The Tourist April 2014

The

Tourist The Journal of the CTC West Group of the Cyclists’ Touring Club

VOL 61

April 2014

Où sommes-nous?

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No 309

The Tourist JOURNAL OF THE CTC WEST GROUP OF THE CYCLISTS’ TOURING CLUB From the Editor: Hopefully everyone has slowly come out of hibernation, or if you’ve managed to keep your legs turning over the winter months – well done to you!

Of course, having just about worked off the excesses of the festive season, it has been a real chore chewing through significant amounts of Easter chocolate – only to face working it all off again - plus ça change!

Our trip to Wells-Next-The-Sea over Easter was a true joy and we were so lucky with the weather – fresh and sunny in part, but most importantly, DRY!

VOL 61

April 2014

No 309

CONTENTS A Brief Visit to Normandy

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• Tim & Jacqui Hall A Nostalgic Reflection – The Glory of Scotland

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• Brian Griffiths Winter Social – Cheddar Ales Brewery

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• Anne Greenhalgh Halloween @ St Briavels

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• Anne Greenhalgh Easter in Wells-Next-The-Sea

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Deborah Germaine et al

Bicycle Quotes & Quiz http://theargonauts.com/bicycle-quotes

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I hope you will enjoy the articles in this edition and actively encourage you to submit a piece please or even an idea for future inclusion.

They can be current or in the case of ‘The Glory of Scotland’ a retrospective.

4 Days. 3 Women. 2 Half Pints

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• 1.5 Women Annual Café Award

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CTC West Club Awards

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From the Groups

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And you don’t need to write reams of narrative – pictures can often tell a thousand words … as in ‘A Brief Visit to Normandy’.

Answers to Quiz

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CTC West Officers

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Bristol Arts Trail 10-11 May 2014

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This edition has a bit of a Bristol bias as I don’t yet know that many of you from other clubs, but I have asked your respective secretaries to cajole some of you into releasing your inner creativity you have been warned!

Out of England …

So please remember, use it or lose it - if you have any comments, or would like to submit a contribution for the next edition, please email: touristeditor@ctcwest.org.uk

Good luck, Helen!

In May, Helen Fenton is heading off cycle-touring through Europe and Africa, heading towards Cape Town. She has plans to write a blog, and you can either follow her adventures directly via the blog or I will be including some of the highlights in future editions of the Tourist.

Deborah

Tourist Editor

Opinions expressed are the Editor’s or contributors’ own and do not represent official views unless so identified.

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A Brief Visit to Normandy Last autumn a group from Bristol made a short visit to Normandy. Jacqui Hall took her sketch pad to try her hand at landscape painting, with her husband, Tim, recording the trip with his camera. Tim tells the story.

Thursday – Ferries and Cyclists After visiting friends on Hayling Island, we caught the last ferry of the evening to Portsmouth, sharing the boat with a large group of cyclists who were on a work ‘team building’ ride to Brussels, via Le Harve and northern France. We joined them to form a motley peloton, speeding along the seafront, through Southsea and into Portsmouth. The Old Customs House on the Historic Waterfront kindly fired up the heaters in their beer garden so that we could all keep an eye on our bikes while having a final pie and pint on English soil, after which we joined the rest of the Bristol group at the docks.

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On the Hayling Island Ferry

A Final English Beer

Friday – The Route to Bayeux Having caught the overnight ferry from Portsmouth we docked early at Caen (Ouistreham) and followed the canal south, with the sun rising to dispel the early morning chill. Being too early for the café at Pegasus Bridge, we pressed on to Caen for breakfast. Suitably refreshed, and having secured provisions for lunch, Jane and Richard led us out of the city, looping west over rolling terrain under beautiful blue skies. Passing through villages with names made famous by the Normandy battles we visited cemeteries and war memorials, then toured a cider orchard, before heading to our accommodation for the weekend in Bayeux. After making the most of a clear evening to look around the city we re-joined the others for drinks and a meal in a local restaurant.

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The War Cemetery at Fontenay-le-Pensel

49 Division Memorial

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In Search of Cider (or should that be cidre?)

Bayeux

Saturday – The American Beaches We started the day with a look round the Bayeux market, buying excellent local bread and cheese ready for lunch.

Once the whole group had assembled we set off into the American sector, with some recently resurfaced lanes making cycling a pleasure over the gently undulating terrain (no poorly patched potholes or loose surface dressing here!).

At Pointe de Hoc we wandered round the remains of the coastal defences, deeply cratered by allied bombardment, and wondered at the bravery of the American Rangers who had scaled the cliffs to capture the position at dawn on D-Day. Our next stop was the long, shelter-less ‘Omaha’ beach where so many Americans had lost their lives. A picnic under suitably sombre, grey skies was followed by a warming coffee to avoid a brief shower and prepare us for the ride back to Bayeux. En route we encountered a ‘route barré’ – picking our way through the road works to avoid the diversion we discovered why the morning’s lanes had needed such wholesale resurfacing! Back in Bayeux we rounded the day off with a bit more site seeing and sampling another of the city’s restaurants.

