What a wonderful ride. 3 weeks in southern and central England, peddling away with my trailer behind me. Up hill and down dale. Rough roads, smooth roads, steep ones and flat. Picturesque scenery and best of all were the people whose company I enjoyed on my journey.
Temporary friendships, maybe, but the warmth and quality of the connections makes a worthwhile impact for both parties and continually reinforces my interest, faith and trust in people the world over.We learn from and enjoy each other in our diversity.
It started on the 5 hour train journey south to Exeter in East Devon. Train staff were friendly and helpful. I was helped on and off the trains with my bike and trailer. Three disembarking commuters rushed to help when I almost missed one train! They said "just Jump On" and then shoved bike and trailer in after me as the doors popped shut. Phew! The guard came along later and apologised for yelling at me. He was anxious to get the train moving on time.
A young man by the name of Sim struck up a conversation immediately and we chatted all of the way south. A most interesting person, just finished University but already working in his chosen exciting career as an expedition photographer and outdoor adventure trainer. He has already travelled in many interesting parts of the world, revelling in climbing, white water rafting and many other active fun pursuits.
From Exeter YHA I enjoyed a gorgeous ride south towards Plymouth, past Torquay and up a killer hill to Paignton. All day I was right beside the beach and basking in the warm sunshine. I climbed a knoll and sat surveying the scene from a cliff face whilst I ate lunch. The train line is practically on the beach and so provides a great ride. I peddled. It was all very colourful and cheerful with many bright flowers in baskets and beds. Pensioners were everywhere, licking ice creams as they took advantage of their free bus trips on the long coastal route.
After a very comfortable and social evening at the hostel I cycled down the other side of the river Exe to Exmouth, mostly on bike routes but a couple of times battling for space with large lorries before finding a rail trail up through parks and woodlands in the sunshine.
I must add that I am never alone for long. Every time I stop for any reason I attract people. Fascinated by my rig and a woman cycling alone. Especially when I stop and boil the billy for a cuppa, no-one seems to do that here! Then I open my mouth and they always know that I am an Aussie. They have so many questions and lots of helpful suggestions as to which route to take. I have learnt to keep my plans loose enough to incorporate their local knowledge into my day.
I had a great day but oh boy the challenge was huge for me. To start with four such steep looonnng hills. A bit like the Little Engine that Could! I think I can I think I can ....Oh my gosh, can I get to the top? Yes of course. Even though I had to walk some bits. One hill, two hills done then the hill at Salcombe Regis. So very steep and long. I separated bike and trailer and was relaying them up the hill barely able to pull the trailer up the steep incline. A genteel older lady and her spaniel popped out of the woods. She insisted on helping me pull the trailer up. A few yards on and a council garden lorry pulled up in front of us. Out jumped two likely lads and said, "here ladies, we can take that for you." I was 3/4 up the hill but they threw bike and trailer in the back on top of garden refuse, I thanked my lovely lady helper, waved goodbye and rode to the top sitting up between the lads in the lorry. Whooosh, down the other side I flew. Yippee.
Hill four was hard and although I looked hopefully at drivers no-one stopped. A number gave me the thumbs up and a cheery wave as I almost ended up in the riotous roadside stinging nettles when I moved in close to the hedges to let them past.
The village of Branscombe was so pretty as I descended down to Beer. I saw several grey squirrels that day.
Beer Head camp park was at the top of a steep hill overlooking white cliffs through a sea mist. Curious people stopped by regularly as I sat on my little foam mat and warmed my baked beans and boiled up a cuppa or cooked my morning porridge. Another friendly night but packing up in rain was a bit of a "damper".
Town buses do not carry bikes but in pouring rain a driver took pity on me and I folded my bike and loaded my trailer on to escape some of the 6 wet hills on a day where my road profile looked a bit like this:- WWWW
My panic was justified. Many times cars backed up to let the bus through narrow wet steep roads bordered by 12ft hedges lined with the ubiquitous stinging nettles. Where would I have fitted into this picture with my bike and trailer?
Again my fellow passengers were fascinated and full of advice. Especially one old auburn haired harridan. What a character! She smartly and fiercely disputed other passengers directions whilst being all sweetness and light to me. She had everyone smirking and giving me the wink. How funny.
Riding into the tiny village of Litton Cheney,West Dorset the weather fined up and I went on an exploratory circuit to Bridport and Burton Bradstock.
The YHA was great...an old cheese factory with a cycling warden who produced maps and helped me plan a cycle friendly route for the next day. Great, a real success with a short train journey through the city of Bournemouth.
At Litton Cheny my room mate Gloria, 3 cyclists and I had a great night out at the White horse Inn next door. The Morris dancers were cheeky and we had a ball joining in with them.
