Short Road Trip and Wallingford

The weather was quite pleasant this weekend (mid 20s), so I ventured out on my road bike for my usual 15 mile ride via Wingrave and Mentmore yesterday afternoon. Today started off cool then got hotter and sunnier. We spent the day at Wallingford walking the Thames Path, swimming in the open air pool and river, picnicking and sunbathing.

Too Hot for Much Cycling

With temps up to 28-32C in the day lately we haven't done any weekend rides this month, and have opted for shady walks instead.

I have though been commuting regularly - every day this week. The mornings are very pleasant with temps around 20C, however at 5.30pm it's been really hot and humid, which has made the climb up the hill near Aston Clinton quite tough.
Nicky has been planning next summer's bike ride from Dieppe to the Auverne following the trail of her Dad's teenage hike in 1938. The plan is to get a train to Newhaven then the ferry to Dieppe, cycle for about 7 days covering around 50 miles a day with luggage, then rent a gite with pool and a hire car and do a bit of walking, returning by train. I was wondering about cycling in walking shoes rather than SPD ones, however having tried it this week I'm missing the SPDs going up hills and at junctions when positioning pedals. So I'll probably just buy a pair of trainers when I get there.
I've booked my road bike in for its first service soon, and will no doubt have a few day trips when our eldest son is back from Vietnam at the end of the month.
Has anyone found a decent alternative to Google Reader? I used to read blogs I'm following on my iPhone and Windows laptop - but now it's gone it's not easy to keep track of new posts.

Bledlow Ridge

Nicky and I did a 35 mile ride today in warm sunny weather, the first ride we've done together since our Lands End ride. We headed over to Wendover, then near Chequers and over some hilly bits of the Chilterns to Bledlow Ridge. After a picnic in a meadow and a spot of sunbathing we returned via Weston Turville

Late news: We achieved our £1000 fundraising target today.

School Gym Equipment Installed

The gym equipment that we raised money for by cycling to Land's End was installed at my wife's school yesterday. Here's a picture. We have raised over £900 now, which covers most of the costs, and there's still some money coming in.

 

Meanwhile on the cycling front we haven't been very active. I've been cycling to work 2 or 3 times a week, and at weekends we've been walking and gardening rather than cycling. I'll probably have a few day trips with our eldest son on road bikes, when he comes back for the summer.

Tring to Land's End Ride Summary

Having had an enjoyable day off on Saturday in Cornwall, that included a swim in the Penzance Jubilee Pool, we drove back yesterday in a one way hire car with our bikes in the back. We spent much of the sunny Saturday in Porthleven. It was nice to be able to spend a day and a half relaxing with my brother, his wife and our niece before heading home, rather than dashing back.

We had a really good trip and enjoyed seeing the countryside, towns and villages - and quite a few pubs and cafes. Cycling 55 miles a day was about right for our hybrid bikes loaded with up to 10kg of luggage. The days in Devon and Cornwall involved some long quite steep hills that were quite tough, and my legs and lower back are still a bit achey. My lowest gear was only just low enough (28 chainwheel and 30 back cog). My rack top bag proved useful for carrying bought lunches and other stuff.
Looking back I could have planned the route a bit better, to avoid some of the steeper hills - although adapting my planned route as we went along with the help of our road map was quite fun. The road map did have > and < symbols on the minor roads denoting hills, but the A roads didn't. It was really nice to have a break from busy main roads by travelling on little back roads through farms and woods with hedges and grassy banks covered in wild flowers, even if such routes may have been a bit longer and hillier.
It would have been interesting to take my GPS watch to record our route and elevation climbed - and using my iPhone for tracking would be impractical as the battery would run out. The phone did come in useful when we were unsure where we were, provided I had a decent signal, and I used the Satnav on it a few times. The only technical problem we had was that my chain fell off once - no punctures at all thanks to our kevlar tyres.
We were really lucky with the weather in that we didn't get wet once, and the only rain fell in the night. It wasn't too hot or sunny too, although the inevitable headwind did slow us down. My waterproof jacket was useful on mornings when it was cool and windy, and I used almost all of my cycling gear and all my casual clothing. So far we've raised over £550 with more money coming in. We cycled 345 miles in 6.5 days.

Day 7 Lands End Ride

The weather was perfect from the start with clear blue skies and just a little cool breeze. We set off with my brother Mike at around 9:30 and took a B road via St Buryan and some steep hills at Treen. Arrived at Lands End at around 11am - Hurrah!

Then as the weather was so nice we did a "lap of honour" cycling up the coast. Mike had to get home but we stopped at St Just for pasties, them carried on to Morvah and up over the hill back to Penzance on a little road via Madron, past Lanyon Quoit.

Job done! Spent the afternoon shopping and walking around Penzance.

Today's mileage 28.

