Two Crunchy Nut Rides

Thursday 25th Sept. began with a good omen. In Alresford whilst shopping I met Mark of recumbent fame from North Hampshire. I had not seen him for some while so we had a good old natter. He must have left home early as it was only a little after nine a.m.

Soon afterwards I too was on my bike, joining up with Simon to go to the Brushmaker's Arms at Upham for the HCMF meet.

This time we chose to do a loop to the south to work up a decent thirst before we got to the pub. Here is our route:

In places the road was littered with the autumn fruits of the fine summer. We crunched our way through  beech mast, conkers and hazel nuts in several places.

When we got to Swanmore we realised we would still be a bit early at the RV if we took the shortest route so we continued Southwards through Waltham Heath to Curdridge before turning back to Bishop's Waltham. I avoided the town centre much to Simon's surprise by taking a little lane past the Bishop's Palace.

At Upham we joined a small group in the garden making the most of the autumn sunshine whilst two more groups of riders remained inside. It was good to see Janice and Dan once more in matching Alton C.C. jerseys as well as Richard, David and Laurence. 

We were also reminded of the dangers to beware of when cycling by Alan, who had come by car, having been another of our members to have been knocked off his bike recently. (Mollie and Sue also having had similar accidents). Fortunately Alan had not had any broken bones or even a badly damaged bike, though he did look a little the worse for wear with grazes on his face and arm.

After lunch Simon and I rode with Richard and David down the steep hill from Upham through more crunchy nut before we parted company at the top of Westend Down. We took the A272 for a fast descent to Cheriton and thence home via Tichborne.

My day was made complete by the discovery that Cycling Weekly had published a letter of mine in this weeks edition. 

Saturday 27th Sept. 2014. Once more the dynamic duo were out to enjoy a social ride. This time for a change to Petersfield, rather than to Popham with the Winchester CTC, as we seem to have been there several times recently.

We left Alresford just after 10.30 and immediately started climbing, over White Hill to Bishop's Sutton. Well it is one way of warming up!

We took a nice meandering route to Petersfield, first climbing Smugglers' Lane to Monkwood then through West Tisted and Privett to High Cross. Next came Stoner Hill, which is very steep in places and with a rough surface and many bends, so is not a hill which one can ride without due care. More crunchy nuts here too. In the aptly named village of Steep we turned off the main road and took a back road through Sheet and rode into Petersfield past the Heath Pond. A nice way of entering the town.

We had a tasty snack lunch at the Cloisters Cafe. We sat with an elderly lady who kindly invited us to share her table and we had a very pleasant chat with her about Petersfield and Lichfield! 

Once suitably refreshed we headed out of town heading south to Buriton before turning towards the Meons and home. Just after Weston I was donged by a conker! 

A mile or so further on we passed this conversion of a oast house into a modern home.  It seems that they have made some progress since mid May earlier this year when I took the second picture below with windows in place and timber cladding and I suspect more progress inside.

Oast House September 27th 2014.

Oast House 11th May 2014

In East Meon we stopped for a piece of cake and for a photo shoot.

Simon with another of his veteran cycles.
This one a Claud Butler.

As usual Simon has chosen his riding clothes with care, matching the colour of the bike.

Gridironman and Posh.

The ride to West Meon was a fast one the worst part of the road having been resurfaced this summer. 
From here we chose to take  the A32 past West Meon Hut as that hill is longer and steadier but less steep than the lane over the hill past Brookwood. From here it was only 7 miles home and apart from the reverse climb over White Hill it was a doddle. From the top of the hill I freewheeled to see how far I could go. A friend of mine claims to have managed to get over the Cheriton Road and onto New farm Road but I could only manage as far as Linnets Lane. I did however have to touch my brakes as I entered Sun Lane.

Another relaxed fun day out.

For those who like to see the route here it is:

Gridironman.

Winchester CTC Intermediate Ride to Hannington

Saturday September 20th 2014.
I had missed a ride on Thursday as I had felt unwell and had stayed in bed till nearly 11 a.m. so I was keen to make the most of the opportunity for an all day ride. Simon joined me at 10 o'clock and we rode to Popham Airfield where we joined the Winchester CTC intermediate riders. Ten had ridden from Winchester and Ian and Caroline had come directly from Whitchurch. 

The day was grey and dull but not cold. The high humidity meant that all the country smells were greatly enhanced. For some smells this was welcome but one or two were distinctly "off". A dead animal in the hedgerow?