I was thrilled at Brockenhurst to see the wild ponies from the New Forest wandering amongst the traffic in the village. They have legal right of way and the whole area has cattle grids to keep them from wandering into houses or too far afield. In the forest are ponies, deer and pigs. The pigs are needed to eat the acorns so that the ponies don't eat too many. The acorns cause digestive problems in horses.
I cycled up a rail trail into the forest to stay in the Burley YHA. A mansion in the forest with some very congenial guests. The sitting room was the hub and people wandered in and joined in with their tales of adventure throughout the evening. Uday, who had brought his family and Ian were two whose company I found particularly enlivening.
Onwards to Fordingbridge and a very pleasant evening with Warm Showers cycling hosts Mike and Anita. Mike was brilliant in that he led me along rural roads skirting around hills for 18 miles the next day. Mike and Anita divide their lives into canal boat living, staying in their flat and cycle touring the world.
At Cholderton YHA I was given a warm welcome as the proprietor of the 40 acre Cholderton Charlies Childrens Farm and YHA had just completed a Lands End to John O' Groats ride and was fascinated by my travels. It was an upmarket hostel with ensuite bathrooms for each dorm and a link through to the farm and cafe. I dined out that evening and wandered around the farm with other guests.
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| Cholderton YHA |
The next day I first avoided a heavy downpour by swimming laps in a military/civilian pool in Tidworth and had a lovely hot shower afterwards. Gr8. I then followed army Major Glen's directions and travelled through the slightly spooky and gloomy Savemake ( "savva makky") Forest. I stopped at times to eat sweet and juicy wild raspberries.mmmm. Nobody around at all.
I arrived at my new warm showers hosts, Bill and Pip. They looked after me beautifully and Pip and I leant over the maps as she showed me the very best route to follow next day. 50 miles to delightful Bourton on the Water in the Cotswolds. If you haven't got a thatched roof around here you are the odd one out .It was a good ride and Pip's directions worked a treat.
A heavy downpour for which I was unprepared left me soaked and chilly brrrr. I couldn't face my planned night in a tent and so luxuriated in a B&B with a long soak in a hot bath. My hostess was a bit taken aback at my bedraggled appearance. She was non too pleased when I padded through in wet socks leaving foot prints right through the house.
I couldn't cook a meal there nor could I return with warm food so I sat on a bench in town and ate poor quality Chinese take away food. The village was booked out. There were queues for restaurant tables and hot chips was my only other option. Give me the YHA any day. They have well equipped self catering kitchens and comfortable sitting rooms and dining rooms with good social contacts. In a B&B you are isolated in your room.
Next stop, Stratford on Avon. Another really interesting and attractive town. Packed out with summer holiday makers.Shakespeare's name is written large here.The river was full of row boats or cruise boats. The passengers enjoying the scenery and sunshine and a great many white swans also cruising about. An Indian movie was being filmed on the banks with a large crowd watching from the Bridge as the star swooned in a row boat!.
At the YHA I came across Ian again with his friend Elke. Great to see him again. I had no booking for the next night anywhere. Saturday night in peak season and things were looking grim. I might have to walk the streets! Ian offered the back of his car. He was booked into the hostel. It would do at a pinch but would provide minimal comfort. I sent out a damsel in distress email.
Bob came to my rescue. We had got along very well when we shared adjoining seats on the flight from Singapore to Dubai back in March. I knew he lived somewhere near Birmingham but where? It turned out that he was only 35 miles away.
I peddled of with renewed enthusiasm, mostly on lovely country roads but oh dear Coventry was a cyclists nightmare. Several massive roundabouts with cars whizzing every which way towards the 8 exits and me peddling frantically through the melee hoping I would live to see the other side. Actually the traffic all gave way to me and despite arguments with my navigator which told me to take the second exit when it meant the 3rd exit (dumbo navigator) I made it.
Bob is always smiling and cheerful and soon had me comfortably ensconced in his large motor home parked in his driveway. I really enjoyed my 2 nights staying there. I loved his friends and he was so easy to relax with. Thanks Bob...wonderful R&R.
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| Ilam Hall YHA |
I cycled up near Derby to Ockbrook. I was in for a treat with Dianne my next Warm Showers host. Her husband was away. We spent the evening planning the next day and enjoying Dianne's tasty home cooking. Dianne has great flexibility in her job and decided she would rather ride to the Peak District with me than go to work. I was worried about my slow speed so Dianne solved that problem. She carried my 2 panniers full whilst I had a half empty trailer to tow. It was a fun day, we stopped for lunch in Ashbourne and continued almost to Ilam when I had a puncture. Maybe it was something to do with us following a hedge trimmer cutting the haw
thorne hedges!
