Reviews

Fantastic event, run by enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers giving a warm welcome at every control. This was my first rodeo at 300km on the road and first ride totally through the night. I knew I was nocturnal but this cemented it for me. Route to the sea was efficient and rode with groups until Salisbury where the cold got the better of me and set off solo mostly for the rest of the way. In hindsight I should have teamed up with the lovely people I met sporadically along the way. The second half through Dorset and Somerset brought back childhood and teenage memories of home and that kept the spirits up in the tired moments. One sketchy moment where I made contact with the gravel as we started the Strawberry line but no damage to bike or rider. Made it back to Bristol in limp home mode with a big smile 🙂 Thanks Will for a great experience.

My 2nd moonrakers didn’t disappoint, roped in 2 audax virgins one who had never ridden 300km or ridden at night!! They were not let down at all, Will’s organisation was spot on as usual, controls were welcoming and efficient, owls were seen along the route, posh foxes were dodged on the approach to Poole, temperatures were a good bit warmer than last year and we only had some light drizzle near the finish, to top it all I got to ride with Adam Watkins for a few Kms!! This is a must do audax for a classic night ride, heard a few moans about main roads and dual sections in the early parts of the ride, these sections were all in the early hours and were nearly vehicle free with plenty of space given by the ones we did see!!

Night riding is great most of the time and when you add in the very well run and stocked controls it makes it even greaterer.

Well organised and well attended. Thanks to those that made it all possible.

Thanks to Will and his merry band of helpers along the way.

Fantastic and achievable route, that is a tale of two half’s, fast open roads to narrow dirty lanes. You will be fed and watered at timely intervals by extremely helpful friendly volunteers.

This was first M&S and my first 300km audax and oh boy it didn’t disappoint. In fact I loved it. The organisation and catering were outstanding from the very beginning till the end. We were blessed with good weather though which I understand has not always been the case. Finishing this audax has now giving me the belief I can ride longer than I thought I could and I will try to become a super randonneur in the months to come. Next year I hope to be back for another amazing and very unique M&S. Many thanks to Will and all the volunteers. See you next year!

My 3rd Moonrakers and Sunseekers and probably the best conditions for riding yet, for me!!

Although both the moon and sun were reluctant to show themselves too much!!!

A great event, efficient, friendly welcoming controls with great food. The finishers Dahl gets better every year 😀. A massive thanks to Will and the amazing team of volunteers who make it all happen 😀

My second M&S, unfortunately (or fortunately weather wise) missed 2023. I love night riding, everything is so different, yes you can miss some of the scenery but night & darkness bring its own beauty.

So having done it once before, I kinda knew what to expect, a great, fantastic support & lots of good camaraderie along the way. This year I decided to take in Stonehenge, what’s a few extra KMs when you’re already doing 308, & I’m glad I did, a tad chilly but great to see the historic stones.

Managed to complete the route before the rain arrived, fully enjoyed the event.

Iv’e had an awful 2024 and had lost so much of my confidence, bailing out of several rides this year. I entered this because of the amazing time I had in 2022 and had so much encouragement from the audax community, so I faced my fears and drove off to Bristol. I had a wonderful ride, seeing new and old faces. The support is wonderful and the experience can’t be beaten. I really appreciated the way the club had swept all the sand from the Bournemouth to Poole beech road, ;-: made it even better. Kudos to the organisers.

Just a lovely event. Organisers and volunteers committed to keeping riders in good shape with the controls. Night time roads were nice and quiet, plus fast. Return from Poole roads were small lanes. Enjoyed the Strawberry Line and paths a lot. Just take it easy on road tyres. All for £20 quid. What’s not to like.

Excellent routing across varied terrain, and as always some history to explore along the way. A shame it was dark on the leg from Barnstaple to Lydford as I reckon it’s gorgeous in daylight, motivation for next time to ride faster! The sleep control was just the ticket, and felt very thoughtfully laid out. My mattress deflated during my nap but I swapped it for a spare.