Do us proud.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Summary, I abandoned the trail.
Travelled from Notts to Popham Airfield starting point (140 miles) in Hampshire and got soaked on the way down. Managed to dry out a bit until my start time of 18.11. The following 94 miles to Bridgewater were miserable. Cold and wet, soaked through completely. My boots were full of water and despite heated grips and heated waistcoat I was soaking and cold when we reached the Rugby Club in Bridgwater.
The bike passed scrutiny a second time and whilst having dinner I decided to abandon the trail on the grounds that it wasn't fun anymore. 22.30. All of the off road sections come after Bridgwater.
I managed to book a hotel on the M5 11 miles north of Bridgwater and returned home today. It took about 5 hours with a stop at Cirencester.
It was bloody cold and due to get colder overnight. Once soaked through, it ceased to be fun and was only going to get miserable.
I'll sign up for the Edinburgh Trial. Perhaps we can get a team together. You should have done most of these lanes Bill!
The bike didn't miss a beat throughout, even after fording through some deeply flooded roads.
Sorry if I disappointed you.