Dianne turned back to ride the 30 miles home and I changed my tyre with a little help from a couple of blokes from a garage who loosened my tight wheel nuts for me. I then careered downhill to discover Ilam with it's lovely Swiss chalet style housing. The YHA 16th Century Ilam Hall is a National Trust Property, a Victorian Gothic Mansion set in large and beautiful parklands with peaceful walk trails along the Manifold river, great facilities and packed with interesting travellers.
After climbing up out of Ilam with spectacular views of the Peaks, I rode along the Tissington rail trail and picnicked in Rose Wood with a couple I met along the way. They directed me along yet another gravel trail and minor roads to Youlgreave YHA.
Luckily I had booked 2 nights because my trailer hitch had nearly shorn through! The local garage directed me to engineers at Rowsville. My navigator lured me off main roads as usual which took me through some very hilly country with 2 gorgeous villages. Stanton in the Peak was a really steep climb but as I wasn't towing the trailer I actually enjoyed it and the views were marvellous. I also visited Medieval and Tudor Haddon Hall. One of the Duke of Rutland's seats.
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| Haddon Hall |
The engineers were very obliging and for 10 pounds I had a stronger hitch connection. I spent the day riding around the local area exploring. I am definitely improving on hill climbing. Have to!
I continued on into Bakewell next morning and then on to the Monsal Trail, recently opened as a cycle path. It took me all the way across the southern Peak District to Wye past old station cafes and via several very long dark tunnels, dimly lit, eerie and fascinating. I rode into hilly Buxton. Again I didn't feel like camping so stayed at a B&B. Very comfortable and I ate a large breakfast. Buxton is a beautiful old spa town where people used to "take the waters" for the good of their health.
From Buxton I had a 40 mile ride to Warburton. How amazing, I really enjoyed the very long climb out of Buxton with a marvellous panoramic view as I strived up and over the top. I am definitely doing it easier now. The long descent was fantastic, not so rapid as to need to use my breaks much. I loved it and again got the thumbs up from some other cyclists. whoohooo!
I found the next !2 miles of canal path riding really interesting. There are many miles of canals to ride along with hundreds of colourful and quaint canal boats travelling along them. In this way, I skirted across the bottom of Manchester and on to busy Stockport where I had huge difficulty finding the River Mersey Pathway. Everyone I asked gave me different directions. Thoroughly frazzled in the late afternoon, I found it. The path was so rough that I didn't stay on it for long. I didn't have the time to go slowly over the rocks and holes.
I found my way onto busy roads, peddling furiously to make the next 20 miles to Warburton camp park. Not concentrating I rode flat out up a kerb on the bike path beside the highway and slipped sideways in loose gravel ...kerbang...I went down managing somehow to control my fall a little, flat on my back for a minute then I sat up. Two girls parked and came rushing over. I was bruised and had a grazed knee ( like a kid!). The girls were very comforting and one gave me a big hug before I peddled off, knee bleeding, with no time to lose.
The park was run by gypsies and there was a problem. The boiler had burst and there was no hot water at all. Help was at hand though. I really needed a hot shower not just to clean my sweaty body but to soothe the bruises and clean my cut knee. Seeing this the manager took me to a nearby house where she had organized for me to lock myself in alone and have a long hot shower or bath if I preferred. Wow that felt better.
I spent an enjoyable evening being social in a motorhome with Jo and Sheila, an interesting couple of teachers.
I packed up next morning and rode on to Carisbrook near Southport and set up my tent in a field on a farm campsite. Nigel who I had met at Arnside on my previous journey cycled down from Preston and we went for a coffee.
With plenty of space, excellent hot showers and a few friendly neighbours I enjoyed my 2 nights at Carisbrook. 5 year old Alex was concerned for me. He noticed that I was all alone and invited me to join his family for a cup of tea and some chicken. I loved his Liverpudlian accent but he was bilingual and spoke Polish also like his mother. He had a fantastic personality and really was the highlight of my stay there. He and little brother Conrad went backwards and forwards from their tent to mine continually. I loved their company, so enthusiastic, inquisitive and cheerful.
I rode into nearby Southport, a seaside resort and very busy but really interesting. I did a bit of "ladies" shopping at the sales. Bargain shoes and charity shop pants to work in. I wandered through some of the many game parlours, fascinated by the crowds throwing away their money and smiling at the same time...and they keep telling me that I am amazing! I didn't join the few swimmers on the cool, grey, cloudy day as they frolicked around in knee deep brown water beside the long pier. Not tempting at all after all of the years spent swimming in the crystal clear balmy waters of the Great Barrier Reef!
On my last day I cycled the last 30 miles beside the main road for much of the journey. I wasn't ready to stop peddling and rode along the Lytham waterfront delaying my journeys end. I had a super time. I loved it.
Now for 4 weeks work and then I am off to peddle around parts of France. Je suis Australian...Au secours..Au secours!
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