Paying Our Respects on Pointe du Hoc

The Results of Aerial Bombardment and Naval Shelling

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Observation Post, Pointe du Hoc

Cow Parsley

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Omaha Beach

Memorial to the Liberators

‘Do We Follow the Diversion, or Risk the Roadworks?’

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Sunday – The British and Canadian Sector The morning dawned misty, with the cathedral spires only just visible across the street from our bedroom window. Heading for the coast we soon arrived at the battery at Longues-sur-Mer, with its largely intact gun emplacements and command bunker. A short ride along undulating lanes took us to Arromanches, centre of the British ‘Mulberry’ artificial harbour in the months following the Normandy landings. We enjoyed a leisurely coffee in pleasantly warm sunshine and looked round the remains of the harbour, before regrouping to continue along the coast.

A brisk ride on the long, straight and level coast road, enjoying draughting behind Jane and Richard on their tandem, brought us to Courseulles-sur-Mer. A stroll along the seafront provided some non-WW2 background from a series of information panels about the town’s history, supplementing the large Canadian forces invasion museum. A leisurely lunch break was followed by a circuitous, inland route back to Bayeux for our last night in the city.

A Misty Morning in Bayeux

A Gun Emplacement, Longues-sur-Mer

Jane and Richard

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Arromanches Beach

The Artist at Work

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Lunch in Courseulles

Monday – Homeward Bound Another misty morning saw the Bristol group heading out of Bayeux along a ridge that eventually dropped to the coast behind ‘Sword’ beach, at the eastern end of the British sector. After a stop for a group photograph we continued along the coast, now an almost continuously built up ribbon of houses, to return to Ouistreham. Our picnic lunch was eaten by yet another memorial, but this time to the town’s citizens who had escaped the advancing Germans in 1940 to join the Free French in Britain.

The afternoon ferry delivered us back to Portsmouth, too late for the last Hayling Island ferry. Fortunately it was a pleasantly warm evening for our cycle round Langstone Harbour and down the dark lanes on the island, back to our friends’ house where we had started out, seemingly long ago.

Jacqui will be exhibiting her floral watercolour paintings on 10th and 11th May as part of the BS9 Art Trail at Venue 35, Stoke Lane in Westbury on Trym www.bs9arts.co.uk 7

A Nostalgic Reflection - The Glory of Scotland When I lived in the Midlands in the 80s I belonged to group of cyclists who enjoyed spending their summer holidays in Scotland. Our preference was the bit above the Caledonian Canal, which we regard as the real Scotland. We enjoy relative freedom from road traffic, the pure air, the wonderful scenery and of course the history of its somewhat torrid past.

I shall relate the story of a holiday, which began in Oman, a trifle below the border of our favourite Highland area.

Following an overnight at the Youth Hostel overlooking an expansive bay we rode down to the harbour, overshadowed by the strange outline of McCaigs Folly, a miniature version of the Coliseum, to board the McBraine steamer to the Island of Mull. The conditions were stormy, however the dark rain clouds soon dispersed; after landing we made our way along a scenic road to the south western corner of the Island at Fiannaphort to catch another rather smaller ferry which took us to Iona, the acknowledged Cradle of Christianity in these parts after Saint Colombus arrived here from Ireland in AD 563.

We visited the Abbey and learned what we could about its long past history before leaving in the late afternoon to return to Mull. Riding a few miles inland we arrived at our overnight at the pleasant little hamlet of Bunessan.

Next morning we set out to find famous herbalist Dr Beaton’s garden and were disappointed when it turned out to be overgrown and neglected. Travelling north we came to a pile of stones with a massive rock on top of it. The remains of a newly-wed couple’s home after the huge boulder fell from the cliff top above and tragically crushed them. As the day went on we continued north across the island through Salen until we arrived at the delightful and pretty coastal town of Tobermorey.

We spent the next day exploring the top end of the Island and went to Dervaig, on to Calgary Bay before returning to Tobermorey for another interesting overnight watching Royal Naval divers search for the gold, which was supposed to lie beneath the water in a sunken Spanish galleon.

Early next morning we caught a stormy ferry crossing to Kilchoan then headed west into a very strong headwind to reach the most westerly place on the British mainland at Ardnamurchan Point. After photos of the lighthouse we made a rapid journey back to Kilchoan before continuing past Loch Mudle, then stopping frequently alongside scenic Loch Sunart to admire the views for the rest of the afternoon.

Our night stop Strontian was where the famous element of Strontian 90 was discovered early in the 20th century. We had decided to stay at the hotel especially to watch the England versus Germany World Cup football match on their large screen TV. Much to our dismay the big television was out of action so, along with about 30 other customers, crowded around a 9” portable to watch this important event.

Further west on a wet and windy morning to the Ardgour Hotel and the Corran Ferry, we crossed Loch Linnhe.

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Off the ferry and with a good following wind we were soon in Fort William enjoying a morning coffee in the warm and dry. With the weather improving we made our way to the Commando Memorial near Spean Bridge. This is the area, around Ben Nevis, where these brave lads were put through their tough training routines. Back on our bikes we rode on to the end of Loch Lochie for an overnight at the friendly Youth Hostel.

