So we got the 2 o clock train out of Southampton friday lunchtime heading west, i won't bother describing the typical hassles of UK bike on trains
and 2 hours later we roll out of Crewkerne, Somerset. Initially heading south-west on a mix of back roads, farm lanes and bridleways, some of the tracks were very wet and some of the fields unrideable. The on-off showers and the on-off of jackets was frustrating so as we hit some more rideable b-ways & the rain came in properly we were pleased to don coats and get riding. Then we hit the Wessex Ridgeway Path & resorted to walking the first climb & the second one; a steep drag up to the aerials at rampisham - which looked spooky suspended in front of us in the mist. A couple more pushes, more tracks & roads and we dropped through maiden newton with a great plan to cook up under the shelter of the railway bridge, which turned out to be flooded.
A hill or two later and the sun breaks and we get a couple of photos and roll on towards Cerne Abbas. We giggle at the large cock on the hill, like a pair of schoolboys as we descend into town to grab a well deserved pint, burger and some vaguely exciting parkin. We leave the pub in freezing rain, and ride/ push up a v. steep road and find an surprisingly peaceful bivi spot 100m from a A road. pleased to have hit our 25 miles target for the afternoon even if we were soaked by the end of it.
Saturday morning we woke to blue skies and a nice breeze. We take our time making breakfast and packing up. Only a few km and we are back on the wessex ridgeway path, complete with natty wyvern tail fingerposts. We travel a km or so and drop 200 m to a road and then push up 200m the other side.
This theme seemed to repeat for a long time - ride down quickly and then push up slowly. The low point of the day came when we came to a field that was foot deep ploughed mud, on a steep hill; we take the longer route of skirting the field edge - halfway round and the rain starts, jackets on, the rain turns to hail - reach the top of the field to then have to ascend a hillfort!! Even when we weren't pushing, the ground seemed to be hard going to the point where I seemed to be grinding along even on the flat. some flats were pushed because it was so churned up from cattle/ horses.
We were planning on stopping after half the miles, but midday had been and gone so we found a lovely spot by a river to brew up some noodles. another hour and a half of push/ slide about in the mud and i was a broken man; by this time i had decided that the only thing that could fix me was lucozade & i imagined that we would definitely find some in tollard royal at the end of the ridgeway path. When we got there there was no village shop but there was a very posh pub - who were very nice and didn't take offence to us dropping mud every where. Surprisingly there was no lucozade, i took the coffee option with james having a pint of ale. A chalky byway out of the village, past a very large house and through a field of newborn lambs & ewes. Turns out we shouldn't have been in the field with the sheep; but the farmer gave us directions out of the farm without making us turn around after we directed him to a lamb separated from it's mother.
one final push out of the sheep field and we meet the drovers trail; we manage to knock out 20km in under an hour and catch up our milage target, and our day was on the up. we crack on and cross salisbury and hit familiar trails as we manage to ride up to old sarum hillfort!! some lovely wooded singletrack takes us to a handy trailside bench for dinner. At some point we cross the days 80km target and manage to get a further 10km or so over. we end up in a pub that is riding distance from home, a few pints and bivi down in a familiar spot. definitely a day of two halves - the first half just seemed to last so bloody long.
An early start this morning and we are on the clarendon way; feeling very pleased that we are not far from home. i manage to come off when we hit a patch of extra greasy mud. no real damage and we continue on on a mix of familiar and new trails.
and then disaster; james realises his BB lockring has come loose & his crank is jammed- 40 minutes of trailside bodging with a tentpeg & a rock doesn't payoff; so with a call home it becomes a solo ride. A short walk down into the village, i take the maps off james and head home alone. I manage to get lost twice in a village i would otherwise claim to know well & i decide to stop and put the GPS on.
I ride up the last hill on a trail i'm sure i have ridden but don't recognise at all; I crest the top to the airfield to see a plane taxi and take off which was the first i've seen a plane move & i've passed the airfield 100s of times. rolled home to a hot shower and a bacon, cheese and fried egg sandwhich. :twisted:
150km all in and i'm well and truly knackered. I'll post up some pics later. :D
