the last few weeks. It stood at 18x18 from at least late May to 03rd September. Then it stood at 19x19 for a month The jump to 22x22 felt like significant progress when it came on 05th October, but it's jumped quite noticeably this week, from 22x22 on Monday to 26x26 on Thursday. Now, though, things will slow down. I'm nearly at the point where those "Porton Down Impossibles" will come into play, and to get beyond 29x29 I'll have to focus my attention further east or further west (or both! )
The big picture map looks a lot tidier now, though, than it did a few weeks ago...
Monday 19th October - 66 miles for three tiles. One of them that Poole Harbour one I missed on a visit to Brownsea Island. The stats from that were Max Square = 22x22 (no change), and Max Cluster = 1215 (up by 14 tiles). https://www.strava.com/activities/4217067952
Tuesday 20th October - 40 miles for fourteen tiles. First outing on my Cannondale Backroads in ages, up onto the Old Shaftesbury Drove west out of Salisbury, and back along the Chalke Valley. Mostly a night ride too. Love those! Stats there were Max Square = 24x24 (up by 2), and Max Cluster = 1260 (up by 45 tiles). https://www.strava.com/activities/4221896295
Thursday 22nd October - 56 miles for thirty four tiles. Glad I took the 'Dale again, because the roads were absolutely terrible. Muddier than most bridleways in some places. This one was an attempt to "square off" the north west corner of my Max Square, but one tile 'escaped' because I wasn't properly concentrating on my map reading and when I realised I'd missed it it really was too late to go back for it (front light down to less than half an hour of battery power). Stats for this one were Max Square = 26x26 (up by 2) and Max Cluster = 1292 (up by 32 tiles). https://www.strava.com/activities/4230788411
All this has left me with a few single tiles and small groups that I've missed here and there, but they are a mix of road and byway/bridleway, and they are quite widely spaced. There are six tiles south of the "Porton Down Impossibles" preventing expansion to a 29x29 Max Square, for example. To do them in one ride, even if I started riding within one of those tiles, would mean a 73 mile trip...
...the four Porton Down tiles are the ones near the 10 mile marker on the map. I'd love to do this as a single ride, but the realist in me knows it'd be best to break them into three groups, and combine them with other tiles to the north and west as a more efficient use of time.
I'm quite surprised at the speed of Max Square expansion over the last few weeks. It stood at 18x18 from at least late May to 03rd September. Then it stood at 19x19 for a month The jump to 22x22 felt like significant progress when it came on 05th October, but it's jumped quite noticeably this week, from 22x22 on Monday to 26x26 on Thursday. Now, though, things will slow down. I'm nearly at the point where those "Porton Down Impossibles" will come into play, and to get beyond 29x29 I'll have to focus my attention further east or further west (or both!
)The big picture map looks a lot tidier now, though, than it did a few weeks ago...
Solocle said:
The most ambitious route I have in that respect is this, however, which might involve a mild bit of wading off Chesil beach. Kind of crucial for getting my max cluster onto Portland...
No, I don't necessarily plan on doing that route! I just quite enjoy planning these things, as well as riding them.
No, I don't necessarily plan on doing that route! I just quite enjoy planning these things, as well as riding them.
I've "wasted" so much riding time poring over maps! But yes, planning is lots of fun, especially as an alternative to watching the rain running down the kitchen window.
And yes, I've noticed those tiles along Chesil Beach too...
Frustratingly, if I was still in the army I could have just gone down to Chickerell Camp/Wyke Regis, signed out a kayak from the Bridging Hard sports store, and cracked the whole of Chesil Beach and I'd have got paid for the privilege. Now I think I'll have to drive down there and take a walk or run along the shingle (hideous, and used to be a punishment on bridging camps) to crack a lot of Chesil Beach. It remains to be seen how far into the old Portland Naval Base it's possible to get nowadays. Again, back when I was in uniform I could probably have just flashed my ID card and gone for a run around the base. I played hockey there against a RN team once. If only Strava and wearable GPS tech had been available back then, I could have recorded a GPS trace of me running around an AstroTurf pitch for 80 minutes!
