Tag Archives: cycling

First Cycle Tour

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After having touring bikes for over a year, we finally found the time, weather and an interesting enough route to actually use them for touring. A quick jaunt over to Holbeach, Boston (national cycle network chaos), a campsite next to the National Bubblecar Museum (closed while we were there overnight) and back via ice cream to Woolsthorpe Manor (Newton’s birthplace) and home. We found that Jo is faster on the monotonous Fens, Dave is faster up any incline. We’ll definitely be out again once we have some more ideas of where to go.

Cake stop, at Greatford just East of the East Coast Main Line
Pode Hole: Fens, Canals, Wind and no hills
This (Fosdyke Bridge) is the closest we got to the sea – it is tidal and it has boats
Our own little section of campsite
Big sky sunset
Rainbow over the other campers
Tent, bikes and a rainbow.

Pitlochry and Bethesda

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A couple of weekend trips in the last few weeks – one to a cottage near Pitlochry to meet family, the other to a bunkhouse near Bethesda to meet friends.

The cottage in Pitlochry was suitably old and drafty but held great views over the the autumn colours in the glen. Forecasts for 50 mph gusts and 50% chance of cloud free summits made the 3 tops of Beinn a’Ghlo the objective for Saturday. With weather worsening in the afternoon, we sped along the ridge to have lunch on the last top, descending the south ridge and enjoying the long tramp back to the car in sunshine. Good views from the first two tops, and occasional glimpses from the last. The wind was also less than expected.

The next day was spent cycling through the autumn colours, which we had forgotten were quite so good in that part of the country. A bit of rain damped things, but better than expected.

A final morning was spent with a quick walk through the woods before heading home.

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Wales the weekend after was a different story. With high winds and continuous rain forecast, we headed up to Carnedd y Filiast, Elider Fawr and onto Foel Goch and Y Garn. It didn’t stop raining and the wind made sure we were thoroughly wet. The wind coming off the NE ridge of Y Garn was enough to blow us over a couple of times. The log fire back in the bunkhouse was well earned and appreciated.

Sunshine tempted us on Sunday to go for another walk, so we headed up around the northern Carneddau, on which it rained for an hour or so. Luckily the sun came out on the way down, and we finally dried off, before finding ourselves deep in farm mud a few metres from the road.

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Tour de Melton Mowbray

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We never actually got to Melton – we just cycled around it. We got half way to Leicester, then headed north to the border of Nottinghamshire at Nether Broughton. There we decided that continuing would risk coming into contact with some merry men, so we headed more directly home, thus encircling the home of the pork pie.

The autumn colours were just emerging which helped, but a number of range rovers on single track roads without passing places made keeping momentum for uphills difficult. A short 75 km, but the headwind on the return made it feel long enough.

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