Not many flowers out now but here is one I could not identify:

Rose Mallow.

Coffee stop over Barrie chose to return to Winchester with an escort of two lady riders, Lynne and Jocelyn. I was a little disappointed not to have longer to ask Barrie about the Pedalers TdF. 

David led us the most direct route to Hannington along a very gravelly lane and through Ashe. The hill to the village is quite a drag, but at least it is not very steep, the gradient being about 6%.

Four of us had opted to have a picnic on the green whilst the other 7 enjoyed a pub lunch. When we arrived at the green we found Alex who had ridden from Winchester on his own bypassing us at the coffee stop. It was a lovely surprise as Alex has not been able to ride much recently.

Whilst we ate our sandwiches Ian and Caroline told us more about the TdF Pedalers' ride, answering a lot of our questions. It seems that it had been a great success and I for one was quite envious of their experience.

We popped into the pub for coffee and to link up with the others before starting our return journey. David chose a good route and I actually found myself on at least one lane I'd not ridden before.

We passed through Oakley and when we got to North Waltham Ian and Caroline left us to return to Whitchurch.

The descent from Dummer to Axford was a relaxed one and we paused there to regroup. Next we rode along the Candover Valley to Swarraton and over Abbotstone Common Hill. 

I have recently joined the Winchester CTC Strava Group and am having a lot of fun from it. I have set up an auto synchronise  link from my Garmin Connect so I am able to see how well I've done compared to previous rides and compared to other members of the group and the wider cycling fraternity. Being paced by QOM Karen up the mile long hill from Swarraton I achieved a personal best in 6 mins 37 secs (9.3 m.p.h.). Mind you I'm only no 1716 out of 1865!

Final Conference before we went our separate ways home.

We paused in Old Alresford by the church to say our farewells as we began to split up. Several riders opting to have tea at Tiffins whilst others were heading home independently. Karen must have clocked up well over 60 miles by the time she got home.

Alex called into my home to pick up Cycling Weekly and we had a chat and a cuppa before he headed off home with a pot of frozen ratatouille in his bottle rack!.

A most enjoyable day out despite the grey weather.

Map and Data for the day..

Many thanks David for such a good ride and to all who took part for their friendship.

Gridironman.

Fun & games once more!

On Thursday I was joined by Simon and Andrew Wilcox for a sociable ride to meet the HCMF at the King's Head, King's Somborne. Simon had repaired his Yellow Peril Bates and was trying it out again. I am pleased to report it went well.

The weather was distinctly autumnal but it was fine and dry and still warm enough to sit in the garden when we got to the pub.

We started by taking the obvious route over Three Maids Hill and through Crawley but as we approached Little Somborne I realised that we would be at the meet far too early, so I suggested a loop round through Stockbridge and Houghton. Much to Simon's dismay this included one of my nice little hills to test his gears. We did take advantage after the climb of whizzing down into Stockbridge clocking my fastest time of the day at 34 m.p.h.

We enjoyed the quiet lanes through Houghton and past the John O'Gaunt pub before arriving at the RV at about 12.20 p.m. We found a good group of riders there including the long distance riders Richard and David from Tadley. We were also joined by Dan and Janice from Alton.

We seemed to have plenty to talk about so it was nearly 2 hours before we set out on our return uneventful journey.

Another pleasant day and 39 more miles towards my target.

Saturday 13th September Alton CTC Pace Judging and Freewheeling Competition.

I rode directly from home to the location of the competition arriving there at 10 to 2 to find some riders already there for the 2 p.m. start. We were soon joined by others. Ten of us actually took part .

Part one was the pace judging. The  riders ride a three mile circuit at one minute intervals and their times recorded. Then they ride the same circuit and try to match the time taken for the first circuit.

We all did surprisingly well with the nearest time difference, posted by Tony, being only 6 secs and the worst 46 secs.

Tony our Pace Judging Champion. 

In the past we have had minutes of difference. We must be getting better.

For the free wheeling each rider in turn descends a hill without pedaling and tries to see how far up the next hill he or she can ride before coming to a halt.

Mark Heal won this. the theory for this win is that he was sporting a Union Flag. Judge for yourselves:

A determined and patriotic Mark Heal.