We were told of an interesting alternative route back down the opposite side of Loch Lochie, which we decided to try.

On the way there we came to the Well of the Heads. A slender column with five heads on the top set there as a warning after a clan chief’s sons had been murdered by a ruthless local gang whilst he was away in France.

The route down the back of the Loch was a rather testing semi off road track, with magnificent views across the Loch.

Several severe short storms made us seek shelter from time to time, but we eventually got back to the main road and returned to a place near the Corran Ferry, where we turned left around the end of Loch Leven. There were beautiful views over the water and we had brilliant sunshine to enhance every detail. At the end of another rewarding day we arrived at Glen Coe Hostel, spending an entertaining evening at the well-known climbers’ hotel, a favourite of Chris Bonnington.

Beautiful sunshine greeted us the next morning when we set off up Glen Coe the so-called “Glen of Weeping.” This was the scene of the massacre of the McDonalds in 1692 by Robert Campbell and his men over the mistakenly supposed non-payment of taxes. We felt a discernable sadness as we paused to take in the scene before pedalling on to Rannoch Moor, another site of a notorious Scottish feud.

We passed the well-known landmark of the King House Hotel and soon found ourselves alongside Loch Tulloch on peaceful and beautiful country roads. When we stopped for lunch we found ourselves being attacked by that annoying Scottish plague the midges, so we had to move on to avoid their unwanted attentions.

At the end of another pleasant day we arrived at Crianlarich and spent a pleasant evening walking through this interesting village and its local surroundings.

Our holiday was nearing its end as we set off back to complete the circuit to Oban. On the way we ran into a horrendous thunderstorm when it became so dark at midday that all the cars had their lights on. However this violent outburst soon passed and we rode back into Oban via Kilchurn Castle and past Loch Etive, in calm and bright conditions.

Our tour was complete and we had much to talk about on our journey back to the Midlands, especially with a view to a return to enjoy more of Scotland the following year.

Brian Griffiths

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Winter Social 2013 - Cheddar Ales Brewery Saturday, 30 November - Venue Ashton Court The sun shone and even though the weather was far from tropical it was a much better start to the day then many a trip. We set off from Ashton Court for Yatton via the cycle path enjoying the fine weather even though it was a bit on the chilly side. Unfortunately one of our group had equipment problems and she and her partner departed at Yatton to try and found a bike shop. We picked up another person at Yatton so we were only one down at the Strawberry Line. I always enjoy the Strawberry Line path, and at this time of year it’s especially pretty as the leaves that were left added a splash of colour, and the view through the trees was enchanting.

From the end of the Strawberry line we went through the pretty village of Axbridge, on to Cheddar, and then to the Brewery at Drayton. The Brewery was located by a chocolate outlet‌ the perfect combination. After a few chocolate samples we moved seamlessly on to beer samples as we waited for the other ride to arrive before we did the tour. Jem, the owner of the brewery gave an excellent talk, but it had to be said that our interest did wander as it was colder in the Brewery than outside. We emerged at about 2 30 into the comparative warmth of the outdoors.

We made our way back to Cheddar, and carried on beer sampling in the White Hart. Some people frequented the tea rooms, but I felt we should continue the tour in spirit by having more Pot Holer ale.

We got to the YHA at just after 5. It was delightfully warm! The rooms were cosy and clean and the location was good. We put the bikes to bed and set off at 7 for the White Hart again for dinner. Food was good and great value, and we supported the local brewery with gusto.

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Sunday, 1 December The weather was overcast and we set off in the grey unwelcoming gloom of winter. We had a bit of a round trip back to Cheddar before going up the gorge, which is always challenging but worth the effort. We had a pleasant ride for the most part, although very muddy. I had stopped to take a photo and re-joined to group to find a number of bemused cyclists, looking at a mixture of bikes and bodies among the mud on the path. Our leader Jane on the tandem with her husband Richard, had been ‘unbiked ‘ by someone sliding into her. Luckily there was no major damage but it demonstrated the hazards of our route.

We stopped for lunch at The Ring O Bells in Compton Martin. The pub served excellent food and beer but the décor and the landlord were from another age. The landlord dressed as though he had just been demobbed and really was not happy about it. The décor consisted of false pine, all the rage in the 1970’s and the most modern part, an eclectic mix of foxed prints, and a series of unmatched chairs and tables. It was great.

It rained while we were in the pub, and I was glad that I had put the plastic bag over my saddle. We moved on, and our group dwindled as people took different routes home. For those of us Bristol City bound, the route continued on through Burrington and Congresbury with a stop at the farm shop in Long Ashton. The staff were very loathe to serve us as they felt they needed the table for lunch guests. This was at 4.00 pm and there was plenty of room. I can only assume they disliked the look of a group of muddy cyclists.

We took up residence despite their protestations and drank our tea and ate our cake, albeit slightly hurriedly. The place looked rather sweet decked out in Christmas decorations and was full of wildlife including some rather surprised looking alpacas.