When I first marked up my maps I plotted a few lines and then measured the others from a start point. Then I had to go back and start again because the lines aren't parallel The tiles are narrower at the top than the bottom in the northern hemisphere, tapering to almost nothing at the North Pole. Now I plot a number of points where the lines intersect an identifiable map feature, then "join the dots". When I'm out on a ride I use the "Save Location" feature on my Garmin watch, which gives me a ten figure grid reference. So far this has been sufficient to ensure I've gotten far enough in to tiles to claim them. But it only works if the GPS is accurate AND I've plotted the lines correctly.
In terms of Max Square, Portland is no use to man nor beast. No point in tiling south of Charmouth/Lyme Regis really because of the shape of the coastline. But I will still want to colour in Portland and the Weymouth~Dorchester~Charmouth triangle to keep things looking neat and contribute to my Max Cluster...
Edited by yellowjack on Sunday 25th October 00:58
Well done to all those who have continued riding recently, despite some quite hostile weather in parts of the UK. 
Not a great deal of riding for me recently. Mostly curtailed by the weather, and my wife having time off on days when the weather was kinder. The rest of this week looks much better for cycling (if a little colder). So I'm hoping to go out and do some "tidying up" of a few "loose" tiles in my 'old' Cluster. Which could well open the floodgates, so to speak, and finally join both of my Clusters together...
...this screen grab doesn't actually show the clusters, but suffice to say that those single blank tiles and small groups, especially those south of Basingstoke, are acting as "stoppers" blocking the spread of my Max Cluster right back into the eastern side of that map.
That would leave me with an obvious focus of filling in the large empty space either side of the A34.
My current Max Square is 26x26. The four 'Impossible Tiles' under the 'G' in 'Grateley' are going to halt progress on that Square when I get to 29x29, so expansion to the east makes sense to me. I've already covered the bulk of the ground out that way, and it shouldn't require too much "off roading" to nab most tiles over there. Just the extra travel time to the start of the tiling to annoy me really.
The current VeloViewer stats (as at the end of my last ride on 28th October 2020)...
VeloViewer Score = 98.619
Explorer Score = 3628
Max Square = 26x26
Max Cluster = 1370
Not a great deal of riding for me recently. Mostly curtailed by the weather, and my wife having time off on days when the weather was kinder. The rest of this week looks much better for cycling (if a little colder). So I'm hoping to go out and do some "tidying up" of a few "loose" tiles in my 'old' Cluster. Which could well open the floodgates, so to speak, and finally join both of my Clusters together...
...this screen grab doesn't actually show the clusters, but suffice to say that those single blank tiles and small groups, especially those south of Basingstoke, are acting as "stoppers" blocking the spread of my Max Cluster right back into the eastern side of that map.
That would leave me with an obvious focus of filling in the large empty space either side of the A34.
My current Max Square is 26x26. The four 'Impossible Tiles' under the 'G' in 'Grateley' are going to halt progress on that Square when I get to 29x29, so expansion to the east makes sense to me. I've already covered the bulk of the ground out that way, and it shouldn't require too much "off roading" to nab most tiles over there. Just the extra travel time to the start of the tiling to annoy me really.
The current VeloViewer stats (as at the end of my last ride on 28th October 2020)...
VeloViewer Score = 98.619
Explorer Score = 3628
Max Square = 26x26
Max Cluster = 1370
Hmmm?
I'm probably being a techno-biffa, but that "compare" feature is leaving me frustrated. But no matter...
An update of sorts today. Back on April 16th 2020, I started this thread, with a Max Square of 14x14.
Today I went out to grab 4 tiles up near Wilton/Salisbury, and after a successful, if sloppy trip, I now have a Max Square of 28x28. Not bad for a little under 7 months of riding. I was shocked by the numbers too. A 14x14 square is 196 tiles. But a 28x28 square is 784 tiles. So to double the length of the sides of your square you need to ride four times more tiles. No wonder it can feel a bit frustrating at times, ride after ride where the Max Square simply "refuses" to grow.