When all the excitemetn had died down we repaired to the Gliding Club Cafe at Lasham for a recuperative cup of tea. Here the final placings were announced with Mark Beaumont the overall winner.

Dan presenting Mark with his prize.

Here is the table of times and points.

My own participation evidenced by these pictures.:

Gridironman on the Pace Judging Course.

Urging Posh ever upward!

It was a great day of fun with some of my good riding mates.

The little loop  between Upton Grey and South Warnborough is the Pace Judging Circuit.

A big thank you to Dan and Janice for organizing the event and congratulations to all who took part, In the end it doesn't matter who won!!!!

(All action photos taken by Janice, reproduced here by her kind permission).

GRIDIRONMAN.

Bighton with the HCMF and West Meon with the Alton CTC.

With family matters requiring more of my time I am still managing to get in some good rides. This week a total of over 60 miles in two rides. The first was on Thursday with Simon. We decided to join the HCMF at the English Partridge at Bighton. As this is only 3 miles from home I had sussed out a route which was not too demanding for Simon riding one of his vintage bikes.

We went over the hill from Old Alresford into the Candover valley at Swaraton, then through the Candovers to Axford then turned East towards Herriard. As we crossed the A339 a loud noise emanated from Simon's bike, (His Bates with curly front forks c1952). 

Simon's beautifully restored Bates .

Investigation revealed that the cable to the hub gears was hanging down, the toggle having pulled out of the hub. Simon was unable to fix the problem but fortunately was able to continue in top gear. Luckily this was much lower than my top gear of about 120 and the route back was mainly downhill.

We popped into the Lasham Gliding Club Cafe for a restorative coffee, having been suitably refreshed we continued. As we rode along the perimeter of the airfield a passenger in a passing car hurled abuse at us because we were riding quite legally and safely two abreast. The car was displaying an L plate, so presumably the passenger was the qualified driver instructing the learner how to abuse cyclists!

In Lasham village we paused to admire this lovely garden:

After the test for Simon of climbing the hill to Bentworth we took a loop to Medstead via Wield thus eliminating the climb of Trinity Hill.

We arrived at the pub to find a number of riders sitting in the sunshine whilst a smaller group were inside. As usual Simon was soon into deep conversation about his bike and the technical details. I popped inside to get the beer. (Is this a ploy of Simon's to ensure I get the drinks? I think not he is far to generous for that!)

I had a good chat with Don and others, mainly about racing in Belgium where Don competed in his youth. Meanwhile the technical discussions continued until well after 2 p.m. and then just as we were about to leave for home Mark arrived also seeking technical advice so by the time we had ridden the last three miles I sat down to a late lunch at 3 p.m.!

Our Route for Thursday.

Saturday 6th September 2014.

Simon being otherwise occupied and my being unable to join the Winchester CTC all day ride as I was busy during the morning, I decided to leave home around noon and ride to Alton to join their afternoon ride. I took a musette with a sandwich, banana and cake to eat in the park while I waited for the start of the ride.

I am not certain how many riders there were as we split into two groups, the faster group of 5 (?) led by Dan set off a few minutes before the slower group of 9 led by Richard.

Richard had planned a very interesting route to the tea stop at West Meon. He managed to convince us that the climb of Brightstone Lane was an essential part of the ride. From the top of the hill Richard led us a very winding route through many small lanes I'd ridden before but never in Richard's clever combinations. 

Here is the map for my ride for the day. Note the wriggly route between Farringdon and Privett.

We had a good tea break at the little tea room behind the village shop in West Meon and afterwards I left the Alton riders to return to Alresford via Warnford and Wheeley Down. 

Once through Cheriton I discovered the lane through Tichborne was busy with a two long streams of cars leaving the Alresford Show. Being on a cycle i was easily able to slip past the cars heading towards Cheriton and once through the village I overtook a long line of cars before crossing the ford and thence home.

A very enjoyable day with my Alton friends. Thanks to them all especially Richard for leading our group.

Gridironman.

Winchester CTC join the Alton CTC for their annual BBQ.

Our Happy Band of Riders.

My week has ended on a high! I led the Winchester CTC ride to join the Alton CTC at their summer BBQ. I had been worried ever since I agreed to lead the ride that all would go wrong. In fact everything worked out almost perfectly. Mercifully the rain held off and we had some nice warm sunshine for a good part of the day, though it did cloud over and go a little cool while we were eating.

