Advice: Audax recommendations for £1200 mark

also consider Kinesis Racelight T2 or TK2 - rack and mudguard eyelets, clearance for 28s + full length 'proper' mudguards.

My budget for a new bike for PBP was a little higher than you ("must be less than £2k")

I considered custom steel, Titanium off the pegs and Carbon

In the end I got a Specialized Roubaix with a triple and put hand made wheels on it.

The Specialized Secteur is a great bike with exactly the same geometry. As the Roubaix will take 25mm tyres with Crud Roadracers I'd guess that the Secteur will do the same.
You could even get the Secteur with a carbon rear end within your budget. I doubt that you'd get a Roubaix, but it is not impossible. You could definitely get a second hand one.

Other bikes/frames I considered that would be in your price range are the Tifosi CK7, Ridley Aeron TR and the Giant Defy

Dolan multicross. Toured france on mine last summer, using it as a CX bike this autumn.

If going for the likes of a Kona Jake...(extremely cheap for the 2010 model)..factor in changing the P2 fork for something a little more comfortable.perhaps something with disk capability if you have some touring in mind...

Other options I considered when I was in the market for a similiar bike were the Surly Pacer and the Kinesis Gran Fondo, but in the end I opted for a Genesis Equilibrium. A year and a half later, I am very happy with my choice. I'm not sure if the other two can be bought at complete bikes or not, if that is what you want. The Equilibrium is now available in an even nicer dark red colour, plus a somewhat less distinctive but cheaper black option, and is made of a different, allegedly better grade of steel. Genesis also sell a cheaper aluminium bike/frame called the Aether with, I believe, the same geometry and tyre clearance as the Equilibrium.

Good point Simon, although I'd have to say the Dawes is a fun bike to ride, I didn't spend anything like as much time on our test bike as Rob, but I would have spent a lot more time on it if they hadn't asked for it back

To be good for Audax rides doesn't mean it can't also be fun.

How about something a bit different e.g. the retro styled Kona Honky Tonk or its disc-equipped sibling Honky Inc?

Or a CX bike, often cited as good all-rounders like the Genesis Croix de Fer, Kona Jake, P-X Uncle John, or even their Kaffenback...?

Genesis road bikes get good reviews, and Ridgeback bikes appear understated but seem well designed.

I can't recommend the Dawes highly enough. Superb bike. So good, I bought one.

in case you haven't seen them on here:

http://road.cc/node/33557 for the dawes
http://road.cc/content/review/6378-condor-agio-tiagra for the condor

I'd add the Genesis Equilibrium into that mix

http://road.cc/content/review/15437-genesis-equilibrium

the dawes and the genesis are both super bikes. the condor's good too