Shortly after I started this thread...
...this was how my Explorer Tile Map looked on April 20th 2020. The "old" 14x14 Max Square was centred on my previous home in Farnborough.
Compare that version of the map...
...with this snapshot from 03rd November 2020. You can see where I've "moved" my Max Square down to base it on my new address in Bournemout, and expanded it north. And where I've worked on joining the new (western) cluster to the old (eastern) cluster. One decent ride should join them up into one large Max Cluster too.
And after today's ride...
...my Max Square is now 28x28 (as at November 03rd 2020) with 6 more tiles needed to reach it's limit of 29x29 (bounded by the sea in the south, and four 'Impossible Tiles' at the Porton Down MOD Range Complex in the north.
It was a lot of graft today. 35 tiles ridden to get just four new tiles. Much of it done on bridleways which were very sloppy. Tough to keep the wheels turning on the climbs, and dicey going down with quite a lot of sideways action at the rear wheel.
Current VeloViewer stats:
VeloViewer Score = 98.622
Explorer Score = 3632
Max Square = 28x28
Max Cluster = 1391
I'm probably being a techno-biffa, but that "compare" feature is leaving me frustrated. But no matter...
An update of sorts today. Back on April 16th 2020, I started this thread, with a Max Square of 14x14.
Today I went out to grab 4 tiles up near Wilton/Salisbury, and after a successful, if sloppy trip, I now have a Max Square of 28x28. Not bad for a little under 7 months of riding. I was shocked by the numbers too. A 14x14 square is 196 tiles. But a 28x28 square is 784 tiles. So to double the length of the sides of your square you need to ride four times more tiles. No wonder it can feel a bit frustrating at times, ride after ride where the Max Square simply "refuses" to grow.
Shortly after I started this thread...
...this was how my Explorer Tile Map looked on April 20th 2020. The "old" 14x14 Max Square was centred on my previous home in Farnborough.
Compare that version of the map...
...with this snapshot from 03rd November 2020. You can see where I've "moved" my Max Square down to base it on my new address in Bournemout, and expanded it north. And where I've worked on joining the new (western) cluster to the old (eastern) cluster. One decent ride should join them up into one large Max Cluster too.
And after today's ride...
...my Max Square is now 28x28 (as at November 03rd 2020) with 6 more tiles needed to reach it's limit of 29x29 (bounded by the sea in the south, and four 'Impossible Tiles' at the Porton Down MOD Range Complex in the north.
It was a lot of graft today. 35 tiles ridden to get just four new tiles. Much of it done on bridleways which were very sloppy. Tough to keep the wheels turning on the climbs, and dicey going down with quite a lot of sideways action at the rear wheel.
Current VeloViewer stats:
VeloViewer Score = 98.622
Explorer Score = 3632
Max Square = 28x28
Max Cluster = 1391
Edited by yellowjack on Tuesday 3rd November 23:37
Big jump in my Max Cluster today. Up from 1490 to 2171. An increase of 681 as a result of one ride. Mainly as a result of hoovering up a couple of isolated tiles around Medstead/Four Marks, just off the A31. My Max Cluster is now continuous from Dorchester in the West to Box Hill in the East, and from it's Southern-most point on Purbeck, near Swanage, to it's most Northerly extreme just South of High Wycombe...
Before today's ride. Dark blue in the west? My Max Cluster. Light blue in the east? Another cluster, curated before I found VeloViewer tiling, that wasn't quite connected due to a single unridden tile near Four Marks, just off the A31.
After today's ride. I concentrated today's effort on getting that one tile near Four Marks, along with a number of other isolated small groups. I failed to get to all the target tiles, but succeeded in claiming enough to turn much of the light blue cluster to dark blue, massively increasing the size of my Max cluster.
