Monday, 31 August 2015
Day Ten, an Update
The RAC patrol arrived at about 1900, and a plan was hatched, whereby he would get the car to the nearest 'RAC-approved repairer' (in Whitstable) for them to look at it first thing tomorrow. We may get a report on the gravity of the problem by mid-morning. So, until then ....
Day Ten : 31.08.2015
This might just be the black-sheep day of the trip. En route to the south-east, having chosen Faversham in Kent as a jumping-off point for the noon Dover-Dunkirk ferry tomorrow, the M40 traffic predictably thickened up around the two-lane section at Beaconsfield. Lots of crawling, gear-changing shunting followed, and the clutch became very spongy. Eventually, at one point, the pedal stayed on the floor. A touch alarming, with tomorrow's ferry beckoning, you will agree. After a couple of minutes it behaved again, and we got going. Miraculously, we got down the rest of the M40, M25, M26, M20, M2, A2 and local road to the hotel for tonight with only a couple more halts for the clutch to take a breather. We are currently awaiting the RAC patrol to get here, to lend advice about next steps. Maybe a hire car to take across La Manche? Watch this space.
Sunday, 30 August 2015
Day Nine : 30.08.2015
The weather forecast, for the first time this trip, had a part to play in deciding on the venue for the day. There is, however, 99% possibility that it will happen again. Areas to the south of where we currently were could not promise a dry spell long enough to get three hours on the bikes. Leicestershire promised no rain until 1300-1400.
It lied. For the umpteenth time this year, I/we got let down by those BBC weather chaps. Not TOO bad, though; it's always a bonus when the socks stay dry.
Our route today took in yet more villages with the 'stone' suffix, and one of them, Shackerstone, has a steam heritage railway line, with a rather fine tearoom on the station platform. It would be rude not to investigate the tea and cakes, would it not? The rain in the second half of the ride slightly took the edge off.
It lied. For the umpteenth time this year, I/we got let down by those BBC weather chaps. Not TOO bad, though; it's always a bonus when the socks stay dry.
Our route today took in yet more villages with the 'stone' suffix, and one of them, Shackerstone, has a steam heritage railway line, with a rather fine tearoom on the station platform. It would be rude not to investigate the tea and cakes, would it not? The rain in the second half of the ride slightly took the edge off.
Saturday, 29 August 2015
Day Eight : 29.08.2015
A lightweight day, after yesterday. The Peugeot set off properly southwards, but only at lollygagging pace, in the direction of the Kentish coast, but got no further than the Warwickshire/Leicestershire countryside. Attractive, empty and flat, and with masses of villages ending in 'stone'. Perhaps I'll ask Mr. Google what that's all about. And it was sunny, which always helps.
Lunch was taken at Market Bosworth, and there was also a visit to Bosworth Field, scene of the battle of 1485, where Richard III, he of the Leicester carpark exhumation, lost his life. Considering that this is bank holiday weekend, there were no crowds, nothing like it in fact. A very laid-back day, rounded off by dinner at the Anchor, a canal-side pub near Atherstone.
Lunch was taken at Market Bosworth, and there was also a visit to Bosworth Field, scene of the battle of 1485, where Richard III, he of the Leicester carpark exhumation, lost his life. Considering that this is bank holiday weekend, there were no crowds, nothing like it in fact. A very laid-back day, rounded off by dinner at the Anchor, a canal-side pub near Atherstone.
Friday, 28 August 2015
Day Seven : 28.08.2015
An excellent day. The route out towards Wales, and Llangollen & Trevor in particular, was amended in order to take Forest through Ironbridge, the birthplace of The Industrial Revolution. There was also a detour off the A5 to get a good view of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct above the River Dee.
We got lucky with a (free!) parking spot alongside the canal, assembled the bikes and set off to the Horseshoe Pass. Up. Then some more up. Just as we hit the 20% section near the top, the heavens opened. A few minutes in the plastic-roofed conservatory at the Ponderosa Café dried us out, as the sun had now put in an appearance. Pictures needed to be taken, so we retraced wheel-tracks a tad, back to the bit where it had been coming down in stair-rods earlier.
The remainder of the day's loop was supposed to be a quiet and scenic experience, using minor roads back to the start. Not so. Clearly, we missed a turn. Or two. I blame the multi-syllabic Welsh place names. Eventually Ruabon came along, and we found the road back to Llangollen for coffee & cake. Oh, and the butcher for a pound of best mince for tonight's chilli.