Grand total 345 miles.

Road kill count 1 rabbit!

Grand total road kill (only started on 3rd day): 5 crows, 4 rabbits, 4 foxes, 3 squirrels, 2 hedgehogs, 2 badgers, 1 deer, 1 sheep, 1 pheasant, 1 mouse, 1 blackbird, 1 buzzard.

Day 6 Lands End Ride

We had our fish and chips last night in another White Hart Hotel in St Austell. After a bit of a lie in and a hearty breakfast we set off around 9:45. The weather was sunny with a cool NW wind. Rather than take the main roads we followed some minor roads on our map through woodland with bluebells and wild garlic. 

We joined the main road near Truro for a while and bought some lunch in town that we ate later. Headed to Redruth then up over the moors to Leedstown and some other nice villages. It was a really nice road that led to Marazion where we stopped and had a paddle.

We arrived at about 6pm

Mileage 49. 

Road kill count: squirrel and rabbit only. Although Nicky now tells me she spotted a dead sheep earlier in the week.

Day 5 Lands End Ride

The chippy was shut last night so we had an excellent posh meal at the White Hart, Okehampton (I had venison steak, toffee sponge, ice cream and Dartmoor ale). They didn't seem to mind that I set fire to the menu, which touched a candle ..oops. 

We set off at around 9am on the Granite Way along the route of an old railway line and across the Meldon Viaduct.

Good views of Dartmoor too

We then took the old A30 through Lewdown a nice quiet road with some long downhill sections. Strangely the road has no A or B number, just the name The West Devon Drive.

Crossed the Tamar into Cornwall at Launceston around 11am.

The weather was a bit cool and cloudy in the morning but the sun broke though in the afternoon and it was warm enough for shorts. Cycled south to Callington and retraced the pedals of the Lands End to John O'Groats trip I did 3 years ago. I didn't remember much, but there were loads of hills. Arrived our B&B with help from Satnav at around 5:30. St Austell traffic was the busiest we'd encountered,

Today's mileage 59. Average speed 8.5 mph. 

Road kill count: 3 foxes, 2 rabbits, pheasant and crow.

Day 4 Lands End Ride

The overnight rain had almost stopped when we left Wellington at around 9:30. The town is ok but nothing special, as was the B&B. It turned out to be quite a nice day: dry, cloudy and cool with little wind, although the wind did pick up. We headed south on the A38 then west to Tiverton on a B road where we had a coffee stop. The road south alongside the river Exe was nice and flat, but all of a sudden the main Crediton road went up a steep hill so we carried on south and cut across via Thorverton (pictured) along some narrow and sometimes hilly 

roads.

We found a nice cafe in Crediton run by an old couple and I had cottage pie and peas followed by apple and loganberry pie with custard and a mug of tea. 

We carried on to Okehampton and had views of Dartmoor,

and some nice orchids.

They certainly know how to make proper hills in Devon! Many seem to go on for about a mile, but our low gears are coping so far. We arrived at our very nice B&B (59 Station Road, Okehampton) at about 4:30 and was given tea by the helpful chatty landlady, who is used to Lejoggers. We plan to have fish and chips tonight and possibly eat them in the front room.

Today's mileage 49. Average speed only 8.7 mph! (many of the hills involved long 3 mph ascents).

Road kill count: 1 deer (poss roe), buzzard, 3 crows, female blackbird, 2 hedgehogs, 2 rabbits, 1 squirrel and 1 mouse (stuck to shoe!)

Day 3 Lands End Ride

Frome is a pleasant enough place and very hilly. We had a curry last night and were asked if we were "Froomies". Our hotel was ok except we were on the second floor and the floorboards were very creaky. 

Set off at about 9:45 and just outside Frome found a wallet with credit cards and drivers licence scattered on the grass verge. We phoned 101 and arranged to drop it off at Taunton police station. Contacted the owner via Facebook but no reply yet.

I was planning to take the A361 to Glastonbury, but it was quite a busy trunk road so we took a quieter road south to Bruton (pictured) and Castle Cary which was pretty if a little hilly.

We're getting used to the hills now. The weather started off bright and sunny, but a cool headwind strengthened during the day and grey clouds loomed. We had lunch at a nice cafe in Somerton - about the first one we've come across! Cycled westwards near to the Somerset Levels and encountered a massive road bike ride going the other way (A 3 day Tour of Wessex). Saw Burrow Mump (pictured)

I used my Satnav to find Taunton police station then stopped at a garage cafe. We then carried on to Wellington, and I was planning on using my phone again to find the B&B but my iPhone was flat. We got directions though and checked in around 5:30. Had a Chinese meal. Weather wet now.

Today's mileage 54. Average speed 9.2 mph (well it was windy).

Road kill spotted: 2 badgers, fox, squirrel, hedgehog and crow.