I wasn't sure whether this was a road name or an instruction to cyclists to pop the front wheel up, going down the hill. Erring on the side of caution (and because I can't get the wheel up on a road bike), I kept both wheels firmly on the ground.
Before today's ride. Dark blue in the west? My Max Cluster. Light blue in the east? Another cluster, curated before I found VeloViewer tiling, that wasn't quite connected due to a single unridden tile near Four Marks, just off the A31.
After today's ride. I concentrated today's effort on getting that one tile near Four Marks, along with a number of other isolated small groups. I failed to get to all the target tiles, but succeeded in claiming enough to turn much of the light blue cluster to dark blue, massively increasing the size of my Max cluster.
I wasn't sure whether this was a road name or an instruction to cyclists to pop the front wheel up, going down the hill. Erring on the side of caution (and because I can't get the wheel up on a road bike), I kept both wheels firmly on the ground.
Edited by yellowjack on Wednesday 11th November 23:34
Solocle said:
Another groundwork day... started with the delightful four lane section of the A31. The Strava segment title is rather apt - "run".
But at 9am on a Sunday, it wasn't particularly hairy.
You're crazier even than I am! The A31 between the M27 and the A338 Bournemouth spur road is pretty much a de facto motorway. In fact, with a hard shoulder to ride on, you'd probably be safer on a motorway. I rode the section up the hill from the M27, the right hand bend where the water company works is, only to the turn off opposite Stony Cross, late at night. And all I had was idiots "tooting" at me.But at 9am on a Sunday, it wasn't particularly hairy.
I got most of those tiles before I realised I "needed" them, with a mixture of road and off-road riding. There are good off-road routes over the top of the New Forest, parallel to the A31 on both sides. I found them as part of a local Strava club's 'Gravel Time Trial' series. The mechanic at my local shop would put up a Strava segment each fortnight (it started weekly) and a bunch of us would "duke it out" in our own time, with a winner declared at the end of the two weeks. Then there's the Castleman Trail heading west from Moors Valley which avoids the A31 too.
Having said all that, I'm giving serious consideration to riding a 7 to 10 mile section of the A303 west of Stonehenge, simply because it would be "navigationally simpler" than taking my MTB and bashing byways and bridleways!
Anyway. Well done to all those who have been out tiling this week. It's been a pretty grubby week, weather-wise, and I've been at home watching telly with my wife, or walking with her while she's had a week out of work. So no cycling for me in the week where I turned 50. But I'm hoping to get myself back out there tomorrow to see if I feel any different now that I've officially moved up into the 'Grand Veteran' age category...
Today's effort from me.
44.5 miles, 46 tiles ridden, but only 12 new ones claimed. And you can ignore the "holes" in the map - I already had those three tiles covered riding from my old house. This ride was mostly just peaceful rural roads through rolling Hampshire countryside, but it was necessary to go "BOATing" a few times. The first excursion onto a Byway was forced upon me by a 'Private Road - No Entry, Residents Only' sign. But that section was OK. Solid enough surface, and it soon morphed into a proper tarmac road. The last excursion was horrid, though. I needed to do it because it was the only route at all through one particular tile. 3 kms of alternately riding, then poking mud out from under the brake calipers, then shouldering the bike to avoid more mud getting jammed up under the fork crown and brake bridge wasn't much fun, especially in the dark. But it has "cleaned up" a bunch of loose single tiles and small groups. Clearing this area out means that it should be more obvious as to where I should concentrate my efforts now. I'm looking at the 142 tiles spread densely in the triangle between Andover, Basingstoke, and Winchester now. I might not get near to doing them all in a single ride, but picking them off should be pretty efficient, with a good "tiles to miles" ratio.
Solocle said:
No dual carriageways this time - but the f
ing B3081 was actually worse!
