Cyclestreets

CycleStreets looks rather neat (British understatement). It's a beta status route planning site for UK cyclists, based on Open Street Map. I've tried it out on a few local routes, and it's not perfect, but it is pretty darn good.

No doubt it will get even better as time goes on and the data improves. Already it's the nearest that I've seen to a reliable service, and it is much easier to use than some others.

There is a feedback form for anything that looks squiffy. So why not give it a try? 

I'd suggest double checking anything it suggests by more traditional methods, because automatic route planning for cyclists is supposed to be pretty difficult. But it might suggest a few new ideas, and there should be plenty of scope for tinkering.

Hot crossed buns in chocolate

Bunny Boiling & Buns..
Watch the ad...

What are Aldi thinking of?

Find addresses of top UK bankers

Things have been pretty stressful over the last few weeks, and I've not been getting out on the bike as often as I would like. As a result there is less to post here, and the mileage and my visitor stats are looking a bit sad. So I thought I'd experiment, and see whether a silly title would at least give me a quick boost in visitor numbers. 

If you came here for the obvious reason, then apart from this, I'm afraid the only suggestion I can offer is what I just did this evening.

After a tough day I got on the bike, and worked things out of my system for a hour or so with an  energetic ride of about 20 miles.  It didn't make the world a better place, but at least it felt as though it had. There was not a banker in sight, just families enjoying a lovely spring evening. I got my head sorted out a bit, and I feel a lot better for it. 

Now the clocks have gone forward there should be more evenings when it is feasible to do the same. Which is just as well, because it looks as though I might be needing therapy  fairly regularly  over the next few months. For now though, equilibrium has been restored.

Quiz

There's quite nice quiz here - but I didn't do very well at it.

Whoosh...

Mapnik rendering has got fast. 

Time was when we used to wait until the next week to see additions appear on Open Street Map. This morning I spent a couple of hours riding out to Beaconsfield, added a few streets, then came home and did the edits after lunch. This evening they are already up there. 

Right now it's not all rendered at the highest zoom levels, but pretty impressive speed none the less.

Illegitimi non carborundum

I just did ten miles this evening, round the country lanes over Winter Hill, but it was a lovely evening for a ride. Sunny and cool, with a (fairly) gentle wind, and very little traffic. 

I almost didn't get the bike out, because I was feeling drained after a difficult day trying to catch up with work, and battling with problems left by a number of idiots and a series of gremlins. 

But wiser council prevailed, and in the end I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

There was nothing remarkable about the ride itself. It's a regular and familiar route. After a few miles when I was shouting at the world inside my head I managed to relax. By the time most of the climb was over, the bile was out of my system, and I was starting to enjoy the views and the exercise.

By the time I got home I had turned around a pig of a day. The voices in my head were sorted out, and I was set up to spend a very pleasant evening. 

Which just goes to prove that you must never let the b******ds grind you down.

Armchair Cycling

Google maps with Streetview has arrived in the UK. Put any prejudices aside - it's no substitute for reality, but it is fun. I've just been watching Newsnight trying to make a controversy out of it, partly by filming vox pops in the street - which seems slightly ironic.