John Spiers very kindly led a group from Winchester (John, Karen, Yi Chen, Caroline & Ian, Jenny, Phil, Dave Steane and Ken) to join Sarah, Simon, Mark, Lesley, Sue, Gordon and me who gathered in the station car park. We set off soon after 10:15 via Old Alresford and Bighton to climb the hill to Medstead. Here we paused to regroup.

As we were leaving Medstead we met a group of Alton riders riding a loop in the opposite direction to get to the BBQ at Newton Valence. We exchanged greetings promising to see them later.

Next we descended to the main Basingstoke to Alton road through Wivelrod and Theddon and stopped for a coffee break at the Departure Lounge Cafe. Here to my surprise I met my son in law Steve also cycling with two of his friends.

With so many riders service took a while and we were a little late continuing and when we did Karen and Yi Chen left us to return together to Winchester. We passed through Alton testing legs on the steep but thankfully short pitch of Church Hill. On through Holybourne we went, riding away from Newton Valence! However a loop first eastwards towards Binsted and then South through Wyck took us back in the right direction. The lanes were mainly quiet but we played leapfrog with a DPD van over a couple of miles as he passed us then was re-passed when he stopped to make deliveries.

Simon was doing a good job for me, pausing at junctions to make sure all took the correct route, while John did equally sterling work as sweeper up at the back. Thanks to both for their vital part,

Once through East & West Worldham we were onto the B3006 for a short way. It was very busy but thankfully we all arrived safely in Selborne. Here we turned up Gracious Lane and climbed the steep hill to Newton Valence. (This was at least less steep than the hill we used last year).

At the village hall we found a good number of the Alton group tucking into a delicious meal. We wasted no time in joining in. There was more than enough for everyone with plenty of variety of good fare. Especially worth a mention were the fiery beans! However the sweets to follow were fantastic too!

It was great to see so many friends from both groups enjoying the food and the company. I took a number of photos which I would be happy to share with anyone who would like one.

Please note you can view these full size by clicking on them.

It was great to see so many friends from both groups that I'd not seen for a while.

About 2.20 p.m. suitably replete we resumed our travels, returning to Alresford and Winchester by the shortest route. We were in the station Car Park in Alresford by 3.30 p.m. where we bid farewell to the Winchester starters and one another
.
Whilst I greatly enjoyed the day and company I did not think it was quite as good as our similar ride last year because the weather was better that time.

Here are my data and map for the day.

Earlier in the week I had missed out on the HCMF meet at Hursley due to other commitments. This was in the end not a bad thing as the weather was not great. However later in the day the sun came out so I jumped on Posh and we set off on one of PinkPal's training routes to see how we could compare. 

I was very pleased with my performance but of course as PP is much better on the hills I could not match her overall average speed. 

Thursday's Evening Blast

Best wishes to all from a very happy Gridironman.

An unexpected turn of events.

It has been another strange week for me due to family commitments. I was too busy to ride on Thursday to the HCMF meet, so made up for that by using Posh to pop over to King's Worthy on Friday to feed the rabbit and cat. I took the country route there along the south side of the Itchen valley.
Chores done I headed  along Springvale and over the ridge to Stoke Charity. It was a fine evening so instead of heading the shortest way home I turned north from Micheldever to M. Station and then then turned along the wooded road to join the A32. In East Stratton I thought about stopping for a beer but them decided I could enjoy one when I got home.

Friday's Route.

A good run to keep my legs tuned?

On Saturday 24th August I decided to make a real effort to join the Winchester CTC afternoon ride to Poppies.
I left home at 12.30 so I could stop off at West Winds to attend the animals and arrived at the RV in good time. A very good turnout. There were 17 of us, a large proportion being newbies.
It is great to see so many new faces, but I greatly miss some of the old ones.
We had received a message that David, our leader for the day had hurt his hand badly and had gone to A&E but would come to the start if he could. After a wait of about 5 minutes we had another message from the Winchester Hotel that David was still in the hospital and asking us to appoint a new leader.
I suggested Paul but as he was not riding the return route he declined but suggested that if I took over the leader's duties he would act as La Laterne Rouge. I agreed and after a short briefing we set off along the regular route out of town via the Bereweeke Avenue and the Old Sarum Road. Unfortunately two riders left us for mechanical and health reasons before we had gone two miles.
Here is my map of my route for the day (including my commute fromand to Alresford) from which you can see our route to Poppies took us over Farley Mount and through Kings Somborne and Mottisfont.