Matchams roundabout. Not great to ride on the carriageway. Too many idiot drivers ignoring the reduction in the speed limit when they come off the A31, so it's especially difficult to make right turns. I used to use it a lot to get back to Bournemouth, coming down Hurn Road/Matchams Lane. It's well served for traffic free cycling off that junction though. Just out of shot behind you in that photo is the rail bed of the Castleman Trail, which would eventually get you to Poole, and although a bit muddy at this end, it is just about rideable on a road bike even at this time of year. It gets a sealed surface closer to Poole too. And there are two traffic free options into Ringwood from the other side of the A31 bridge.ing B3081 was actually worse!Edited by Solocle on Sunday 29th November 19:04
The Hurn Road/Matchams Lane route isn't ideal for cycling either. For some reason it finds favour with drivers who really ought to be on the A338 Spur Road. I prefer the north/south routes to the east of Ringwood, either the B3347 (a fast road but generally plenty of space to share the road) or (part of) the local TT route that comes down on Crow Lane/Thatchers Lane/Ringwood Road through Bransgore. The other alternative is the gravel route to the west from St Leonards (starts at a car park near the housing development on the old St Leonards hospital site on the A31. Further west still and there's the gravel byway that starts off Thames Close in Trickett's Cross/Ferndown, and comes out on Chapel Lane by the airport industrial estate and the sports ground at the Bournemouth end.
I took a break from tiling at the end of last week. I had to be honest with myself - it was becoming a chore, and I wasn't enjoying it as much as I had been. So I "hit the reset button" and just did some random riding on roads I am more familiar with in the New Forest. Not pressuring myself into riding on muddy byways and bridleways, and not stopping every few miles to read my map and plan/re-plan the next part of my route made a refreshing change. And coincidentally brought my average speed up by around 2½ to 3 mph for the same perceived effort. And yet I still managed to find a few roads I'd not yet ridden, or rode them in the opposite direction and picked up some new Strava segments. Today looks grim. I'm sitting here staring out of the window, waiting for this mist/fog to burn off or blow away...
A bit of a "reset" for me this last couple of weeks. 'Tiling' was becoming a bit of a chore, and I was putting myself under too much pressure to ride silly routes across muddy byways and bridleways just to avoid leaving gaps. It was also putting a lot of miles on the car getting to and from my chosen start points. Just not much fun anymore.
So I've gone back to riding from home for a while. Last week I just covered old ground, headed out east and rode around the New Forest for a couple of evenings. Now I've turned my attention west into rural Dorset. Riding for fun, with a few VeloViewer tiles as a bit of a "side dish".
Two centuries this week, and today's 100.99 mile ride covered 84 tiles, yet it yielded only 3 new ones. Two weeks ago I'd have thought that unthinkable. And a "waste of miles". But it's a refreshing change to be honest. And those 3 tiles? I almost let those slip too. But in the end i wanted to come back with something to show for all those miles when I updated my VeloViewer account...
Today's ride in tiles...
...and as a 3D elevation map.
And those three tiles bottom left? They've been eluding me for a long time. Now you see them...
...and now you don't!
This might not be the most time-efficient way of tiling, with so much "old" ground to cover before getting to the new tiles, but it's made a nice change and allowed me to get my cycling "mojo" back again.
So I've gone back to riding from home for a while. Last week I just covered old ground, headed out east and rode around the New Forest for a couple of evenings. Now I've turned my attention west into rural Dorset. Riding for fun, with a few VeloViewer tiles as a bit of a "side dish".
Two centuries this week, and today's 100.99 mile ride covered 84 tiles, yet it yielded only 3 new ones. Two weeks ago I'd have thought that unthinkable. And a "waste of miles". But it's a refreshing change to be honest. And those 3 tiles? I almost let those slip too. But in the end i wanted to come back with something to show for all those miles when I updated my VeloViewer account...
Today's ride in tiles...
...and as a 3D elevation map.
And those three tiles bottom left? They've been eluding me for a long time. Now you see them...
...and now you don't!
