Lancaster Castle and our last night in England

We had a lovely evening yesterday.  I didn't have high hopes for the Corbet Arms, as the website wasn't very inspiring, but it really exceeded my expectations.  The high point was the patio at the back which had beautiful views over the river and meadows.  I couldn't work out why I felt so at home there until I realised it reminded me of Grantchester Meadows in Cambridge.  Sean's colleague Richard was really enjoyable company and after he left us we ate our dinner outside in the evening sun, which was just bliss.  It felt like a proper date.

After a good breakfast and tea out on the patio Sean spent some time refreshing his bike while I did some qi gong gazing out over the meadows.  After such a lovely time last night I really didn't want to be parted once we went our separate ways.  I had been a bit worried about him yesterday as when we finished at Almondsbury on the previous day he seemed so worn out and I wasn't sure how he would fare.  However when he turned up at the end of the day yesterday he seemed much fresher.  Over dinner we chatted about how it was all going and he said he was getting into the rhythm of it, so it was nice to be able to wave him off today with more peace of mind.

Once I set off I started to realise that we're actually doing it - that seems odd I suppose that it should take so long to sink in, but until now it had felt just like the other weekends away we've had with the bike.  It began to dawn on me that this thing we had planned and anticipated was now happening, and for the first time I imagined what it might be like finishing.  This was a bit scary as a lot could happen between now and then, so I put such fantasies out of my mind.

I decided to go to Lancaster today and visit the castle.  As you can imagine, this was right up my street.  In medieval times the castle was used as a debtor's prison and subsequently for criminals.  It was a working Category C prison until 2012, and is still operating as the Crown Court.  Because of this, entry is by guided tour only and sadly there are very few places you're allowed to take photographs.  However the tour was excellent, big shout out to Steve our guide who really made the history come alive.  As the court was not sitting we were able to go inside and look at the chambers which were stunning.  Other highlights were the Drop Room, where the prisoners would wait alongside their empty coffin before going out onto the scaffold to be hanged, and a visit to the cells.  This included being locked in to have the full experience!  Once the door was closed it was absolutely pitch dark and I certainly wouldn't have fancied staying in there more than the minute or so before we were let out.  Before we left we paid a visit to the modern cells, where Romeo somehow escaped from my bag and decided to have a nose around.

I managed to capture him before Steve noticed, which was just as well as I might have had to leave him there.

Afterwards I had a walk around the castle area of the town, which was very picturesque,

and then headed back to Middle Holly Cottage in Forton which is where we're staying tonight.  All in all a very enjoyable day.

Oh - and tonight is the last night we'll spend in England as our next stop is just across the border in Gretna Green.

Day 3 - John Wesley, Henry V and the Hereford Boat House

Preacher of the day is John Wesley and monarch of the day is Henry V.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devauden

http://www.monmouth.org.uk/index.php/local/history/famous-residents/31-henry-v.html

Note to self: the next time I meet a local cyclist and he tells me that the route I have carefully planned goes over the steepest hill in the area, please listen to him. Yes, following a relatively easy start to the day which involved cycling over the Severn Bridge, within 10 miles I found myself on an exceptionally rigorous climb which was only ameliorated by the mewling of a pair of buzzards. I also spotted a bust of John Wesley, who did get about quite a lot.

Happy to say, within 20 miles or so the evil climbs were over and I could concentrate on getting through Hereford and onto Monmouth. The roads past Monmouth were lovely and the day seemed to flow past easily; the only sticky part was negotiating the endless ring road around Shrewsbury.

2nd note to self: avoiding going into shops in Hereford because the locals look very dodgy is not a good strategy if the plan is to refill water bottles somewhere out on the back lanes. It took me around 15 miles to find a post office that sold bottled water, and that was mainly populated by elderly alcoholics topping up their stocks of Strongbow cider.

The evening was rounded off in splendid fashion by a visit from one of my colleagues (thank you Richard, lovely to see you, hope the BBQ went well) and a steak dinner sitting outside, something I never thought I would be able to do on this ride. Wonderful.

Finally, film fans, in which film does Robert de Niro refer to the boat house in Hereford?



For the record, the doors of the Hereford Rowing Club are blue.

Mileage: 97.9

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/547358331

https://www.justgiving.com/Sean-Bonnington/

In which I sort out the oil and fill up the car

Over dinner last night we decided the best option for sorting out the oil was to find a local garage and pay somebody who knows what they're doing, to top it up.  So first thing in the morning I called the nearest garage and arranged to pop down there on my way to Shrewsbury.  Massive shout out to John, an absolutely lovely chap who managed not to patronise me at all, even when I didn't know how to open the bonnet.  I'm SO glad I didn't attempt to top it up myself, because as he explained, the car needs a special type of synthetic long life oil, and I'd never have known that so the whole thing was bound to have ended in tears.