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We headed home after our tea stop, having enjoyed another excellent winter social. As an added bonus Cheddar Ales, Simply Gorgeous, according to the logo, agreed to sponsor our Get-Gorgeous event. What a brilliant outcome to a brilliant trip.

Anne Greenhalgh

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Halloween at St Briavels 25 October What could be better for a Halloween weekend trip than a castle in the middle of a Forest? We met at the Water Tower on the Downs ready for another trip to the atmospheric St Briavels Castle. Another cycle trip, another rain cloud.

Despite the rumours of more accurate weather forecasting the dry weather promised was not evident, and I turned up in newly proofed wet weather gear. We made our way up to Blaise Castle and cycled through the grounds. The grounds looked particularly enchanting, decked out as they were in autumn hues framing the charming brook that runs by the cycle path. The brook was running at a rapid rate, due to the previous week’s deluge, and although the rain we experienced was on a smaller scale, a feeling of dampness pervaded well into my waterproofs. From Blaise we went under the M4/M5 near Easter Compton and up towards Aust at the Severn Bridge Old Crossing where we picked up more soggy cyclists, and then onwards to Chepstow Garden Centre for morning tea.

We picked up another two ‘Halloweenies’ at Chepstow; Annie from Wales and Rob from Bath, which put our complement up to 17. We made our way through the Forest of Dean, and along the Wye Valley for much of the journey. The Wye was swollen and muddy after all the rain, and looked most uninviting for a dip. The weather continued to be showery, and although my wet weather gear held out, my legs were struggling. We climbed 2800 feet, and although I didn’t have to push, I found the route challenging. Must get out more!

Wye Valley As the terrain was undulating causing us to string out, and it was a big group periodically someone would go AWOL, usually from going too far ahead. That didn’t apply to me, I was at the back. In true CTC spirit, we’d send out a search party, or rely on technology to locate the errant cyclist. On one occasion we noticed one chap was missing and mentioned this to his wife.

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‘Oh’ she said, rather stoically. Realising that her response perhaps lacked something in the way of being a concerned spouse, she looked at her phone. No signal. We all checked our phones. No signal. Ironic as her ‘lost’ husband works for a large telecoms company. Finally, after a bit of climbing we got a signal, and communications were restored.

Our lost sheep re-joined the fold, and we went on a few miles to the Lion at Trellech, our lunch stop. We arrived at 1.45 pm so the pub staff would not be overwhelmed by a large group of hungry cyclists, and they did a great job. The food was excellent and I enjoyed the 2 pints of Dragon beer with my large ham and eggs. One of our number managed 2 pints of 7.5% cider. He became even more chatty, and carefree, earning the sobriquet ‘Cider Man’ – like Banana Man, but more dangerous according to one of the group.

In order to get to St Briavels we had to go back down to Wye and cross back into Gloucestershire from Wales. The sad thing about this as far as I was concerned was going down to the river meant that we would have to go up to St Briavels. It was nearly dusk when we arrived, and Hugh Marshall who was just there for a day ride, barely managed to inaugurate the Reg Porter memorial bench with a wave of his handkerchief before turning back for Bristol.

Crossing Wye on way to St Briavels

St Briavels Tower

Obviously we had offended on previous visits to St Briavels as we were all put in the Tower. This was a real medieval Tower with a long narrow twisting and incredibly steep staircase to the top, which is where all the girls were located. As all the bathrooms were on the ground floor, I decided not to imbibe too much. Given the number of bathrooms was also limited it took a while to change into our party gear ready for the banquet. Some of us had bought costumes with us but for the rest it was a case of scouring the dressing up box from the castle.

The resulting outfits varied from convincing to could do better, but overall the effect was rather authentic.

Jane, Annie and Ghost?

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The Revellers

Dinner was in the Hall which we were sharing with an outdoor activities group from Brighton who had come to celebrate a birthday party, who were similarly attired, but looked as though they may have had the pick of the dressing up box. The staff also entered into the spirit of the event and the time of year by dressing up and regaling us with ghost stories for Halloween. This combined with the authentic medieval banquet; mostly meat and no cutlery, helped to make the evening a merry one. I particularly liked the Honey cake at the end, although mead has never been a favourite of mine, and mindful of the stairs, I stuck to a modicum of red wine.

The Banquet

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I was pretty sound asleep when I was awakened by the sound of a rhythmic and persistent knocking. Despite all the stories of ghosts and phantoms, the thought of a spirit at the door never occurred to me. I imagined they could just wander through at will so wouldn’t bother to knock. I reluctantly negotiated the stairs and opened the door. I found two on the whole, pretty human looking members of our group, who had did not note the door code to get back into the Tower, and had been knocking for a while. They were rather pleased to see me, as it was 12 30 AM and according to Mike ‘It was getting a bit chilly out there’. The staff had not responded to their knocking on the reception door where the Hall was located, which was separated by the courtyard from the Tower, but still within the Castle Walls. Future visitors, be warned note all door codes.