We got lucky with a (free!) parking spot alongside the canal, assembled the bikes and set off to the Horseshoe Pass. Up. Then some more up. Just as we hit the 20% section near the top, the heavens opened. A few minutes in the plastic-roofed conservatory at the Ponderosa Café dried us out, as the sun had now put in an appearance. Pictures needed to be taken, so we retraced wheel-tracks a tad, back to the bit where it had been coming down in stair-rods earlier.
The remainder of the day's loop was supposed to be a quiet and scenic experience, using minor roads back to the start. Not so. Clearly, we missed a turn. Or two. I blame the multi-syllabic Welsh place names. Eventually Ruabon came along, and we found the road back to Llangollen for coffee & cake. Oh, and the butcher for a pound of best mince for tonight's chilli.
Thursday, 27 August 2015
Day Six : 27.08.2015
Not the greatest-ever riding day known to man, even though the weather was very inviting. Other stuff got in the way until teatime. And then, when preparing swiftly to get on the road, the tube in Forest's front tyre decided to dramatically depart this life. After fitting another, we got away at approx 1630 and did a couple of hours.
Earlier in the day F did a bit of cross-training, aka taking a walk up Church Lane and round a local loop.
Had things earlier been different, we would have taken ourselves over to Llangollen on the River Dee in Wales, to climb the Horseshoe Pass. If there is a likelihood of a decent weather-window (it's no good up there if the cloud/rain is prevalent) tomorrow, we'll be off.
Earlier in the day F did a bit of cross-training, aka taking a walk up Church Lane and round a local loop.
Had things earlier been different, we would have taken ourselves over to Llangollen on the River Dee in Wales, to climb the Horseshoe Pass. If there is a likelihood of a decent weather-window (it's no good up there if the cloud/rain is prevalent) tomorrow, we'll be off.
Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Day Five : 26.08.2015
The weather was indeed kind today. The grey drizzle of 0700 gave way to bright blue and sun by breakfast time, 0830. It was already quite evident that York would be on the cards.
Mine host Nigel - a keen cyclist himself, off to the World's in Richmond VA in three weeks' time - got the bikes out of store, and we were packed up and gone by 0945. The plan was to identify a B road leading into York, park up at a village a few miles out and ride in. It worked a treat, and we found parking at a sports centre, but, if this was a B road, thank the Lord we didn't choose an A road; the traffic was heaving, with queues from miles out.
The old centre of York was not too thronged, and we could get about easily. The Shambles, Minster, street entertainers, musicians, River Ouse and city walls were all taken in. And then the trip back out to the car, a quick change out of cycling gear and the route home. Forest did his début drive on the wrong side of the road and the wrong side of the car - hard to say which is the more distracting - from coffee stop on the M1 back to Sutton Maddock. Exemplary, as expected.
Mine host Nigel - a keen cyclist himself, off to the World's in Richmond VA in three weeks' time - got the bikes out of store, and we were packed up and gone by 0945. The plan was to identify a B road leading into York, park up at a village a few miles out and ride in. It worked a treat, and we found parking at a sports centre, but, if this was a B road, thank the Lord we didn't choose an A road; the traffic was heaving, with queues from miles out.
The old centre of York was not too thronged, and we could get about easily. The Shambles, Minster, street entertainers, musicians, River Ouse and city walls were all taken in. And then the trip back out to the car, a quick change out of cycling gear and the route home. Forest did his début drive on the wrong side of the road and the wrong side of the car - hard to say which is the more distracting - from coffee stop on the M1 back to Sutton Maddock. Exemplary, as expected.
Tuesday, 25 August 2015
Day Four : 25.08.2015
Still not made it to York. That is now on the agenda for tomorrow morning. And lets hope that the weather permits it.
Today we took nearly the latest breakfast, almost 0930, then kitted up and set off south towards Masham, Ripon, Ripley, Harrogate & Knaresborough, taking in quite a few miles of Stage One of Le Tour 2014, the one where Cav hit the deck in the sprint as his mum looked on. At various points along the way, we tried to buy a map to divine a backroads route to the final of those destinations. It quickly became clear that at least three such maps would be needed, simply because of where the overlaps occur on their layouts. My oh my, the coffee was good at Johnny Baghdad's in Masham!
One way or another, and by picking up info and freebie maps at Tourist Information Centres, we arrived at Ripley, where a bike path began towards Harrogate and Knaresborough. Having missed the branch leading directly to Knaresborough, we had to ride the main road from Harrogate onward to Knaresborough. Unpleasant in the extreme. A mint chocolate chip milkshake and a lump of coffee & walnut cake for A, and a mocha & brownie for F soon put that right.
