COAST TO COAST THRU SHROPSHIRE AND THE WELSH BORDERS

My brakes squeeled as I came down the 25% slope off the western escarpment of Long Mynd. In front were a group of club riders riding very slowly in fear of brake failure while to my right I looked out over a wide valley with the River East Onny flowing through it. At the bottom, my brakes were too hot to touch and I was glad that they were still almost new. This was part of a 193 mile ride with my buddy, Andy, that started in Chester and finished in Chepstow.

Our first day took us along flat quiet country lanes to meet the River Severn where it does a loop around the centre of Shrewsbury.  Our only hill was as Andy warned the railway bridge coming out of Chester.  This was nice easy riding to get the body moving prior to the challenges of Long Mynd and the road south.  The journey so far was full of charming villages and rural tranquillity.

 

The sun, though cool, came out each day and the smiles widened as we realised that we had a following wind.  I thought "It cannot get much better than this".  Long Mynd was our first real challenge and this as where Andy moved ahead.  The club riders overtook but I was happy to extend my distance from two mountain bikers coming up behind.  They puffed and panted at the top then turned left to cycle over some cross country trails.  We joined NCN44 at Lydbury that took us up a hill just as steep as Long Mynd.  We followed this to Ludlow passing the The Apple Tree in Onibury only to turn back, not because we needed a stop but because it looked like a wow sort of pub.

A beer killed the rest of my afternoon's cycling but a chat with a couple of guys taking part in First World War songs and poems at Stokesay Court helped to mellow my mood.  I don't normally drink alcohol while on my bike because it makes me dozy so the remaing ride to Ludlow was really hard.

Ludlow seems to be a centre for food and festivals and here is Andy contemplated missing "The Fringe".

It was just 37 miles to our next stop at Hay on Wye. We cycled through Wigmore, Lingen, Staunton on Arrow and joined NCN825 to Kington. This section dazzled with glorious vistas, rolling hills, spring flowers and kites flying overhead.  Cycling does not come much better than this. At Hay, we join NCN42, the lower west section of Lon Las Cymru, Wales' epic coast to coast from Holyhead to Chepstow that I have done before.  Another epic hill follows as we climb the Gospel Pass.

At the top, a mist partially hid the scenery so we do not see it at its best.  On our left is Hay Bluff at 680m while to our right is Rhos Dirion at 713m.  A long downhill takes us to Abergavenny ready for final climbs to Usk and through the Wentwood Forest to Chepstow.  We ask if anyone can speak Welsh in Chepstow.  Few people do but one guy said he does.  I want to know the English translation for Lon Las Cymru.  I knew Cymru is Wales but the guy does not know Lon Las.  I check Wikepedia and it is Wales' Green Lane.  We have green lanes in Devon but none are 250 miles long

If you want to do this journey, the maps can all be purchased from Sustrans with these links: Shropshire,  Herefordshire and Lon Las Cymru.  Keep pedalling.

PLANNING A COAST TO COAST RIDE

Meet Andy.  I am travelling with Andy through Shropshire and down the Welsh borders.

Andy lives in Chester and he tells me there are no hills there, except over a nearby railway bridge.  In fact he has to cycle nearly 50 miles to find hills.  We have cycled together before and he powers up hills much faster than me, so I don't believe him.  Our plan is for a 4 day ride from Chester to Chepstow finding new cycle routes with a few coffee shops and pubs on route.

CELEBRATING THE BRITISH ISLES: THE STORY SO FAR

 

I have started my celebration of the British Isles and so far I have discovered lots of lovely coffee shop and pubs, all locally owned and very friendly. No big chains here.  I have cycled from Taunton to Weymouth and from Aylesbury to Cheltenham, two journeys full of beautiful countryside in Southern England.  Shortly I leave for a ride down the Welsh borders from Chester to Abergavenny with my friend Andy who I first met while cycling in Norway in 2010. Last weekend I toured part of the The Dartmoor Way between Okehampton, Tavistock and Buckfastleigh. This image is where I joined a group of riders from Sustrans on an event and we look back to Ugborough Beacon.

 

 

The Dartmoor Way is 95 miles long while so far this year I have cycled 1,000 miles.  In May I hope to visit Ireland and Scotland. There is so much to look forward to

THE SOUTH MIDLANDS: A SURPRISINGLY GOOD RIDE

I love the British Isles. It is full of stunning scenery, beautiful villages, varied wildlife and interesting people. It also has weather and it is not always good.  My second journey to celebrate these islands took me from the edge of suburbia at Aylesbury to Cheltenham last weekend, a distance of 107 miles along rural byeways and some farm tracks. I follow wherever possible the National Cycle Network and these are designed for the touring cyclist when out in the countryside. I went with my friend Jaana from Finland but who lives in London.
Aylesbury was a sea of new houses lined up like a builders' beauty contest. Jaana asked where everyone comes from and where do they work? I could not answer that but the tiny train station seemed woefully inadequate for its purpose transporting people to London.

