THE COTSWOLDS

I first met Jaana and Bill exactly 10 years ago on a cycle ride in Cuba.  Last weekend, we met up to explore the Cotswolds by bike.

Meeting regularly, we always cycle bye-lanes to explore the countryside and find great pubs.  Often we see somewhere special in some way and plans for the day are changed while we stop to have a look. 

Our previous rides have been a mixture of challenges from hard to easy.  Bill accompanied me on Lon Las Cymru, 250 miles across Wales on what some say is the most challenging road ride in Britain while Jaana has been with me across Scotland and Norway. 

The Cotswolds in late February in brilliant sunshine are hard to beat.  We started at Princes Risborough, cycled to Oxford and on to Witney where we stopped overnight.  As we rode, a flock of 15 red kites gave a stunning display swooping down into the furrows as a farmer was ploughing his fields.

The next night found us in a pub just outside Stroud.  We followed a route on the National Cycle Network that was a mixture of canal paths, quiet roads, gentle hills and small towns.

 
At Frampton on Severn on the following day, we parted company.  Jaana and Bill cycled to Gloucester to meet a train home while I pedalled south to Bristol.  Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire are well worth exploring and as always cars leave us alone while we are on the National Cycle Network.

Our next ride is already planned.  We resume at Gloucester to head north close to the River Severn.

THE AVOCET RIDE

Nature at this time of year can be wonderful and my ride with three friends to Bere Alston Peninsula, near Plymouth, did not disappoint.  It is easy to travel here by train (15 minutes from Plymouth) but long and tedious by car.  This is where the Rivers Tamar and Tavy meet and the unspoilt village of Bere Ferrers stands sentinal. 

Standing on Bere Ferrers ancient quay, we see lapwings, shelducks, snipe, curlew and lots of gulls.  We move upstream beside the Tavy on to a muddy track where we find a loan egret hunting prey.

It is sunny but cold and a log fire beckons in the Plough at Bere Ferrers but not before one of us has a puncture. This ancient inn is welcoming and the food good. Afterwards we set off to find the Tamar and stop to admire the salt marsh just downstream from us. Out in front are two flocks of avocets quietly feeding on the mud flats. These are the most beautiful of birds and it is hard not to be entranced. Further one we encountered more avocets and just visible were, I think, a flock of knots. We returned to the train station via the Tavy where we had been this morning to find a flock of oyster catchers.

One of my daughters, not to be outdone, sent me a photo of herself on top of Sticklepike in the Lake District while we were on our ride. I have not heard of Sticklepike before and must check that out.

LOOKING BACK AT 2011

Fast flowing rivers, craggy outcrops, ancient woodlands and plentiful wildlife make the backdrop for my cycle rides around Southern Dartmoor. Looking towards the coast are livestock rich pastures where farmers supply our local shops with fresh meat, vegetables, milk and cream. Cycling in this environment is special and means being at one with nature.

So, when Sustrans invited our volunteer group early in 2011 to help plan a new cycle route through this countryside, I was eager to share my part of Dartmoor with others.

Highlights of my year ranged from cycling the Pennines and Lake District in the Spring to an Autumn ride through the gentle rolling hills of Berkshire, Wiltshire, Dorset and Somerset. 

My journey in June from Santander in Spain to Roscoff in Brittany was my longest at 750 miles.  This will become one of Europe's Eurovelo cycle routes. It was a mixture of spectacular scenery, fascinating wetlands and less interesting cityscape.  I am not over keen on big towns but the Guigenheim Museum at Bilbao proved to be an architectual gem. I found however the sculptures exhibited not to my taste.

My most challenging ride was on the Hebridean island of Mull.  There is a ride of just under 100 miles around the island that forms a figure of eight.  I have done it before in the summer 4 years ago. It takes you around the coast, up into the hills and around several lochs. It is as close to wilderness cycling as can be found in Britain.  Sea eagles, Europe's largest bird, fly above you, deer come close, hen harriers dive for their prey in front of your eyes.  It is a truly spectacular journey.  This time however the weather was against me.  The winds howled and squalls hit me with full force every now and again. My legs wobbled early and at 43 miles I called it a day totally exhausted.  What these rides all had in common had taken me into environments where nature still rules and I love it.