With so many riders we split into several small groups with the faster riders leading the way and then waiting to regroup a number of times.
At Poppies we found another Mike and Charlotte waiting to join us for tea. (We already had mike and Charlotte in the group). I'd not seen them for a long time so that was a welcome bonus for me.

Some of the group enjoying their well earned tea.

After tea we took the road through Belbins to the Braishfield/Romsey road where Margaret, Paul, one pair of Mike & Charlotte left us. Julie took over the role of back marker.
The hill between Slackstead and Merdon Castle was a test for all of us but soon we were on the last climb of the day to Oliver's Battery where we split up to find our own ways home or to the start point.
Here is one of the other riders comments on the day:

"Thank you very much for leading a most enjoyable ride yesterday afternoon with a very nice tea stop.  The route was lovely through beautiful countryside.
I am sorry I did not see you at the end of the ride to thank you in person.  The "newbie" at the back was clearly struggling a bit and collapsed with cramp at Oliver's Battery.  I sent Colin on, so hopefully you heard we were ok.  He is diabetic and fortunately I had a rice krispie bar with me and some water left, so after a sit down, snack and drink he recovered enough to cycle on.  He was heading for Wharf Hill, near Winchester College, so I decided to cycle with him through Badger Farm, Stanmore Road and St Cross to ensure that he got to his destination in one piece and then I cycled on home.  He did say he hasn't cycled 30 miles before, but hopefully will join us again. 
Julie."

I found it a rewarding day, and I am sure it was a new experience for a number of the participants some of whom clearly found it a bit tough but nevertheless had found they could achieve more than might have thought. We look forward to seeing them again!

Many thanks to Julie and Paul for their help and for the others who took part for their patience.

We all wish David a speedy and complete recovery.


Gridironman.

Posh Gets Wet and Muddy, Twice!

I am on pet minding duties for a couple of weeks, so I have tailored my rides to take advantage of this. On Tuesday 12th I rode over to Kings Worthy, I made good time along the much improved road through Itchen Abbass and Martyr Worthy. Once I'd done my chores I found an alternative way home through heading North past South Wonston to Wonston. I love that little road through Hunton always pretty with no fewer than three churches to pass in little over a mile.

My plan worked well until just after I'd passed through Micheldever and East Stratton. Then it started to rain. Shock horror, no mudguards!  It didn't rain enough to get me very wet but I ran into the area where it had been much heavier and the roads were swimming with water. I actually didn't get too much spray, I guess the smooth tyres don't pick up as much water as knobbly ones. 

I was home in just a couple of seconds over 2 hours moving time for the 26.77 miles. Bunged my wet kit into the washing machine had a shower and tucked into a beer & a late lunch. Bliss!

On Thursday 14th August the start was the same but I shaved a couple of minutes of my time from home to Westwinds.
I headed out of Winchester along the Old Sarum road and then turned down Kilham Lane to cross the Romsey road. Road works here causing major hold ups. I hopped of my bike and took to the pedestrian routes across the junction and took the Oliver's Battery Road North through the underpass and onto the Oliver's Battery Road South. There had been a shower on the slopes of Port Lane but I was able to dodge the wet patches on the road. I was aiming to join the HCMF at the Phoenix in Twyford. However, my luck did not hold as in Otterbourne it started to rain. 


I only just had time to get in the shelter of a large hedge before the rain came down in torrents. It continued for about 15 minutes. Luckily my shelter was good and I did not get too wet, but of course the roads were so wet that the spray of passing traffic and my lack of mudguards ensured that by the time I'd reached Brambridge I was getting a lot wetter. I did not fancy sitting in the Phoenix in wet clothes so instead of heading there as intended I chose instead to go home via Hensting Lane and Owslebury.

I was surprised that In Colden Common the roads were almost dry and there was little sign of the downpour I'd experienced.

There was now intermittent sunshine and only one small shower as I covered the 14 miles home. By the time I got there I was almost dry and apart from muddy streaks up my back and on my shoes there was little sign of my experience.

I can now say that Posh has now been well and truly "christened" and I am now a member of the rooster tail club!

Saturday 16th August.
At first I was sorry I was unable to join the Winchester CTC ride to Silchester but having seen the Garmin report of it by PinkPal  and her comment of "Knackered" perhaps I was lucky to have had a less demanding ride.