This might not be the most time-efficient way of tiling, with so much "old" ground to cover before getting to the new tiles, but it's made a nice change and allowed me to get my cycling "mojo" back again.
I've had over a week spent mostly away from the bike.
My wife had a week's leave booked so I've spent time with her while I can. But she wanted to go shopping in Salisbury t'other day - shopping I wasn't permitted to witness. So I dropped her in town and headed to the Wilton Park and Ride for a "three hour ride".
Four and a half hours later, I was back to collect her, having ridden 59 tiles and claimed 14 new ones in four groups, two twos and two fives. It's filled in a few annoying gaps around Salisbury Plain now. And properly isolated the four 'Impossible' tiles at Porton Down. I'm hoping to get up there again soon, but this time on fatter tyres to cover some of the byways and bridleways that criss-cross the army training estate up there.
My ride...
And how it looks in that area now...
Rather inconveniently, some of those tile groups on the left of the map are army "Red Flagged" ranges. Indeed, the Imber Range danger area is always active, whether it's in use or not. A few times per year they open the road through to Imber village itself, but not the other roads and tracks. I'm going to have to get a bit sneaky/stealthy with a few over there. And the Larkhill artillery Impact Area also has tiles with no roads, paths, or tracks marked on the map. The bulk of it's tiles are accessible on Byways when there's no firing going on, but I may well have to feign "getting terribly lost Mr Range Warden" to bag some of those too. They're do-able, because almost all of them have been done by at least one other VeloViewer member already.
A couple of 100 milers the previous week, both ridden from home, gained a few more out toward Dorchester/Weymouth, but one of those big rides yielded only three tiles. I really am deep into the realms of "get used to riding over 100 miles for a small handful of tiles" if I want to ride from my doorstep. Either that, or it's at least two hours driving in a day to get to places where I can get my teeth into some fresh tiles from the first turn of the pedals.
I have no intention of "parking" this tiling malarkey for winter though. Riding through winter is something I just enjoy doing. I usually sign up for, and ride the Festive 500. This year, though, with no patch to claim and the inclusion of indoor rides, I'm thinking of signing up for the PVS Events #festivefkall instead... https://www.pvsevents.com/festivefkall (you'll have to correct the url after PH's swear filter has been at it). I mean, at least they have merch' you can buy...
It's getting much tougher to expand my Max Square now. I've gone at it without much of a plan up to now, and that "scattergun" approach means there is no obvious direction in which to go. There are gaps to the north, east and west that could be filled to contribute to expansion, but I can't see one direction which would yield a quick, efficient, and obvious route. So I'm now just working on chipping away at bigger gaps which won't do much for Square building, but will draw more tiles into my Max Cluster. Time is the issue for me really, because I'm a pretty slow rider, so any tiling ride of meanigful length takes me away from home pretty much for a whole day now.
My wife had a week's leave booked so I've spent time with her while I can. But she wanted to go shopping in Salisbury t'other day - shopping I wasn't permitted to witness. So I dropped her in town and headed to the Wilton Park and Ride for a "three hour ride".
Four and a half hours later, I was back to collect her, having ridden 59 tiles and claimed 14 new ones in four groups, two twos and two fives. It's filled in a few annoying gaps around Salisbury Plain now. And properly isolated the four 'Impossible' tiles at Porton Down. I'm hoping to get up there again soon, but this time on fatter tyres to cover some of the byways and bridleways that criss-cross the army training estate up there.
My ride...
And how it looks in that area now...
Rather inconveniently, some of those tile groups on the left of the map are army "Red Flagged" ranges. Indeed, the Imber Range danger area is always active, whether it's in use or not. A few times per year they open the road through to Imber village itself, but not the other roads and tracks. I'm going to have to get a bit sneaky/stealthy with a few over there. And the Larkhill artillery Impact Area also has tiles with no roads, paths, or tracks marked on the map. The bulk of it's tiles are accessible on Byways when there's no firing going on, but I may well have to feign "getting terribly lost Mr Range Warden" to bag some of those too. They're do-able, because almost all of them have been done by at least one other VeloViewer member already.