The Queen looks displeased with the fool 26 October The dire warnings of a storm to end of all storms inspired us to make a prompt early start. We stopped off to look at the Castle at Chepstow and then went along the circuitous cycle path to the Severn Crossing. It was fairly windy at the Bridge especially at the Eastern end. One person got off and pushed as she felt in danger of being blown over. We all wended our way home after, although a few of us had a stop at Severn Beach café, and then headed back home, through the rain. The rain though did not dampen our enjoyment of Middle Ages’ cuisine, or the beautiful Wye Valley.

Anne Greenhalgh

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Easter in Wells-Next-The-Sea

Ride 1 –Elmham ( approx. 50 miles) Outward Route - Head south Inland to Pensthorpe Natural Park for coffee. Continue to North Elmham for Lunch at the Railway Inn (The Mid Norfolk Heritage railway runs thr’ Elmham) – 25 miles Return Route – via Fakenham and South Creake for a tea stop at Creake Abbey Café then back to Wells-next-theSea (25 miles)

Ride 2 – Cromer Crabs (about 58 miles) Outward route: Head east via the seaside villages of Stiffkey and Blakeney before heading inland for coffee at The Art Café in Glandford. Continue heading East along the Norfolk Coast Cycleway to Cromer (home of the crab) for lunch. (28 miles) Return route - via Bessingham and Baconthorpe (Castle) to Holt (tea stop) then continue to Binham (Priory) (Optional supper/pub stop at the Chequers Inn, Binham (Home of the Front Street Micro Brewery) (22 miles).

Return to Wells-Next –the-sea (5 miles)

Ride 3 – Heachamp via Sandringham Castle (approx 50 miles) Outward Route: Head south west to Bircham for coffee at Bircham Windmill. Continue through the Sandringham Estate and head north along to Heacham for lunch at The Fox and Hounds (Home of the Fox Brewery) approx. 30 miles Return Route – Return to Wells-next-the Sea along NCN 1 for tea/ice-cream/beer. (20 miles)

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Tandem country!

Great amusement‌zzz!

Holkham Hall (obelisk)

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I said it was an obelisk!

Fortunately we all survived!

Cromer – home of fresh crab!

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Cley Windmill – our next stay here?

Bicycle Quotations

‘Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.’ ~ Albert Einstein letter to his son Eduard, 1930 ~ ‘When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.’ ~ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle~ I know some of us really treasure our bikes, but, really …?

‘As a kid I had a dream - I wanted to own my own bicycle. When I got the bike I must have been the happiest boy in Liverpool, maybe the world. I lived for that bike. Most kids left their bike in the backyard at night. Not me. I insisted on taking mine indoors and the first night I even kept it in my bed. ‘ ~ John Lennon ~ Bicycle Quotation QUIZ Below are some famous quotes modified into bicycle quotations - can you guess the original quote and author?

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To bicycle, or not to bicycle: that is the question.

Bicycles are a girl's best friend.

You should ride a bicycle for twenty minutes every day, unless you're too busy; then you should ride for an hour.

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him a bicycle.

Answers at the back of the magazine.

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4 DAYS. 3 WOMEN. 2 HALF PINTS. The three of us, Deborah Jane and I decided to cycle from Bristol to Derby. When I say we three, I mean Jane.

Jane had given us reason to ride - she was going anyway to visit her daughter in Derby for an autumn concert, deciding both route and the season. Starting on 16 October 2013, we finished on 19 October 2013, via the scenic route of the Cotswolds and the East Midlands.

Day 1: 16 October 2013 Our first day did not dawn fair. It was teeming down with rain and I was already soaked by the time of our first rendezvous at Horfield Leisure Centre. The waterproofing that I had done on my jacket proved ineffective and the water oozed in. We rode on the cycle paths through the less than scenic MOD territory towards the Avon Cycleway to Kingswood and then on to Pucklechurch. The coffee stop was The Old Dairy and it was a welcome break. The general sogginess was pervasive; staff and customers looked at us as though we had come out of some home for bemused cyclists. They had a point.

Old Dairy- morning tea stop… we were soaked

After our excellent refreshments it was an effort to continue, especially as the wind had got up. Despite Jane saying brightly she thought it was behind us, it was not. At this stage our leader’s capacity for optimism was at a high, the rain now of biblical proportions, and biting. I felt the shards of rain bite into my face and as my saturation level increased a general feeling of cold took hold. We also had to detour at East Dudley due to road works, and the rain was so heavy that even the cows looked disgruntled.

I was delighted to arrive at the lunch stop in Malmesbury, which was charming even in the rain. We only done about 41 km and I was soaked and so cold I could barely undo my panniers. It reminded me of when I was at the equator in a tropical rainstorm, and had to open someone’s bag because they were too cold to do so. I grabbed a woollen top that I had added at the last minute so at least I could warm up. Deb changed her socks and gloves; she’s a hardy woman cycling in shorts and a cape, which had to be removed as with the wind it kept blowing up.

