Rose Pedals . . .

A Hilly But Pleasant Ride to Hurst Green

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Acton Bridge to Hurst Green, UK

60 miles, 3,448 feet of climbing

Because today's ride was going to be one of our longer and hillier rides of the tour, our Tour Leader suggested we get an early start. We departed the Happy Guest Lodge (happy, as advertised) just after 8:00 - which is about an hour earlier than usual. The lion's share of the day's climbing took place during the latter half of the ride. It was a mixed bag in terms of types of climbs - a few long, gradual climbs along with a couple of super steep knee-busters. We had much more in the way of scenery today, as our route took us through the countryside on open roads.

Elevation profile of today's ride

Looking like a pro

Climbing

Welcome to Hurst Green!

"Well, hello!"

An Easy Monday Ride

Monday, June 12, 2017

Harmer Hill to Acton Bridge, UK

47 miles, 2,000 feet of climbing

Today was one of our easier days - a relatively short ride with much less climbing than we've become accustomed to. It was a pleasant ride through the country, in favorable weather conditions, which left plenty of time to stop, enjoy the views, and take a few pictures. We were quite grateful that it didn't rain, but because the sun hasn't made a lasting appearance, it was a chilly ride pretty much all day. For our mid-morning cappuccino break, we stopped at a cafe called The Old Fire Station Cafe Bar in Malpas, and then later stopped at a place called The Old Fire Station Chocolate Shop and Coffee Shop in Tarporley for a light lunch. We arrived at our destination hotel - the "Happy Guest Lodge" - by 2:00, so we had plenty of time to relax before our rider meeting. We went for an early dinner at the only restaurant in town, just down the road from our hotel. (By the way, 5:00 is considered an early dinner here in the UK. Most restaurants here don't even open for dinner until 6:00.) Anyway, the food was fabulous, and we were home early enough to wind down and get a good night's rest.

Elevation profile of today's ride

Handsome guy on a bike

Canal

Art at the Fire Station for a cappuccino break

Interesting sights from the road

Virtually Rainless all the way to Harmer Hill

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Woebley to Harmer Hill, UK

59 miles, 3,039 feet of climbing

Thanks to a good tailwind and relatively easy climbing, it was a fast, fun (and mostly dry) 59-mile ride to Harmer Hill. Because it was Sundày morning and, therefore, nothing was open, there weren't any places to stop on the route for our cappuccino break. So, we just kept motoring along at a good pace. We had a few long but gentle climbs, but these grades seemed quite manageable after the steep climbs we encountered in the early days of the tour. In terms of precipitation, there wasn't much - just a few minor sprinkles here and there when the sky clouded up. On our rest day in Woebley, Art did an amazing job cleaning up our bikes of all the grime accumulated from all the rainy days, I was glad it didn't get all dirty again - at least for one day. We arrived in Harmer Hill just before 1:30 - too early for our hotel rooms to be ready, so we went and had a bite to eat at the pub adjacent to our hotel. Just after we arrived, it started to rain again. There's not much to do in Harmer Hill, so we had a quiet afternoon and evening chatting with our fellow riders and comparing notes on the day's ride. Most of us agree the UK ride has been spectacular, the UK people are the nicest you'll ever meet, the UK drivers are courteous, the UK food is fantastic, however, the UK weather - at least what we've experienced - absolutely sucks. This is not a complaint, it's just an observation. On a positive note, we purchased new rain covers for our bike shoes at the bike shop in Hereford, and they are the bomb. So, we've got that going for us.

Elevation profile of today's ride

Decadent desserts capping off a great ride (Mason, Peter and Hewes)

Rest Day in Woebley

Saturday, June 10, 2017

Rest Day in Woebley

Today was our first of two scheduled rest days on this tour. We spent the day resting our bike legs and visiting the nearby city of Hereford, which is located on the River Wye. It was an easy and economical commute to Hereford and back on the public bus. Hereford is a large, busy town with many shops, restaurants and businesses . . . and a bike shop, which we, of course, visited. The main attraction in Hereford is the Hereford Cathedral, which dates back to the year 1079 and holds the Mappa Mundi, a medieval map of the world dating back to the 13th century. After touring the city for a while, we caught the bus back to Woebley and had a relaxing afternoon before catching an early dinner at a local pub with some of our fellow riders. Tomorrow, on well-rested legs, we will resume our journey north to the town of Harmer Hill.

The living room at our B & B

Hereford

Hereford Cathedral

Fellow riders Jeanne & Greg, who ride a tandem, posing outside the Tandem Bakery in Hereford

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.