I was joined by Simon for an afternoon ride to Bishop's Waltham and back.

Our route was through Kilmeston and our time over the Rooksgrove sector was 22 seconds slower than my best. Possibly due to the strong head breeze. It certainly wasn't Simon holding me back as he was first up it.

Once over Beacon Hill we enjoyed the fast descent past the Golf Club. Here is the view towards Old Winchester Hill from the slopes above Droxford with  a comparison to the picture I took in the winter. (Not quite the exact same spot).

Looking towards Old Winchester Hill, August 16th 2014.
(The crop sown in November cut and only a few bales left to collect).

Preparing for the harvest, 14th November 2013

 We carried on through Droxford hoping to see the Alpacas. They were almost out of sight at the far end of their meadow. We passed a wedding reception as we climbed the hill and then when we got to Swanmore another wedding had just taken place with the happy couple getting into the wedding car and the throng of well-wishers blocking the road temporarily.

In BW we had our treat of the day. Jean had kindly told us to enjoy our refreshment break and indulge in cake as her treat. We had delicious coffee, walnut and pecan cake with fresh cream washed down by Sumatran coffee at The Anvil.

Suitably refreshed we returned home by the nearly direct route. We particularly enjoyed the downhill from the Milbury's. I think if it was not for the A272 it would be possible to freewheel all the way to Cheriton.

A bus chased us through the village and we were soon into the favourite lanes through Tichborne making a final sprint at 18 mph to the ford. 

I have been a little bit worried about the state of the footbridge recently as the wire mesh and staples seem to be getting worn and in danger of puncturing tyres, so I walked across and so did Simon.

Another very pleasant afternoon ride with coffee and cake. I must be getting soft!

Many thanks to Simon for his company and to Jean for our treat!

Gridironman.

Dorset Hostel Break.

What a lovely week I've had cycling for a couple of days in Dorset. On Monday 4th August I drove down to Litton Cheyney with Sporty on the roof rack. Arrived there before ten o'clock, in time to ask the warden of the Youth Hostel if I could leave my car in the car park.

Fishing and pleasure boats in West Bay Harbour.

Soon afterwards I was on my way through the lush countryside towards Bridport. The weather was just perfect, sunny and warm but with a light breeze to keep me fresh. I was soon through the village of Burton Bradstock and having climbed a short hill I was rewarded with my first view of the sea. A few miles on and I was in West Bay where a lot of holiday makers were enjoying the many attractions of the beach, swimming in the sea and fishing from the harbour walls.



After a while I headed inland through Bridport to find a route to Lyme Regis avoiding the main A35. This was not easy as the only alternatives involve looping inland. However the scenery was so lovely that this was very enjoyable.  I caught up with another cyclist who was very heavily laden with camping gear. I chatted with him and discovered he was a visitor from Germany.

At Shave Cross I turned South to follow the Char valley  to Charmouth.

The Char Valley.

My next stop was in the very unusually named village of Canonicorum Whitchurch. Not a bit like our Hampshire Whitchurch but just as attractive.  Canonicorum Whitchurch, Church. Amazingly large for such a small village. The road to Charmouth was surprisingly hilly as it seemed to follow the valley but there was a lot of high hedges and trees giving welcome shade. Charmouth was buzzing with a large number of Dutch cars about. I did not stop long and took on the challenge of  Fern Hill to Lyme Regis. It defeated me! I managed to get within 200 yards of the top before I ran out of puff. It was hard work even walking that last bit. The reward was of course a mega steep and fast descent into the town. Here I got off the bike and walked along the pavement as that was quicker than moving with the cars which were virtually gridlocked. Upwards once more out of Lyme Regis and over the hill to Uplyme. No shortage of hill climbs here. I left the main road and took a lane through the village of Yawl. As I climbed the 1 in 7 hill a lady in a car stopped to let me by and encouraged me to keep going. I made it to the top! The next few miles were relatively flat and I picked up the pace. however I was now quite peckish and looking for somewhere to have lunch . I turned off the B road to Hawkchurch where a pub was marked on my map. It was closed because it was Monday. So I sat in the Church  yard and ate a banana and an energy bar and relaxed for a while. Hawkchurch. I seemed to be border hoping for the next few miles, sometimes in Somerset, sometimes in Dorset. All very pretty. I had just been making up the route as I went and realizing I was getting near to Crewkerne I decided it was time  to turn back towards the YH. I  passed through  two more interesting villages. Drimpton and Broadwindsor   and then as I crested yet another hill I "bonked". (Lack of lunch!) For the next 15 minutes I sat on a grassy bank and ate the rest of my bars and fruit. Soon felt fit enough to continue through Stoke Abbott to Beaminster. An interesting war memorial here. An old horse trough memorial which had been removed has been replaced this year in memory of the commencement of WW1. It was late afternoon now and through the villages of Netherbury and Townway the lanes seemed to be busy with many small white vans and trucks. I surmise it was the workers heading home after a busy day. I continued through Bradpole, West Milton ant into Loders where I paused once more for refreshment and to phone home while sitting in the sunshine on a stone wall. Not far to go now, just another two or three more hilly lanes. As I climbed the one from Uploders under the A35 I noticed these terraced fields nearby. I arrived back at the YH just after six and after a refreshing cuppa and shower I had a very pleasant evening in the pub garden next door eating and drinking with a family of 4 from Midsomer Norton who where camping nearby. More craic back at the hostel with the warden and others before a well earned night's sleep. A great day out on the bike. Notice how the average speed is affected by the sightseeing and hills!