Our route took us to Winslow, Buckingham and on to Banbury for the first night. These towns each have their slices of history. The centre of Banbury has a statue of a lady on a horse in celebration of the children's nursery rhyme "Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross" while Buckingham is home to a once infamous jail. The cycle route wibble wobbles around seemingly intent in finding as much of the countryside as possible. We cycle through little villages with houses old and new mostly made of brick. We find coffee stops in Winslow and a remote farm shop.
The second day took us into new terrain. The headwind was powerful and blowing in gusts. Every now and again, it would rain but occasionally the sun would peek through as if in apology. We discovered several stretches of farm tracks to overcome and no ordinary road bike would cater for these.

Our bikes slithered and slipped along these trails gathering large accumulations of mud as we went. A huge panorama opened up and we saw two deer dart out of some woodland. They ran across the open fields like a pair of athletes in competition until disappearing in the distance. We were now in the Cotswolds where the villages were now made from beautiful warm stone. We passed Evesham and stayed in a pub that looked reminiscent of the wild west but everyone was very friendly asking about our journey.

The final two miles to the train station at Cheltenham were a cyclist's dream. We cycled along a well constructed path that had no junctions with cars. Cycling in cities is so often tortuous with cars overtaking too close that it is not enjoyable.  Not so in Cheltenham as the route starts in the outskirts and follows an easy route into the city and train station. The distance cycled was 107 miles and most of our journey can be found on Sustrans map

TAUNTON TO WEYMOUTH: A WEEKEND RIDE

My first journey this year to celebrate the British Isles was last weekend and what a stunning ride I found. Leaving Taunton, I joined the National Cycle Network (NCN) route 3 to follow the Bridgwater Canal. We set off as a threesome and our plan was to discover hidden places on the Somerset Levels and Dorset Downs.

 It was about 9 miles alongside the canal where we had far reaching views to the east. This is the land that was devastated by macro flooding in early 2014 where villages were cut off and farms abandoned for weeks. There was even an express train marooned in the middle of the floods. The canal showed nothing this. We found much of a byegone age with elderly bridges, old houses and pill boxes, relics of the last war.
Leaving the canal at NCN339, we came to Moorland, one of the flooded villages and the cycle route
crossed a dyke still under repair where we needed to carry our bikes.

Burrowbridge is a small village in the middle of the Levels. In front is an articial drain and behind is the Mump, a mound with a church on top. "Shall we stop for lunch?" I ask. "It is too early" comes the reply but it was 2:1 and we stopped.
The King Alfred must lay claim to be a national treasure. It turns out that this unassuming inn was the centre of activity during the floods helping people with food and shelter. A girl on a bike with electric gears was outside and said she was hoping to reach Simonsbath. Inside it felt very homely with log fire, many guests, welcoming staff and meals for a fiver. I had a Somerset Smokie, smoked haddock in rich creamy sauce cooked as if it had just come off a North Sea trawler. The girl with the electric geared bike said not go to Muchelney as the cycle route was completely impassable.

We carried on to Langport where we joined the South Somerset Cycle Route through Somerton and overnight at Sherborne. The Levels turned into light hills and the hedge rows were alive with primroses. There was one large hill to climb just before Sherborne.
We now follow NCN26 and want a coffee. "Nothing will be open. It is Sunday" I hear. "There might be a pub but are we too early?" We arrive at the small village of Halstock where The Community Shop is open. This is another delightful sleepy village and we were made most welcome with coffee costing just 50p.

We cross the Dorset Downs and drop into a valley to discover the River Frome. Much of our path is now truly off road meandering along farm tracks. Some of the houses are made from flint. The river is a chalk stream and I wonder if it is full of wild trout and possibly grayling.

 

 

We ride on to Dorchester for a late lunch and NCN26 takes us into the centre of Weymouth, journey's end. The total distance for this ride is 85 miles and is on Sustrans Dorest Downs map 

 

 

CELEBRATING THE BRITISH ISLES IN 2015

This year I plan to cycle as much of the British Isles as time will allow. It will be my celebration how wonderful these islands are. My pictures will be my ride and birdsong will be my music. Wherever possible, I will use the National Cycle Network to celebrate its 20th anniversary of inception.

I hope that you will follow my travels and maybe enjoy these islands as much as I do.  I hope also to meet other people and find out what inspires them. Why not follow on twitter?

PORTRAITS OF PEOPLE WHO CYCLE DRAKE'S TRAIL

IT IS 20 MILES BETWEEN PLYMOUTH AND TAVISTOCK VIA DRAKE'S TRAIL. It is a wonderful route along an ancient river valley leading to a gentle climb into the western edge of Dartmoor. These are a few people I met on a ride recently.

Val is a ride leader for Breeze and Sky Rides who, like me, was checking out the route.  Hold it? Is that gold pedals I see?

Kathy Taylor took her nephew, Hugo, who is new to cycling.

It is all smiles for these cyclists.

 

Kathy Morley stops to talk to Colin. Is that a sheep on the bike behind her?

 

 Actually we have reached the half way point between Plymouth and Tavistock.

 

Setting off again

 

 

 It's Roger Turner, President of St Budeaux Cycling Club with Bill Nicholson of Sustrans. It must be a pub! Yes, they are at the Skylark at Clearbrook who laid on mince pies for everyone

 It's Bill again. Here he is with Sue Proctor and Glynne Miller



 

 

What a brilliant day! 65 riders took part. For more, why not read Cycle Tales in and around Plymouth