It was already 1515, time to retrace tyre tracks. The route homewards was more demanding, as we were heading back towards the moors, having dropped away from them on the outward leg of the day. In the end a 78-mile day with <5000 feet of ascent. Dinner was at The Golden Lion in Leyburn's main market square. Three varieties of Theakston's hit the spot.
Monday, 24 August 2015
Day Three : 24.08.2015
The intention, as you have read, was to head for York. Easier said than done. Also way more expensive in those parts, when others offer better value. Thus, after nearly two hours of searching, and bedtime approaching, a guest house in Leyburn got the nod for two nights.
Job one, after breakfast, was to fetch Alan's bike from the Newport LBS. On return the car was packed up, and departure followed at roughly 1145. One coffee stop only, just south of Wetherby, and The Dynamic Duo arrived at The Grove House, Leyburn just in time for tiffin. Very nice too, home-made coffee cream cake.
We decided, having been in the car for four hours, that some pure oxygen was needed. Dinner would be taken at a Reeth pub, just a handful of miles north over the moors. A tad of climbing was involved; in the scant 14 miles, 2434 feet of ascent registered on the Garmin! Much was at 14-16%, and the legs were not thrilled.
It was a good job that we decided to partake of only a starter and pint of the local brew, because the light started to fade much earlier than expected, and went downhill fast thereafter. Fortunately, so did we, and got in before it was necessary to show lights on the bike. We weren't carrying them anyway.
Sunday, 23 August 2015
Day Two : 23/08/2015
First ride in the UK today. 45 miles with a sprinkle of rain at the end. Great stop at Lazy Days cafe for coffee and cake.
The weather said the rain today would hold off until 3pm so after a leisurely morning we set off at 10:30. This would allow time for a cafe stop and keep us on schedule for a return to Chateau Ferriday before getting wet. The cafe was loaded with cyclists and certainly lived up to its reputation. We almost made it but the wet came early. Not so bad really because the socks stayed dry. If today's ride was any indicator, I'm going to like riding here.
Tomorrow we head for York.
fw
The weather said the rain today would hold off until 3pm so after a leisurely morning we set off at 10:30. This would allow time for a cafe stop and keep us on schedule for a return to Chateau Ferriday before getting wet. The cafe was loaded with cyclists and certainly lived up to its reputation. We almost made it but the wet came early. Not so bad really because the socks stayed dry. If today's ride was any indicator, I'm going to like riding here.
Tomorrow we head for York.
fw
Saturday, 22 August 2015
Day One : 22/08/2015
All went fine and dandy today, Day One of Le Grand Tour. Forest's Virgin flight arrived LHR T3 20 minutes early, and we two were out of the airport on the Hoppa bus back to The Ibis for breakfast by 0800. The M40 was remarkably laid back & sensible, as was The Warwick Services area for a mocha, and Shropshire came into view at 1330.
There was a degree of suspicion that the bike case had been opened and investigated at Washington/Dulles; an early look inside was a pressing need. Since the interior looked a bit like a 3-D jigsaw, with parts out of their mountings all over the place, it was a relief that everything was still there. Assembly took an hourish, and a quick pedal up the lane to the church & back confirmed that everything was hunky-dory. If the utterly vile weather which came along soon after is anything to go by, it may be the last pedal for a while!
Alan was annoyed to find the LBS closed (opening hours 0900-1730) when we arrived at 1710 to fetch his newly-serviced bike. This, the second let-down in under a week, is probably the death knell for them; other LBS are available.
There was a degree of suspicion that the bike case had been opened and investigated at Washington/Dulles; an early look inside was a pressing need. Since the interior looked a bit like a 3-D jigsaw, with parts out of their mountings all over the place, it was a relief that everything was still there. Assembly took an hourish, and a quick pedal up the lane to the church & back confirmed that everything was hunky-dory. If the utterly vile weather which came along soon after is anything to go by, it may be the last pedal for a while!
Alan was annoyed to find the LBS closed (opening hours 0900-1730) when we arrived at 1710 to fetch his newly-serviced bike. This, the second let-down in under a week, is probably the death knell for them; other LBS are available.
Thursday, 6 August 2015
The Plan
There isn't one. The only fixtures in place are Forest's two flights, into and out of LHR. Arrival is August 22 and return September 20. Between those two dates, it is the intention to put the two bikes in the car, along with useful spares & bike bits, some tools and a few clothes, then set off to who knows where. Very much a case of watch this space ....
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