Rose Pedals . . .

A Pleasant (but not completely dry) Ride to Woebley

Friday, June 9, 2017

Chepstow to Woebley, UK

54 miles, 3,152 feet of climbing

Same ride, different day - ups, downs, steeps, flats, hedgerows, scenery, cows, sheep, sun, and, of course, rain. Another great day on two wheels.

Elevation profile of today's ride

Clouding up

Blue sky!

Breakaway!

English Donkey

Stopped at the train tracks

Our accommodation at The Gables - a 450-year-old bed and breakfast

Our charming room

Surgeries?

OK, Enough With the Rain!

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Cheddar to Chepstow, UK

45 miles, 2,930 feet of climbing

Our route today started with a 5-mile climb out of the Cheddar Gorge, most of which I was able to accomplish before it started to rain for the umpteenth time this week. Good thing I don't mind wearing my rain gear, especially my particularly dorky yellow plastic helmet cover. After today's initial climb, we encountered just a few steepish climbs (to keep our legs honest) and one longer, moderate climb before the route flattened out around mile 26. At that point, it had also stopped raining, so, instead of stopping at a cafe for our daily cappuccino break, we decided to take advantage of the rainless window and power through to the end. We made good time and arrived at our destination town, Chepstow, early in the afternoon. We entered Wales when we crossed the River Wye at mile 40. On our way riding through the town centre to get to our hotel, we noticed a Route 66 Diner, so we stopped in for a bite. It was great - a quaint slice of "Americana" to enjoy here in the UK. Our hotel for the night is the Castle View Inn, which, as the name suggests, is situated in view of Chepstow Castle, the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain. Construction of the Chepstow Castle began in 1067, was completed in 1300 and was in use as a military stronghold until 1685. The rich history of the structures in the country is fascinating, hundreds of years of history.

Elevation profile of today's ride

Climbing out of the Cheddar Gorge

Goats greeting us near the top of the climb

No shortage of cows in this country

Cheerio!

Rain happens

Looks like a phone booth . . .

. . . but it's actually a library!

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head . . .

Crossing the Avon Bridge

The Route 66 Diner in Chepstow

Cappuccino for him . . . a milkshake for me

The Castle View Hotel

The Chepstow Castle

Beware of?

Everything's Better Heading to Cheddar

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Sampford Peverell to Cheddar, UK

49 miles, 2,762 feet of climbing

Everything is better when heading to Cheddar because it didn't rain today! Sunshine, light wind and plenty of times to take in the scenery. The only big climb of the day was a one-mile climb we met around mile 17. Prior to that, we had a series of short steep bumps to get over, but, other than that, the rest of the ride was fairly flat or rolling. We made a cafe stop in the very busy town of Bridgewater at about the half-way point of our ride; we sat outside in the sunshine drinking our cappucino and tea.

Elevation profile of today's ride

Northern bound

Hedgerow riding at its best

Open road scenery

Cresting the climb

Riding on the "correct" side of the road (still feels odd to me)

Juxtaposition of pre and post-modern transportation systems

Art riding with our tour leader, Steve

Art - arriving in Cheddar, ready for his piece of cheese

Me and BOTF (bike of the future)

There's an alcoholic beverage named after me!

Walking up to the Cheddar Gorge

A Fun Ride to Peverell

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Tavistock to Sampford Peverell, UK

57 miles, 5,574 feet of climbing

Our tour leader recently informed us that the first three days of this tour are the most difficult of the entire tour. That is nice to know, especially considering today is day three. Nevertheless, it was another amazing day on the bike. We started the day with a seven mile "gentle-ish" climb in the sunshine, and, 57 miles later, ended our ride in the sunshine. In between, it rained intermittently - sometimes lightly and sometimes hard. I would estimate the lion's share of our riding today was done in the sunshine. For the second half of the ride, the terrain flattened out a bit and we were able to cruise along at a good speed. All in all, despite the rainy intervals, we had a fun ride with plenty of time to enjoy the spectacular views.

Elevation profile of today's ride

Cloudy, rainy interval

Sheep crossing

It was a sheepy day

Here we go again

Ending the ride in the sunshine

The bikes desperately need a bath!

Monsoon Riding

Monday, June 5, 2017

Perranporth to Tavistock, UK

56 miles, 6,552 feet of climbing

Today was a tough day in the saddle in many respects: heavy rain, high winds, steep climbs, narrow roads, and, to top it off, a road construction detour that added another steep climb to the day. But it was also an amazing day in many respects: we accomplished (and survived) one of the most difficult days of the tour with no flat tires, no injuries, and no wrong turns! So, it's a win! Today's ride started with a category 4 climb right out of the box. Then, it was basically up and down long steep climbs all day. Much of our route today took us over these extremely narrow hedgerow-lined country lanes - paved (sort of), but barely wide enough for a car and a bike to get by each other, let alone two cars coming in opposite directions. I had a number of close calls while trying to pass (or let pass me), cars, trucks, and several tractors. Picture tying to navigate all of this during a torrential downpour, winds gusting to 40 miles per hour, and wet brakes that aren't working very well. We did however, get to see a pair of wild ponies (photo below). Lots of drama, but also lots of laughs, as the two of us looked like drowned rats at the end of the ride. We walked into our hotel lobby - a pretty fancy hotel - drenched from head to toe. The staff couldn't have been nicer. After we warmed up and cleaned up, we had a very nice group dinner in the hotel dining room. It was fun hearing about everybody's experiences of the day. Tomorrow, the journey continues! Hopefully, with less rain. ☺️