Calamity

Four  Days Cycling

Hugs and Goodbye to Marie. I will return to spend more time as her carer. We enjoyed ourselves.

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I travelled by train south to Shrewsbury in the heart of Shropshire. Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury and it has very many heritage listed houses including a lot of Tudor style buildings, distinctive by their black stripes on a white background. I spent a couple of hours cycling along the River Severn as it encircles the town. It was really beautiful as rowing teams paddled up past the white swans. Willow trees with their new greenery hung over the water and blossoms covered many trees and as always  there were masses of daffodils and a variety of  of other spring flowers.


The park was full of people out walking and pick-nicking in the warm sunshine. I brewed a cuppa and had some lunch, chatted to a few locals and peddled up the steep hill to the town centre.

I then cycled further south to the pretty village of All Stretton where I asked directions to the bunkhouse I was to stay in. It was up a winding gravel path and set on the base of the very steep hills. I checked in and found that I was sharing the quaint old converted barn with 8 mountain biking men. Smiles!

Whilst they were off on a late cycle I walked the hills. I soon joined up with Steve and his dog. Steve was also a mountain biker and was checking out the slopes for a riding trip. We climbed right up to the highest ridge where we had a superb view of hills and valleys for miles around.

The "Sweaty Helmets"  were a lovely group. They invited me to join them at the village pub for a drink and a meal. English pubs are wonderful cosy havens with golden lamplight and warm fires in cosy little rooms. Jim, the "Grand Helmet" due to his seniority presented an award for the most outstanding cyclist that day. The award was a pink furry pair of pigs ears and a curly wurly tail guaranteed to cling to the helmet at very high speeds.

Here is the bunkhouse....cosy isn't it?

There were men running around in towels as all were chivying each along to vacate the one shower.

A night at The Yew Tree Pub

Those blokes sure know how to cook up a good breakfast which they offered to share with me. Bacon and eggs, toast, tomatoes, sausages and mushrooms and black pudding. I ate my baked beans.

I rode off next morning and pffft, flat tyre... a thorn. I locked my trailer to a post and walked back to the bunkhouse where Peter helped me to change it. They had a better pump than me. John gave me 2 pieces of his special oats, orange juice and ginger cake to give me energy for the day.It was delicious, yum, wish I had the recipe

I am currently not quite such good friends with my Garmin. It decided that the A49 was not for me...a good decision ...BUT... instead it guided me up a verrry  long steeep hill. Dragging my trailer behind me. The last part of Lyth Hill was gravel. Admittedly I was treated to a birds eye view of green farmland with black faced sheep dotted about the hills.
My Garmin also tried to take me on an eleven mile loop later on to avoid 4 miles of the A49 which wasn't so busy anyway. That time I argued with my navigator and won!


The down hill was a delight however and the scenery as always on my country rides was delightful.


It was a long day to Hereford. A day of April showers and hail. I sheltered in the lee of a barn and brewed another hot drink and some lunch until the sun shone through again..I had a head wind but the quaint villages, flowers and trees in blossom everywhere made for an enjoyable day. I was dressed warmly. Thank goodness for my new thermal cycling pants and my leg warmers and my arm warmers and my thermals and my woolly hat and my goretex on the top! I had never worn so much to cycle in.


Arriving in Hereford at 4.30pm I had a wait until my warm showers hosts were due home at about 6pm. The shops were all closed being a Sunday so I cycled up hill to their house in hopes that they might arrive early.


No such luck...a phone call saying they actually wouldn't be home until around 8pm. They were parachuting from an old Russian biplane! Dan suggested I hang out at a warm pub nearby.  I was soaking wet and tired and grotty and didn't feel like a pub visit before a shower. I found a bucket and a tap in their yard, a cloth from my bag and proceeded to clean my mud covered bike and trailer and to clean and oil the chain. All of this in the cold evening with the rain still falling on me. Finally, thoroughly chilled, I decided I had better go to the pub.


I asked directions along the way and ended up instead sipping 2 hot cuppas whilst snuggled up to Barbaras fireplace having a lovely chat. All's well that end's well. Rosy cheeked and warm I walked back to Dan and Jens' home.