A couple of 100 milers the previous week, both ridden from home, gained a few more out toward Dorchester/Weymouth, but one of those big rides yielded only three tiles. I really am deep into the realms of "get used to riding over 100 miles for a small handful of tiles" if I want to ride from my doorstep. Either that, or it's at least two hours driving in a day to get to places where I can get my teeth into some fresh tiles from the first turn of the pedals.
I have no intention of "parking" this tiling malarkey for winter though. Riding through winter is something I just enjoy doing. I usually sign up for, and ride the Festive 500. This year, though, with no patch to claim and the inclusion of indoor rides, I'm thinking of signing up for the PVS Events #festivef
kall instead... https://www.pvsevents.com/festivef
kall (you'll have to correct the url after PH's swear filter has been at it). I mean, at least they have merch' you can buy... It's getting much tougher to expand my Max Square now. I've gone at it without much of a plan up to now, and that "scattergun" approach means there is no obvious direction in which to go. There are gaps to the north, east and west that could be filled to contribute to expansion, but I can't see one direction which would yield a quick, efficient, and obvious route. So I'm now just working on chipping away at bigger gaps which won't do much for Square building, but will draw more tiles into my Max Cluster. Time is the issue for me really, because I'm a pretty slow rider, so any tiling ride of meanigful length takes me away from home pretty much for a whole day now.
And just because I was wondering about it myself, here's my tiling state right now...
...plenty of gaps to fill, for sure. And plenty of space to expand into. But no one obvious area to head for really. Plus the A303 is really beginning to irritate me now. It literally is the only sealed surface road through many tiles, so it comes down to MTBing to grab tiles via byways and bridleways, or taking my life in my hands and riding on what, in many places, is a de facto motorway.
Explorer score:
3866 tiles (an average of 8.356 mi per tile)
Max square = 28x28
Max Cluster = 2379
...plenty of gaps to fill, for sure. And plenty of space to expand into. But no one obvious area to head for really. Plus the A303 is really beginning to irritate me now. It literally is the only sealed surface road through many tiles, so it comes down to MTBing to grab tiles via byways and bridleways, or taking my life in my hands and riding on what, in many places, is a de facto motorway.
Explorer score:
3866 tiles (an average of 8.356 mi per tile)
Max square = 28x28
Max Cluster = 2379
Some Gump said:
Daft request - could eveyone enjoying this thread join the PH strava club? That way all of us tilers can see how each other are doing 
I've been on there since I joined Strava, I think. My username is the same as here, save for a space in the obvious place.
I've been struggling to do any tiling lately. Last week, though, completely unconnected to VeloViewer tiling, I finally managed to stitch together a near-12 mile Strava segment called 'Wareham Forest Smash' that I've been trying to work out using OS maps. A couple of attempts back in May when there had been a big forest/heath fire there, and one unsuccessful attempt last week meant I'd made all the obvious mistakes, so was able to iron them out and get two laps in.
Someone also mentioned the Festive500. I've signed up, but I'm not sure I'm going to bother with it this year. Various reasons, including, but not limited to: A grumbly headset on my nice road bike. The new tier 4 areas making a substantial hole in the areas I need to expand my Square/Cluster. A general loss of Mojo in recent weeks. I don't know what it is exactly, but I've found myself lacking the desire to get changed and drag a bike out. Once I'm on a bike I'm OK, it's just getting out of the door and starting the ride that keeps me at home.