We were wondering how far it was to the train station at Cheltenham when to our delight and surprise the sun appeared. There was now no excuse even though I did need a new rain jacket. From Malmesbury we had a pleasant cycle through the undulating rural idyll of the Cotswolds to Cirencester.

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Still Smiling at Malmesbury‌I could barely operate the camera

We stopped for tea and cake at North Leach and then pressed on to our overnight stop at Stow-in-the Wold. We were rather taken aback by sound of bagpipes by the HGV turn to Stow/Bourton. It was almost as if after all our efforts we were being piped in. The pipes were premature as we still had a 4 mile climb from Bourton to Stow, going through the quirkily named Lower Slaughter and Swell. We noted large numbers of rather dopey pheasants around, presumably released for the shooting season. Also released was a large amount of slurry, we could tell it was slurry by the smell that hit our nostrils and the texture of the slurry that hit everything else.

After 70.4 miles and a climb of 2873ft we arrived at the Stow-in-the-Wold YHA relatively warm, dry and very relieved. We distributed our sodden gear and in my case fetid footwear over the working radiator in the corridor, and changed into clothing more suitable for going out into civilised company. Deborah had a hankering for curry; the receptionist recommended the local curry house meat thali. Without hesitation we ate, ravenously, finishing at 9.15 pm with Deborah falling asleep into her thali dish.

Day 2: Stow-in-the-Wold

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My phone aka camera, was now working after being dried out and recharged, and I felt the same. The weather had changed, and we were now looking at blue skies and a strange yellow globe in the sky - the sun. We had a quick tour of Stow, bought bread and cheese from the well-stocked deli, and then set off through more gorgeous villages with church steeples and Cotswold stone buildings. We had some less gorgeous steep hills to get up 1:12 was the worse pre-lunch. We ate our bread and cheese on the green by the Warwickshire Bear sign, before going into the Merrie Lion at Fenny Compton. Locals saved the Lion from development to have create a great pub with good beer and a relaxed atmosphere.

After Fenny Compton we had another 1:12 hill to climb, and at the top we saw a policeman with 2 dogs. I jumped to the conclusion that they were sniffer dogs and the policeman, who was holding on to them with grim determination, was about to unleash them. My thoughts of being on top of a drug heist were swiftly removed when a woman in a Landover came up and parked by the police car. Deborah arrived just as the handover, dogs not drugs, took place. The hill was re-named in honour of the experience!

The ‘Lost Dog’ Hill Climbers

The route to Daventry was via another really horrid hill. I kept hoping that Jane would get off and push but no such luck. Deb, who had progressed better since we cleared the remains of yesterday’s slurry from her mudguards, – I knew those latex gloves would come in handy one day - had the good sense to walk. She was probably right. We arrived at the B&B at Long Buckby about 5.40 pm, 54.3 miles after Stow. The landlady could not believe that we had come up Newham Hill as we discovered it was called.

Day 3: 18 October Fog! The forecast was depressingly right. Even the mighty Newnham Hill could not be seen. Our breakfast was a great deal better than yesterday’s dried and dismal fare served up by Stow YHA. It gave us the ‘oomph’ to cycle up the hill we’d walked up to the curry house yesterday. I did however have to stop at the top to put a plaster on 23

a blister caused by my soon to be ex-fetid footwear. From Buckby village we cycled on to Brixworth through some exceedingly pretty villages, many of which had thatched houses which I had not expected.

We had coffee in the library in Brixworth, which is run by the local Christian fellowship. Fabulous value, and as Jane and I had our cake and tea (Deborah had a ‘Scooby snack’ as she put it, outside) a fellow CTC member came over as he recognised Jane’s CTC shirt. He very kindly told us we’d need lights for the tunnels on the ex- railway path going up to Market Harborough. The tunnels had no lights and were rather uneven, so I went first as I had a bright light and Jane and Deb followed. Quite a few dog walkers were around and the drivers that we encountered later were considerate. A contrast to the Chipping Norton set where 4 wheel drives hurtle though country roads at high speed, taking no prisoners.

Cotswolds after Long Buckby

The Red Lion at Great Bowden was our lunch stop, with a helpful mural of a red lion just in case there was any doubt as to the name of the pub. The guys behind the bar obviously worked out a lot as shown by their tight T shirts and strategically sited tattoos. I daresay they doubled as bouncers. A bonus that the food was good!

From the pub we deviated from the cycle route, which confused Jane’s Garmin. We went over and down a few hills into, and up a large hill along a winding road towards Uppingham, and at some stage arrived in Rutland.

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Eye Brook Reservoir It was still very overcast, and it was hard to work out where the Eye Brook reservoir stopped and the sky started.

We continued along a scenic route round the reservoir via Monton and the Rutland Reservoir circuit to Oakham.

We arrived at the B&B looking rather mud splattered and after an initial look of horror our hosts rallied round and even found Harrods carrier bags to cover our saddles to protect them from rain.

