#ridetorewild - ​Oxford to Heart of England Forest

Ride out to the Heart Of England Forest and help us plant trees to reach our goal of planting 1 million trees in the UK.

​The Heart Of England Forest (HOEF) is a truly inspiring project. Working with local landowners, schools and businesses to create wildlife corridors and varied habitat, to mitigate climate change, flooding, soil erosion, to rewild the landscape, clean the polluted air and give the young a chance to plant a landscape that sustains the wildlife that their own children would otherwise be unlikely to see.

Itinerary

Saturday 11 February 2017
  • Meet outside Trinity Gates at 7.45am on Saturday 11 February 2017
  • Ride 85km to the HOEF tree planting site at Coughton Fields Farm, B49 6BT
  • Plan to arrive by 2pm, spend the rest of the day tree-planting (shovels/trees will be provided but you'll have to bring appropriate shoes/clothes).  ​People must bring clothing for all weather, staying warm and dry is very important.
  • Stay in a church community hall overnight 4km from the tree planting site [Alcester Baptist Church, Church Street, Alcester, B49 5AJ] - make sure you bring a camping matt/sleeping bag!

Sunday 12 February 2017
  • Go back to the site and spend most of the day tree planting
  • Return to Oxford by train from Stratford-upon-Avon in the afternoon [must be booked in advance including bike reservation]​

Once you have returned to Oxford, please fill in our Tree Log form so we can keep track of how many trees we've planted.

This is a do-it-yourself ride

  • Please only come on this ride if you understand it is a do-it-yourself ride.  There will be no rider briefing or ride leaders.  There will be no support.  The route has not been tested. 
  • Every rider is responsible for his/her actions. Riders acknowledge that #climatekilometre is run by volunteers with no experience in event management/risk mitigation and the routes are untested prior to the event.  As such, the rider is responsible for his/her actions; #climatekilometre itself carries no liability.
  • Riders should always consider safety first when making any decisions. Riders acknowledge they are riding on open roads/public rights of way using untested GPS tracks.  ​Riders must know and observe all local traffic laws and act responsibly with regards to other users, especially pedestrians who may feel vulnerable to fast moving bikes.
  • Please DON'T RIDE IN GROUPS BIGGER THAN 8 as you'll piss people off and are much more likely to cause an accident.  If you're in a group bigger than 8 then just peel off and form a new group.

Sign-up and costs

Event sign-up
  • This event is organised by Treerides - register here (2 days) 
  • Also make sure you sign up to the Treerides mail list to make sure you get updates.
  • Treerides are in charge of the main body of the trip, #climatekilometre is just hosting the ride from Oxford to the tree planting site.
  • Treerides require a payment of £30 day to cover costs of accommodation, an evening meal, and breakfast.​
Train home
  • You should be your train ticket and bike reservation for the train home on Sunday (of course you're welcome to cycle home but that means less tree-planting time)

Route

  • 85km from Oxford to the HOEF tree planting site near Coughton Court
  • We will stop for a quick co-op supermarket pitstop in Shipston-on-Stour 51km into the route
  • The route can be used in one of three ways:
    • Download the route onto your dedicated GPS device - gpx route
    • Download the route on your phone using the Maps.me app (sometimes you need to restart the app to get the route to load) - ​kml route
    • Follow the route on your phone using Strava (you must have starred the route in Strava and know how to load a route on Strava before you set out) - Strava route​​
  • All riders should be able to navigate the route self-sufficiently

What to bring

  • Navigation device - you are advised to bring dedicated GPS unit with the route loaded on it but if you are using your phone an external USB battery and handlebar mount are essential 
  • Helmet
  • Lights
  • High vis
  • Bike stuff: Spare inner-tube, Tyre levers, Pump
  • Bike lock
  • Water bottle
  • Snacks and lunch for two days
  • Waterproof jacket/trousers
  • Weatherproof gloves
  • Spare change of clothes
  • Good footwear for tree-planting
  • Sleeping bag
  • Sleeping mat

#ridetorewild