Ride number two from the Hostel on Tuesday 5th August was somewhat different. When woke at 7 a.m. it was raining. By the time I'd breakfasted and got ready at 9 a.m. it was still raining. Of course I was not going to miss a ride because of a spot of rain so off I went. this time heading east through the villages of Long Bredy and Little Bredy. My aching legs from yesterday's ride were unable to manage the first steep hill I encountered., well it was 12.5 %. At the top the wind was blowing the rain hard and I was soon pretty well wet through despite my waterproof jacket but I was sweating a lot too.

Here is my first stop of the day:

The Hardy Monument.
Note the size of the bike compared to the Monument.

As you will notice it is a very grey day!  

It was a nice long and fast downhill ride to Martinstown where I popped into the Post Office to withdraw some cash and get some nuts. (A Snickers bar.) I asked if there was anywhere nearby where I could get a coffee. Another customer told me I could get one just ten mins away. So I set off in the indicated direction. Five miles and a 500 foot climb later and after half an hour I got to the place he had told me about. I then realized that he meant ten mins by car! I was almost in Weymouth now, so I carried on until I got to the promenade. The sun had come out and I soon found a perfect spot for a coffee at one of the small kiosks. Spent the next half hour watching the world go by and chatting to a couple from Trowbridge at the next table. I had dried out nicely by now and set off for a tour round the harbour. A large Condor ferry was loading cars to go to the C.I. In the inner harbour there was a selection of fishing and leisure boats. I had to be careful here as there are tram tracks in the road used to carry away fish from the dockside.

Eventually I tore myself away and headed out into the country to find a suitable pub for lunch. On my way I passed this work of art:

More undulations before I found a nice pub (The Elm Tree) in the village of Langton Herring. Sat outside in the sunshine, completing my drying off. I had some banter from a group of ladies who had come outside the pub for a smoke. They wanted to get rid on one of their friends and asked me if I could take her away on the crossbar of my bike. I told them whilst I was willing I was afraid the YH might not let her in with me! I discovered that they were a group of Carers who had just returned from scattering the ashes of  a person they had looked after and were celebrating the life of that person.

After a most satisfying lunch I continued through Rodden to Abbotsbury. Here i encountered the sternest challenge of my holiday. The hill out of Abbotsbury. Ride with Gps indicate the steepest section as being 23%map . The O.S. only indicate a slope of more than one in seven. i would love to know more about how these grades are calculated. I suspect the Ride with GPS give the steepest whilst the O.S.  give the overall rate of climb.

Needless to say it meant more walking. this time for about 250 yards after I'd climbed the lower slopes.

At the top it was quite misty with the sea breeze causing the formation of sea mist as it climbed the hill.

It was only a few miles now back to the YH mainly downhill.

A much gentler and shorter  ride than yesterday but another  good one.

Back home after my brief break I managed to fit in another ride on Thursday 7th August I just had to go out again to get my week's mileage to over 100 miles. It was merely a quick run around the local area on Posh to keep my legs in shape!

Glad to be inside today and not riding in this stormy weather.

(Don't forget if you wish to see the pictures full screen just click on one and then you can view them).

GRIDIRONMAN