Right having been HONC’ed out for the last week, time to reply.
More off road. 50% is a good compromise. In good weather , as we have had for the last couple of years more off road would be easy.. But what if the weather was bad? Cotswold mud and be bad how would you cope with more than 50km of this?
The Laverton loop, that came about due to a land owner asking us to divert the route due to live stoke, so the route would have been completely different. But may be used next time but reversed.
Written route over signage, yes well, no way.. Last year we had some many route changes, including a threat of ‘Prosecution’ from the County Council’, that a written would have been impossible. Plus I’m the poor sod that has to write those instructions. I then have to get some one to test the route using the instructions only. He/She then report back that I said ‘turn left’ when I meant ‘turn right’. Draft two, I then need to get a ‘Clean Skin’ to ride the new instructions to see if that works. Repeat until finalised. Signage is much simpler, and allows for last minute changes.
Already thinking of the 2012 route….