revtothelimit - motorbike forum

I went to the Oracle UK mothership in Blasingsmoke once...on a Saturday.

I think that was the only time.

Now it seems The Oracle is the shopping centre and they've gone elsewhere.

Count Steer wrote: Thu Feb 12, 2026 9:19 pm I went to the Oracle UK mothership in Blasingsmoke once...on a Saturday.

I think that was the only time.

Now it seems The Oracle is the shopping centre and they've gone elsewhere.

I thought Oracle used to be in Reading* as is the shopping centre.

* Company I worked for had 10 consultants on-site, making the system work. IIRC 30-35 years ago, £1k each per day ...

Basingstoke shopping centre is 'Festival Place'

Horse wrote: Thu Feb 12, 2026 10:36 pm

Count Steer wrote: Thu Feb 12, 2026 9:19 pm I went to the Oracle UK mothership in Blasingsmoke once...on a Saturday.

I think that was the only time.

Now it seems The Oracle is the shopping centre and they've gone elsewhere.

I thought Oracle used to be in Reading* as is the shopping centre.

* Company I worked for had 10 consultants on-site, making the system work. IIRC 30-35 years ago, £1k each per day ...

Basingstoke shopping centre is 'Festival Place'

Oops. Basingstoke/Reading....easy mistake.

Wonder who it was I visited in Basingstoke?

Maybe I've never been there, although, on second thoughts I must have because I've seen the legendary Alençon Link - used to be the home of government offices that I regularly had to write to in the 70s.

OK, got me there, I know nurthing about government offices.

There - allegedly - was a nuclear bunker under the [now demolished] 1960/70s police station.

Horse wrote: Fri Feb 13, 2026 8:12 am OK, got me there, I know nurthing about government offices.

There - allegedly - was a nuclear bunker under the [now demolished] 1960/70s police station.

Civil Service and other stuff in the Alençon link buildings. I think they used to administer student grants from there or something like that too back in the 70s. I may have applied for a job that necessitated writing to them there too.

Edit: Missus says almost all Civil Service recruitment was via there so it fits with my time at AERE Harwell. (Student grants were done by the local region authority at that time).

IBM had a large presence in Basingstoke; I went there a few times for training in the mid-80s, and was in contention for a contract at IBM some years later, but (thankfully) didn't get the gig. All I remember were endless roundabouts and a soulless atmosphere.

If you aren't in a rush, plan a stop for a coffee and a thaw out en route.

Or hot chocolate to avoid the panicked fumbling for your micro penis with frozen fingers when the coffee announces that it has filled your bladder to the max

Dickyboy wrote: Fri Feb 13, 2026 11:43 am

If you aren't in a rush, plan a stop for a coffee and a thaw out en route.

Or hot chocolate to avoid the panicked fumbling for your micro penis with frozen fingers when the coffee announces that it has filled your bladder to the max

'RTTL, a veritable oasis of real-world riding experience'.

You mentioned short boots, put carrier bags over your feet and pull them up your calves to keep the rain out or just wear wellies in this weather. Wear a scarf in addition to a neck tube and lay it across your chest. Your upper chest beard the worst wind-chill.
Take spare pants and socks on a plastic bag so you can change before the ride back. Trousers too if you have space.
If you have no overmitts cut milk bottles in half and tie wrap them to your bars as hand shields.

Or catch the train

mangocrazy wrote: Fri Feb 13, 2026 9:08 am a soulless atmosphere.

A product of the planning. Which was a clusterfuck.

The idea was to empty London slums. Extensive planning work. Blackbushe? Look again. Hook? Nah, look again. Basingstoke? Money has run out, so yes.

They built a ring road, three phases. Ran out of money half way through phase 2. Hence why one major junction never had flyovers (the concrete beams were there for years) and one segment is single rather than dual.

Ship in thousands of residents - but don't build anything for entertainment* apart from a few awful pubs.

Build a draughty concrete shopping centre ... etc.

* One exception: a really good library.

A product of the planning. Which was a clusterfuck.

Does that explain how I once managed to drive through a pedestrian underpass in Basingstoke, asking for a friend.

Dickyboy wrote: Sun Feb 15, 2026 7:44 pm

A product of the planning. Which was a clusterfuck.

Does that explain how I once managed to drive through a pedestrian underpass in Basingstoke, asking for a friend.

Nah, that skill level was rarely achieved by locals



Two men remain in hospital after a bizarre accident in which a car smashed into the top floor of a house.

Police are investigating exactly how the car managed to "take off" from street level and crash into the house in Basingstoke, Hants, on Wednesday.

Just to update, 6 thin layers on top, 3 on the bottom and I survived.

Lucky for me rain stayed at bay so wasn’t a soggy mess either.

Cheers for the advice

Heated gloves changed winter for me this year