Once that was all sorted I set off down the M5 in the knowledge that I'd have to fill up before I got to my destination.  This was bothering me a bit as I had yet to fill the car up unsupervised.  However I breezed through it without a care in the world and I'm sure nobody would have guessed it was my first time.

When I got to Shrewsbury I stopped at Morrisons to restock on my lunchtime veg.  I found this surprisingly soothing, I guess because it was much more in my comfort zone than driving or any type of car maintenance!

I had started the day enthused to go into Shrewsbury for a wander around the medieval town, but by the time I got to the hotel I didn't have enough time left, so I contented myself with relaxing in the room, which was huge and had a big bay window with lovely views over the fields.  It was just as well I didn't have time for sightseeing as the efforts of the last few days really caught up with me, I had a banging headache and realised I was worn out.  I guess I hadn't appreciated how tiring the driving would be, and I haven't been sleeping particularly well as it's been hard to relax properly.

After a rest I opted to meditate instead of doing qi gong, which was particularly challenging today as my mind was full of thoughts about the journey so far and whatever might lie ahead.  This caused me to reflect that it's probably the times when it's most challenging that it's also most valuable.

Day 2 - St Boniface

For those of you reading this of a monkish disposition, I thought that you might be interested to know that St Boniface (675-754) was supposedly born in Crediton, Devon. I only mentioned that because I cycled past a memorial to him today. If you want to take this further, may I suggest keeping 5 June free next year, as that is his feast day.

So how was today? Well the first 40  miles or so was marked by a succession of climbs, each more vicious than the last. The less charitable amongst you might point out that it was me who planned the route and therefore put the damned things in, so they should not have been that much of a surprise. My Wildean response is: you try and do better. Things did improve once I joined the A38, which for a few blissful miles was like having my own private dual carriageway, such was the lack of traffic. This continued all the way to Bridgewater and beyond, with glorious weather and a tailwind, and I was starting to feel that the day might be an easy one. I was wrong. The Mendips. The climb to Bristol Airport. Sense of humour failure big-time as those two bad boys had me in bottom gear with sweat blinding me. Excellent. Not.

Then a long sweeping run into Bristol, where my route cards (tech note: printed off and in the plastic case on my handlebar bar) indicated quite vaguely "north to cross river". That was never going to work, so I asked a fellow cyclist (stuck at the same lights) the best way to get to Clifton Down. Andy: thank you, you are a star for cycling with me all the way to the station and getting me back on track. I have forgiven you for including a 10% climb, you were not to know that I had 95 miles in my legs at point.

So, was that it for the hills? Could I just relax and soft pedal the remaining few miles to the pub? Like hell. the climbs just kept coming, with the final climb about a mile from the pub. Massive sense of humour failure after 103 miles, which was speedily relieved by two glasses of orange juice and lemonade and a couple of bags of crisps. Once shaved and showered, I sampled the local brew over a good steak dinner with Becky. Good effort. Job done. Now for Shrewsbury tomorrow, a mere 97 miles.

Mileage: 102.9

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/547358582

https://www.justgiving.com/Sean-Bonnington/

First "incident" with the car

This morning the weather was even better than yesterday.  Before we left we met a man at the hotel who was born in Bermondsey and we enjoyed exchanging views about what a great place it is.  I also chatted with two chaps from Northern Ireland who were travelling around England on their motorbikes.  They were the complete opposite of us as they had absolutely no plan and no places booked to stay.  When I asked where they were headed that day they both shrugged, looked at each other and said "don't know really".  And this was as they were standing by their bikes ready to set off!  Hopefully they had a good day wherever they ended up.

On my way I decided to visit Slimbridge Wetlands Centre.  I was tempted by Wookey Hole and Cheddar Gorge which are also close by, but the promise of otters at Slimbridge swung it for me.  It was a relatively easy drive and once we got there Romeo and I settled down for a picnic lunch in the car park.

It felt like such a treat to eat al fresco in the shade of a tree.

After that I headed into the centre itself.  Gentle reader, it was a bit rubbish.  There were only two otters in the whole place and they were asleep inside.  I wandered around a bit trying not to be bored by it but quickly concluded that it had been a nice place to stop for lunch, stretch my legs and have a break from the M5.  And I got a nice picture of a flamingo.

As I headed towards the M5 though, horrors!  The dashboard beeped and a yellow warning light came on, informing me that the oil was getting low.  A hundred thoughts raced through my mind.  What happens to a car when the oil gets low - does it explode?  Does the engine spontaneously stop?  How long after the yellow warning light do these things happen?  Is there a red warning light at some point?  How the f*** do you top up the oil?  In fact, how do you even open the bonnet??  I remained calm and decided that the only thing I could do was stop at the first services and use my feminine wiles to get help.

