New links list....

Added a new links list to the page ( over there, left at top of page). This will link to google maps of routes described in this blog. There will still be links from posts but I plan to make them accessib from the side bar as well.

You 'll see that the Cassop Vale route still not complete with description! But a 1:25,000 map will show you the way without problem! It will be complete tomorrow - thats a promise!

There's also a new link to the CTC's cyclehero campaign. Worth a look - you can win a spesh!

Make some noise...

Out this morning with youngest daughter on trailer bike and old friends G & F and their daughter on her bike. G took us on a circular off-road route from Seaham , taking in South Hetton, Murton and Dawdon. There seems to be a lot of new off road tracks in that area and they seem worthy of further exploration.

Joined the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) today - they do a lot of work around rights of way access and trail building. I've added a link to their website so take a look and join.

Concert for Diana on telly tonight. P Diddy shouted out: "If you miss Princess Diana - make some noise!" Priceless.

Its been a long time baby.....

Far too long! Seem to have lost my way a bit since last post....Gary Bainbridge (edit: Gary Grainger - link works OK!) tells me that's common for newbies. We manage up to about 10 weeks concerted effort and then fall by the wayside! Well thats not for me. I ain't no goddamn quitter.

So I've added a new link to the non-mtb links and google mapped more of my route! Gary left a useful comment about trail-gator.com. I actually thought it was a trail mapping tool, until I checked it out myself and its an ingenious way of making a trailer bike out of a proper kids bike!

I've had a long think about this blog and decided that I need to stick to it and develop into what I set out to create way back in April. I need to add more photo's and colour and news. So there!!!!

Google Maps 2

So I've taken the plunge with Picasa. Installed on PC that only has a few pictures on it reducing my worries about privacy greatly!

And I have tried out adding a photo to the Google map for the Cassop Vale route, and it seems to work!

This is a "good thing" : it resolves many of the problems that I had encountered when trying to work out how to mtb routes here. Using Google maps means that these can be viewed easily, linked to, printed off easily, turned into jpeg relatively easily and you can even get directions to any point on it, meaning that for loops the "start" can be anywhere you want it to be.

This whole project is taking a lot longer than I ever imagined but now I feel some progress has been made.

Sunny Sunday afternoon....

Sunny Sunday afternoon ride..... P persuaded me to venture out. I was feeling like an afternoon in front of the TV but he talked me into a quick blast out towards Finchale Priory, on the banks of the Wear. Explored some bridle paths and tracks to try and make a bigger, more exciting ride but that part seems a little limited. Perhaps linking it into a bigger loop might work...

On the way back stop off to the bmx track so P could get some "air". Or try to get some "air" anyway. We decide that the jumps are too close together and blame the designer.

Email from Fred - he's been reading about my difficulties with PDF, jpeg etc and made a great suggestion. It wasn't the answer I was looking for, but seems to have given me a solution. A screengrab can be saved as jpeg so why was I struggling to find a way to convert pdf?

I 'll see how that works. I want there to be a printable written description of routes as well as a map. Thats why I want a jpeg version as that can be zoomed in on and manipulated at ease and takes up less space on here!

Progress with maps!

Yes! Managed to sort out that Google MyMaps difficulty I was experiencing. Think I have that sorted now.

I want to include some photos in the maps so I'm thinking that Picasa may be the way to go. MyMaps won't let me upload from PC just a url. I am a little concerned about privacy issues and what it will do to my photos so I need to read a little more about this before I commit fully!

I've mapped the Cassop Vale route. Have a look at the first draft - its without descriptions yet. I will add these in text , with map references and photos. I'll also paste a written description in as a post ( unless a better way is found). That will mean that there's two ways of viewing the route.

I've got a load more pictures to add to the Great Glen Way post - I got copies of M's today. He is back up there over next few days repeating the route by boat (you know what I mean).

Wot no biking? Coffee, ID Cards & Dinosaurs

Bank Holiday Weekend: Family trip to London - in dreadful weather. We stayed with my brother and his family. It was really good to see spend some them. Went to Redbridge Green Fair. It was very wet and soggy - but did find out about the anti-ID card campaign. Also picked up some Zapatista Coffee, which I'm told is "excellent". More info here .

At the Green Fair looked over some Metropolitan Police bikes with my brother. There was a very "keen" community support officer who gave us a guided tour of the bikes. Much amusement! After dishing out some police balloons to the kids he then promptly gave chase to our group (on foot) and informed us that he was going to take them away from aforementioned children as there was a health and safety issue! Result - 1 child in tears and an important lesson learned no doubt.

Took in the Natural History Museum which was absolutely heaving - but worth the visit. Dinosaurs are good - if you get the chance go see.

Also got to the Doctor Who shop in East Ham - kids loved it and we spent a fortune.

No biking done but did discuss a future trip to Scotland with brother - likely to be in October.

As you can see the pictures in the header didn't work out as I hoped so I reverted to the basic! Oh and no progress on the google maps yet!