And I know I can ride plenty of places that are in the same tier 2 restrictions as where I live. But I'd made some plans for the festive season that very much included riding in parts of Surrey, and around Berkshire, especially Windsor/Slough/Reading/Newbury way. Christmas Eve (daytime) may still see a bit of riding right on the edge of Berkshire as I have to go up to fetch my son home for Christmas (single adult living alone support bubble stuff). So I may take a trip up much earlier in the day and get some scattered individual tiles mopped up. But more generally, I'm keener to keep myself to myself over Christmas. I've also had enough of being glowered at while out exercising COMPLETELY ALONE WITH NO CONTACT WITH ANOTHER LIVING SOUL YOU ABSOLUTE CRETINS. Solo cycling is probably THE most Covid-secure exercise I can do. I certainly have less contact with other people when riding, and come into germ-spreading range of others a lot less than when I'm out walking or running. Yet I feel like I'm constantly being judged by the brainwashed masses. I should probably just get on and ride, but the news media at the moment? It's not doing my mood many favours...
ukbabz said:
I've not had any issues north of Newbury on the ridgeway and surrounding. Even had some random bloke give me a thumbs up but that may have been to do with me being covered in mud and looking a right mess!
Hmmm? Maybe I'm just projecting my guilt onto others then? Or maybe I AM getting judgmental looks from other countryside users? I mean, it's by no means everyone out there. As you say, there are folk who will share a joke, or a wry smile when the conditions are bad. And generally I'm on (or at least try to be) good terms with other PROW users. I like to think I'm aware of my surroundings, and that I try to always be the one to yield the way. And mostly it's appreciated, whether it be another cyclist, a horse rider, or walkers. But there's an increasing cohort of miserable, and sometimes deliberately obstructive path user out there. The latest thing is the deliberate ignoring of the rung bell. Especially from groups out walking, and dog walkers with multiple animals not under close control. I don't expect people to go diving into hedges to permit me to steam through at full gas. But when I ring the bell from a distance, and they clearly hear it because they've turned to see me, it might just be nice if that's the point where they begin to corral the dogs and marshal their group into a narrower body. Yet they (deliberately, it seems) leave that until you are right upon them and forced to stop. And I'm not talking about narrow bridleways here. This is more the wide forest gravel roads of Wareham Forest, or the "wide enough to park cars diagonally and still have space for two cars to drive past each other" undercliff promenade on the sea front between Bournemouth and Boscombe. I can understand the other side of the argument though. While riding, running, and walking on such routes I've been subject to some unnecessarily close passes, at speed, by "cyclists". They're usually on a 'Beryl' hire bike, or some knackered old 80's road bike with the handlebars turned upside down, or the cheapest MTB in the Decathlon range. And to me they aren't 'Cyclists' at all, but the non-cycling population just see a person on a bicycle failing to be courteous and considerate and tar us all with whatever brush they've currently got to hand. Anyway, enough moaning. I should really get some porridge inside me and get a ride in, instead of sitting here in a gloomy living room moaning into a keyboard...
ukbabz said:
Aye it does vary, I try and remain cheerful . I don't actually have a bell on my MTB and just call out to folk - not sure if this elicits a different reaction. I've found my freehub is pretty loud too which works pretty well to get attention as people don't really know the sound to ignore it.
The one that bugs me / makes me laugh in equal measures is when folk lack enough awareness to step to the same side as the person they're with - making a slalom. When running I'll just carry on between them to make a point, on the bike I'm a little more cautious!
It'd be nice if we could have some cooler / dryer weather then the road would be more appealing!
The one that bugs me / makes me laugh in equal measures is when folk lack enough awareness to step to the same side as the person they're with - making a slalom. When running I'll just carry on between them to make a point, on the bike I'm a little more cautious!
It'd be nice if we could have some cooler / dryer weather then the road would be more appealing!
I find it's dog walkers doing this a lot. Instead of thinking about it for a moment and then stepping to whatever side the dog is on, they stand their ground on one side and shout at the dog to come to them. Which, naturally, the dog does. Except that it delays long enough that it will be across the path when you get there. Either that or the dog just looks at the owner/walker like they are utterly mad and then just carries on sniffing another dog's scent marking. Made all the worse when the dog is on a lead but still refuses to budge. Dog walkers? If you're reading this, ffs just move to the side of the path the dog is already on, eh? It's quicker, safer, and more likely to achieve the desired result...
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