Winter Solstice SROTY 2025-12-21

saphena

saphena

IBAUK Webmaster
Staff member
Premier Member
IBA Member
On the continent but fully in keeping with SROTY tradition: embarrassingly (for IBA riders) short ride, daylight only on the shortest day of the year. Possibly not great shot of the sunrise but then it is mid-winter and there's a fair chance there won't be one anyway. Finish with spectacular views over the English Channel towards Dungeness. Optional stay in Calais for end of ride revictualling and Chunnel back to civilisation handily close.

Start/sunrise - Vaalserberg, NL 50.75560652865448, 6.019311110238722 08:35
Finish/sunset - Fort D'Ambleteuse, FR 50.81563121164566, 1.5995147622138066 17:01

Riding window - 8h26m

Distance motorways - 225 miles, 3h55m
Distance no motorways - 242 miles, 8h7m

Recommended hotels - Hotel Vallis maastrichterlaan 23, 6291 EK Vaals, Netherlands £52; Ibis Styles Calais centre £68

1. Bob Stammers
2. Darren Forster
3. Gordon Sears
4. John Roberts
5. Jesus Malaga (soft southerner can't cope with northern winter)
6. John Roberts
7. Martin Buck
8. Graham Lindley
9. Colin Bates
X: Michiel Buitenwerf

1. Bob Stammers
2. Darren Forster
3. Martin Buck
4. Michiel Buitenwerf
5. Paul ten Broeke
 
Last edited:
Will need to be budget hotels, now Labour have taken my SROTY fuel allowance away.
 
Later today/tomorrow I'll post a list of the routes proposed so far then we can gauge interest in each.
 
saphena said:
Bear in mind that you're an IBA rider now so, from where you are, the whole of Spain and Portugal is within one day, France is only two days :cool:
Click to expand...

Yes, and north germany four days. :D:D

My main problem is those days I have to take care of the xmas night dinner for all the family. That means I could not be out later than 23th afternoon to have time to buy and prepare for more than 20 people.

So the longer distance I could afford is south of france :eek:
 
Options so far

1734985296744.png

Route 1 - Southern Spain - 545 miles, 9 hours
Route 2 - France - 580 miles, 9 hours
Route 3 - Northern Spain - 436 miles, 7 hours
 
@saphena an important note, the southern spain route is based not on 9 but 10 hours.

That calculation of 9 hours in the other post was wrong as not counting on Portugal and Spain using different time zones :)
 
BaseCamp says 9 hours.

Google says either 10 hours or 8:46 depending on the detailed route inside Portugal

1735026148142.png
 
saphena said:
BaseCamp says 9 hours.

Google says either 10 hours or 8:46 depending on the detailed route inside Portugal
Click to expand...

Ah, sorry i imagined you were posting the time between sunrise and sunset not the route time.

Now i realize i made a silly deduction as sun is not so fast at north Spain
 
The salient points here are

A) Hours difference between sunrise at the start and sunset at the finish (10 hours)

B) Hours estimated to ride the route (9 hours)

Where B + fuel stops + comfort breaks needs to be less than A
 
JohnR said:
The salient points here are

A) Hours difference between sunrise at the start and sunset at the finish (10 hours)

B) Hours estimated to ride the route (9 hours)

Where B + fuel stops + comfort breaks needs to be less than A
Click to expand...

Sure, i always understood that.

But as in the past SROTY thread there were initially posted only the sunrise and sunset times, not the route time, and you know we had a small debate about that southern ride with confused times deducting 9 hours daylight i wrongly assumed the mistake was traslated.
 
Northern France route works for me. Time to ride down to Med over a few days,
but close to channel to allow return on 22nd. Back home in time for Christmas. Important consideration. The southern Spain route could be tight for some who reside in Northern UK.
Merry Christmas.
 
saphena said:
If only there was a "local" rider able to check out the route in advance :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Jajajaja i said you only had to ask :p

I will try to fit with @howie as he lives near the start, but will be doing that ride ASAP. I will be settting start and end hours to the solstice timing.

JohnR said:
For my two penneth a SROTY should start with a good horizon view of sunrise and end with a good horizon view of sunset.
Click to expand...

Thats the main reason i defined my route that way. Start and end points are purely east and west orientation, both well known as beautiful views at sunrise and sunset.

I understand it is real far for most people. But i am sure it is one of the best solstice panoramic options in Europe matching time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top