 Next year is a new challenge. There is to be a 50/50 cycle challenge for Devon Wildlife Trust so please keep watching. I plan another long distance ride in Europe and want to help Sustrans with more routes in Devon.

SEASONS GREETINGS AND KEEP PEDALLING

BIKE FRIDAY

The last time I met Andy, it was cycling with him though Norway, Sweden and into Denmark.  Since then, he has cycled across the mountains of Wales and on a 2,600 mile ride to the Black Sea.  He arrived in Plymouth last Wednesday on a Bike Friday.  It looks like a city bike but he says it has 30 gears, carries panniers and ideal for touring with day rides of 50 miles or more.

We left Plymouth's stunning waterfront by water taxi and I took him on a 50 mile journey through the beautiful South Hams countryside.  On Boxing Day, Bike Friday leaves the UK with Andy for 6 weeks in Thailand.  If he does a blog, I shall be his first follower.

Four days previously, I met my friend Jaana who also cycled 500 miles with me through Norway as well as Cuba on another trip.  We explored the lanes of Berkshire, Wiltshire and Somerset.

The weather was pleasantly warm for the time of year.  We wandered alongside the Kennet and Avon Canal, then onto quiet lanes, back to the canal, through tiny villages and small towns.  We started at Reading and pedalled onto Bradford on Avon.  Just before Bath, we turned left to cycle to Wells and Taunton.

We were amazed at the number of canal boats.  I especially liked those of residents where the roofs were covered in logs and bikes were strapped onto the sterns.  This was definately eco-living. 

I cycled 187 miles this week and First Great Western Trains secured 3 return tickets for ourselves and our bikes.

AUTUMN IN DEVON

Autumn can be a great time to be out on the bike but keeping motivated in Winter is more of a challenge.  It takes about 3 days at Xmas for me to put on 5kg and 6 weeks to lose it again!  I find January especially hard to keep motivated.

So what's new?

Autumn has brought some big rains.  Our green lanes in Devon often fill up because the drains are blocked with leaves.  I was caught out 3 years ago trying and failing to cycle this lane!  No, it is not a river.

I have lots of ideas for what's left of this year and 2012.  I shall shortly try a cycle route new to me from Reading to Taunton alongside the R. Kennett and through Wiltshire.  I am hoping for great scenery, wildlife and pubs with roaring log fires.

The avocets are coming!  These stunningly beautiful birds overwinter in South Devon and can be seen by bike.  Last winter, my friend, Libby and I pedalled alongside the River Exe to discover not just the avocets, but a kingfisher as well.  Another place is beside the River Tamar at Weir Quay, easy to cycle to from Bere Ferrers train station.  A great place to see wading birds in winter on a bike is the Tarka Trail in North Devon.  These are all accessible by families with young children.

I have just received an invitation to join a 127 one day charity ride through Snowdonia next July.  Ouch, that sound's fierce.  My favourite charity is Devon Wildlife Trust and I want to ride it.  Do I have any sponsors?

And, finally, why not follow me on twitter where I shall be giving my fun ideas for the winter.

ISLAY AND JURA

Sylvia and I have just completed our Hebridian journey with days on Islay and Jura.  These islands are homes to wildlife and whisky.  There are 9 distilleries here, or is it 10?  There is an abundance of wildlife here.

We ask where we can see a golden eagle and at the exact spot we find two, both of which are very close to us.  Further along, 15 choughs dance and sing around us.  To reach this point we have passed thousands of barnacle geese that have just arrived from Greenland.  We also pass over 20 hares in the fields and more deer than I have ever seen.  These are wild animals and they share the fields with sheep and cattle all with the approval of the landowners.  Earlier we saw an otter swimming and catching fish.  A landowner on Jura is building a new hydro plant to power the island so less fossil fuels will be used. 

I completed 160 miles on my bike.  We leave Islay tomorrow for our long journey back to Devon.

THE ROADS TO IONA

Yesterday, I completed my figure of eight cycle ride around the Hebridian Isle of Mull.  I started at the tiny village of Salen on the east coast.  The derelict pier is now home to shags who use the tops of the posts to rest while digesting their latest meal of fish.  Every post is used and as soon as one is vacant, another shag immediately takes its place.