The reason for visiting Oakham was the presence of the Grainstore Brewery, which serves its own well-kept ales and cider. However it didn’t serve food on the day we arrived! We sat down and had a half pint each of the first ale. Deb commented – 120 miles for a half pint? To which Jane replied that we would have 2 half pints! During the day, Jane and Deborah had been dreaming of carb saturated pub grub: cottage pie; steak & kidney pudding, fish pie…fantasising in fact. It was therefore as two children in a sweet shop that they eyed the menu in the Odd House, which had all the favourites. It had one of my favourites too, Abbot Ale, so everyone finished the evening very happy.

Day 4: 19 October The skies were gloomy at 7 30 when we had our breakfast. In fact the rain pounded down on the glass roof of the conservatory which doubled as the dining room. However our host provided an excellent breakfast and the rain stopped although there were a few drops as we made our way through the rolling countryside up to Loughborough. Jane spotted Daisy’s tea rooms near Rothley as we progressed up yet another hill to Quorn our intended stop. We meandered through Brooklea nursery to the café which had the most delicious selection of cakes and scones – some purchased for ‘ron’. It was now my turn to be the kid in the sweetie shop. It is a 10* amongst cafes with Tony the owner doing his own baking; I just did the eating.

It was also here that Jane persuaded Deborah she might like to become the new Editor of The Tourist!

Feeling well fed, but sorely tempted to stay for the lunchtime pie, we nevertheless tore ourselves away and headed off toward Loughborough. From Loughborough we went along off road routes which were rather lovely, going past canals from the river Soar.

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Cycle Route Canal

We stopped by a vulture statue en route for lunch. The off road route had a number of different statues along it, and these appealed. We also needed to eat our lunch!

Lunch stop last stop: Vultures and Velocipede riders…spot the similarity

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Fortified by more provisions from Daisy’s we hammered through the old railway Cloud Path to Melbourne, where we turned off to Chellaston arriving around 2.30 pm. 43.75 miles on from Oakham and 1530 ft climb. This marked the end of our route, and the end of my helmet. Too much for it the foam at the front and finally the head band had given way, falling apart in my hands. With a ceremonial flourish it was deposited into the bin. I reckoned up the cost of the trip: new jacket, new shoes and now, a new helmet. Was it worth it? Of course, if only for the cakes and Ale! Three Women off Bikes

1.5 Women

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Annual Café Award?

Last Sunday (13 April), Sue Hawkins + 2 arrived at the Old Dairy cafe (opposite the church) in Pucklechurch just after 16.00 as they were about to lock up. Instead of turning them away as many would, the café staff made the riders, who promptly ordered some much-needed ta and cake, very welcome. A happy outcome for all!

This made Sue wonder about the club (Bristol ) having an annual cafe award; it may be too much work, but it would be interesting to look into the feasibility, if people think it would be a good/fun thing to do. So far, the response has been positive.

This may be an idea for each group – so please keep an eye out for further details, but in the meantime if you would like the Tourist to feature your favourite spot, or a new place, please email touristeditor@ctcwest.org.uk with details.

New cafes: The Cheltenham club are always looking for new cafes within reach of Cheltenham and have recently started using the Berry Blue Café in Cam. This fairly new venue would also be within range for rides from north Bristol.

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CTC West Club Awards

Marion Teal – Winner of the Baker Merit and the Tourist Trophy Best Article awards.

Presenting the awards is Anne Meredith.

Tony Hayler won the Arthur Powell and Nik Perigrine won the Norman Booth awards.

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From the Groups Cheltenham The club rides on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays (morning and evening) which seems to satisfy most people and despite the wet weather, as far as I know, every planned ride has been attended! There’s always someone who is determined to go out whatever! Our oft used route westwards over the River Severn at Haw Bridge has been flooded for some weeks now, necessitating some diversionary tactics.

As a new venture, Marie Cook has organised a couple of Ladies’ rides which have taken a leisurely circular course around the minor roads and cycle paths of Cheltenham.

Mark Rigby continues with his comprehensive year-round selection of Audax events, putting on Mr. Pickwick’s Cymraeg Cyrch 200 km, Kings, Castles, Priests and Churches 200 km and Mr. Pickwick’s January Sale 200 km over the winter months, all starting and finishing at Tewkesbury.

We are always looking for new cafes within reach of Cheltenham and have recently started using the Berry Blue Café in Cam. This fairly new venue would also be within range for rides from north Bristol. We have tried the Berry Blue Café in Cam two or three times during the last few weeks and OK so far although last time, despite appearing to have plenty of staff, the service was glacially slow. I had to wait for 45 minutes to receive my order!

And that only after I had made one complaint and one threat to cancel! As I say, it has been OK in the past, so maybe they were having an ''off'' day!

The Cotswold Touring Weekend had a better-than-average turnout with nearly 80 riders. We provided space for caravans or indoor camping for those who stayed overnight. The main rides were on Saturday, all rides visiting the Welland village hall where club members were busy providing refreshments. From there, the 'A' ride made a loop around the Malvern Hills and the 'B' and 'C' rides enjoyed the lanes around the Severn and Avon valleys.