So do you think there was a service station before the exit I required?  No, there was not.  So there was nothing for it but to drive to my destination, do some Pilates and have a nice lie down.  I decided I can sort out the oil thing tomorrow, perhaps with the help of YouTube.

I was quite pleased with myself when I reached our B&B as it's extremely picturesque.  When Sean arrived

we sat outside catching up on our day and in the afternoon sun it was just idyllic.

I also managed to squeeze in some qi gong before he arrived, as I was practicing indoors today (and therefore without an audience) I decided to use the opportunity to try a new set, the coiling set we learned recently at the workshop.  It was a good experience and I'm sure it will become more enjoyable as I get to know it better and can run through it without peeking at my notes.

Off downstairs for dinner now, perhaps it will be my second outdoors meal of the day.

Day 1 - 103.5 miles, with added hills

Firstly, Cornwall and Devon are hilly. Please note. For those interested in sprockets and gear ratios and the like (Andrew, I mean you), I will do a tech piece at the end detailing bike, wheels, tyres  and total expenditure since I started training. I will also put my route maps, training plan and the like into a Dropbox folder should anyone give a damn.

Today was a long day. I have not yet downloaded the Garmin data, but I was on my bike for around seven and a half hours, starting at 0930 and finishing at 1700. The highlight was extremely rapid progress along the A30 until I got tired of the constant roar of traffic in my ear at the halfway point (Bodmin),the low points the seemingly endless chain of climbs on the A390 from Liskeard to Tavistock. The climb from Tavistock over Dartmoor was particularly grim, not helped by gear issues such as my front changer not wanting to drop the chain from the big ring to the small ring. Note to self: when bike has been soaked in rain, get the lube out and get busy before you ride 100+ miles.

Learning point around food: stop for a sandwich around halfway, Percy Pigs will only get you so far.

On the credit side, I was amused to see signs to Minions (Despicable Devon?), Ventongimps (specially bred?), and a car dealer called Bigot Motors.

Right, that's enough for now. Bristol tomorrow and it will be another long day.

Mileage: 103.5

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/547358757

https://www.justgiving.com/Sean-Bonnington/

Land's End to Okehampton

As Sean has already commented, it all went well yesterday and we arrived at Land's End without incident.  Romeo was relatively well behaved during the journey and particularly enjoyed seeing Stonehenge,

but did get rather excited at seeing other cars with dogs in them, so after that had to ride on my lap.

I didn't do terribly well at dinner - the "carrot mash" that came with my fish turned out not to be mashed carrots but in fact mashed potatoes with bits of carrot in it, and I was so busy making sure there was no milk or butter in it I forgot to ask them to hold the sauce.  So yes, people, I actually ate some potatoes, and whatever of the sauce I couldn't manage to scrape off.  As far as I can tell the world is still revolving.  I was glad I had set aside the time to do some qi gong before we left that morning, as once dinner was done with we were fully focused on preparation for the next day and I don't think I would have been in the right mood.  I felt terribly nervous going to bed, I guess it suddenly dawned on me the enormity of the task ahead and I just wanted everything to go well for Sean.

This morning dawned absolutely glorious, and after a delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs and mushrooms we were ready to go.  We had the obligatory shot at the start

and then I waved Sean off.  There was such a great atmosphere at the hotel with a group of cyclists and a few runners, all tackling the challenge in their own way and for their own reasons.  The excitement and positivity was infectious although I did feel a pang seeing Sean ride off, thinking whatever the day would bring, he would have to tackle it alone.

As I had a little free time before check out I decided to run the long form on the paved area outside the hotel, which seemed almost made for the purpose and had a spectacular view over the sea in three directions.  With a cool breeze over the cliffs it was truly an inspiring experience.

Then it was off to Okehampton, where we are staying in a 17th century coaching inn.  The interior seems not to have been refurbished since the 70s, giving an intriguing mix of decor.  I had my lunch on one of the tables outdoors while the room was being made up - celery, carrot, cucumber and pepper with a can of salmon, which worked out pretty well and is what I'm planning to have every day.

In the afternoon I visited Okehampton Castle, which is a medieval motte and bailey castle about 20 minutes walk from the hotel.

There's not much left of it but the audio guide really brought it to life and I enjoyed meandering around.  Getting to the top of the motte was a bit of a challenge but once I was up there the views over the hills and town were fantastic.

Romeo stayed back at the hotel, saying "castles are boring" but I expect he just wanted to have a good rummage around in the bins.  Just as well he didn't come, as the audio guide informed me about gentlemens' pursuits in medieval times, which included hunting animals considered noble such as deer and hares.  Foxes were not hunted by gentlemen in such times as they were not thought of as noble enough.  I don't think he would have been very impressed by that!

Sean did very well today, although I'll let him tell you about his endeavours.  We're just off to the hotel restaurant now, where hopefully I can be a bit more vigilant about my evening meal this time.