Dan and Jen soon were in my good graces by serving me up a delicious baked dinner and helping me with directions for the following days ride. They were good company and made me very welcome. It is always a relief to be part of a real family, including any ups and downs, at the end of a days ride instead of twiddling my thumbs in some guest house room alone. Dan also adjusted my gears for me as they had been slipping.


Next day was cold but dry, hooray! I rode to Gloucester and took the train to Chepstow. This was Dan's good plan to save me riding up at least half a dozen seriously steep and long hills. I just didn't have it in me to pull the trailer up them. It would also have meant cycling 115 kms or 72 miles mostly big hills. Am I getting old weak and feeble or what?


Getting off the train an elderly man assisted me to carry the trailer up the steps across the railway track. I was concerned that it would be too heavy for him. A nice man except for the fact that  he followed me for a while trying to convince me that I should get to know his friend Jesus. In haste I mounted my cycle and rode off, too late to turn back I was ascending yet another long steep hill. Every time I came to a crest it continued on. I missed looking through the castle because I wasn't going to ride down and up again.

The long descent to the Severn River 3 mile long suspension bridge was fabulous. It was absolutely awesome cycling over such a long bridge feeling it move as the traffic crossed.

My new warm showers host Jon came out to show me the way to their historic 250 year old house. What a treat to stay there. I had a snug and cosy room. Jon was a bike mechanic and replaced a missing screw for me. Pandora a woodwork teacher was delightful and they were looking a little like "The Good Life". We adjourned to the local pub for a friendly evening. Even dogs are welcome when their owners pop in for a quick pint whilst out walking. Another warm experience.


Jon worked out the best route for the day and it was working well until nearing Bristol I crashed.


I was mounting a low kerb to escape two large trucks. I made the mistake of approaching it with my wheels parrallel and it was a bit wet. The bike flicked sideways and I went down hard. My head and left shoulder took such a bang. I didn't move for a while! Then I rolled onto my front, head on my arms and two men approached to help me up. "are you alright?" they asked. I said yes but in reality I was stunned. I wandered on walking for a short way then mounted my BF rode a few yards and pffft another puncture.


It was so hard changing that tyre and pumping it up with my little hand pump, my headache and my very painful shoulder.I walked to a garage to get more air but although I put my 60p in I couldn't get air. Then I found a shop which had a pump.They pumped my tyre for me.


A short way down the road and it went flat again. The valve blew out this time. I now have a new back tyre!
I was so distressed. I prepared for another tyre change. I asked passers by if the train was close by. It wasn't.


Another man approached. A council garden truck had noticed my distress. They threw everything in the back of the truck and drove me to the station. They loaded me, my bike and trailer onto the train from Templemead, spoke to the guard who was very helpful and with a helper carried everything whilst I changed trains for Bath. Same again at the end and Lewis my new "warmshowers" host met me, took all of my belongings home and put me on the bus to the hospital. I was in pain. Xrays showed no breaks. I had a classic rugby injury of shoulder ligaments that had taken a severe bang. 


Unfortunately I lost my 2 week job that I had ridden four days to get to. I wasn't capable of turning up. I also vomited 3 times over the next three days and hurt in many places. I felt really ill.

Lewis was absolutely fantastic. He helped me in every way he could. He twice went to the bike shop for tyres and tubes. He carried all of my gear home and back over a half hour walk to the train when I left. He walked to the hospital to bring me home. I was useless and so disappointed. Emma is a gorgeous girl. They are a young Sydney couple working in England. I stayed with them in the Marlborough Buildings opposite The Royal Crescent in historic Bath. It was a beautiful place. I stayed one day and did a guided walk tour.

The Avon River at Bath

Next Harry and Pam came to the rescue. They came into London to help me change from above ground to underground and back then out to St Neots. Meanwhile I had three willing young lads carrying my belongings on and off the first train. Harry and Pam took over from there and again I was concerned at the effort they were making on my behalf.

I am now recuperating at  Pam and Harry's. Well looked after and soon to be feeling lively again.


What a bother I was to so many but how wonderful were they. It goes beyond thanks. I the lady of many words cannot find enough to express my gratitude to them all.