A shorter ride on Sunday took us south of Gloucester and visited the docks on the return. The event was rounded off by nearly everyone sitting down to a lunch in Apperley village hall. Here the Trophy (a framed Cotswold picture awarded each event) for the group with the greatest 'miles times members' was awarded.

We were fortunately blessed by better weather than had been forecast and a great deal better than the miserable conditions of two years ago!

We always manage to rustle up a few members for the annual Carol Service and last year was no exception. The tea laid on by Stroud Group was as always impressive.

Swindon In spite of the continual wet weather from the start of 2014, we have had good support for the Saturday rides.

We held our annual “Hotpot” ride on 6th April, trying out the new venue of the Lakeside Café at Lake Pochard, in the Cotswold Water Park.

At Easter, a party of 12 or so headed down to the New Forest, with the weekend of cycling centred in Burley.

Of the 12 members that made the weekend, 7 cycled down on Good Friday, while 4 took bikes with a car, and one with a motorhome. Accommodation was also split between YHA, B&B and Motorhome.

At a group meal on the Friday evening, at the Burley Inn, plans for the Saturday rides were made. A group of 5 elected to head for Buckler’s Hard, taking in a route south of Brockenhurst, through Sway, Boldre, Pilley, Norleywood and East End. The roads from Burley to Sway were somewhat busy, but from then on to Bucklers’s Hard, quiet with great views over the Solent.

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The remaining group of 7 elected to head for the coast at Mudeford. The route from Burley heading through Bransgore, before picking up the cycle route to Christchurch and Mudeford. Seaside and ice-creams – what could be better? A good day, with fine weather was had by all.

The weather turned for the worst on Sunday, with rides cut shorter and to recoup the energy for the return journey to Swindon on the Monday. The weather returned favourable on the Monday, but insisted on a downpour when members were within spitting distance of home.

Amanda Caswell has again taken on monthly day-rides, commencing on 10th May. These day-rides give time to explore a wider choice of routes than our 1pm Saturday starts normally allow.

Our annual 100-miler is scheduled for Saturday 21st June, and we expect a hardy bunch to take on the fairly testing route.

The current route for the club’s annual ‘100 miles in 12 hours’ was designed some four years ago. The route runs basically in a semicircle south of Swindon, and incorporates a shorter 100km route. As members live at differing locations around the Swindon area, the 100 miles is door to door, so including distance to the start point at Coate Water.

The following is a rough outline of the route, not a detailed listing: from Coate Water we head east through Liddington, taking unclassified roads to Aldbourne, heading for the first stop at Hungerford. After refuelling in the Tutti Pole café in Hungerford, we head into the Pewsey Vale, through the Bedwyns, past the Crofton Pumping Station to Burbage.

The route then roughly follows the path of the Kennet And Avon canal, through Wooton Rivers, Alton Barnes. It is here that those wishing to complete the 100km route, will return to Swindon via Marlborough. For the others, onwards to Allington and Horton.

The lunch stop is made at then at the canal side pub by Horton Bridge. The continuation of the route after the lunch stop, begins with the climb at Bishops Canning, across the main road, then heading for Calne. After navigating Calne, there is the climb and drop of Bremhill before heading to Sutton Benger. From here we cross the M4 to Upper Seagry, Stanton St Quinton, Hullavington, Norton and Foxley, before arriving in Malmesbury for the third stop, tea and cake I think?

On the return run now, from Malmesbury through Milbourne and Garsdon, then to Hankerton and Eastcourt, before entering the Cotswold Water park at Oaksey, to head back to Swindon via Ashton Keynes. As the crossroads near the Cricklade railway is reached, members head for their respective homes, and should have accomplished the full 100 miles.

Bath We’ve had a full programme of all day Sunday rides and support had been good for a small group averaging about 7 sometimes peaking at 11 members.

We had a very successful Christmas lunch at Broughton Gifford where there was, I believe, a record number of 31 diners, comprising CTC members, their spouses and supporters. At the lunch it is the tradition to present the awards: • The Edward Grainger award went to Stuart Jackson for organising weekends away, midweek and other rides.

This year Stuart has organised a weekend in Cambridge to the see the Tour de France.

• The Martin Dean award provided by Martin’s widow. The criterion for this award is at the discretion of the Secretary. Colin Daws was the recipient for leading most rides while taking into account the mileage.

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Bicycle Quotations

QUIZ - Answers •

To bicycle, or not to bicycle: that is the question. o To be, or not to be: that is the question. William Shakespeare

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Bicycles are a girl's best friend. o Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Marilyn Monroe

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You should ride a bicycle for twenty minutes every day, unless you're too busy; then you should ride for an hour. o You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day, unless you’re too busy; then you should sit for an hour. Zen saying

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Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him a bicycle. o Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.

Abraham Lincoln

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Jacqui Hall Westbury on Trym 0117 9504656 jacqui@habgoodhall.plus.com

Jacqui Hall will be exhibiting her floral watercolour paintings on 10 & 11 May (11 am – 5 pm) as part of the BS9 Art Trail at Venue 35, Stoke Lane in Westbury on Trym www.bs9arts.co.uk

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