Blog 6- Shamrocks and Kilts Tour
Blog Post 6- Shamrocks and Kilts Tour A sky dark grey sky of rain laden clouds greets me like a British anthem when I awake, no rain thru the night, but I am betting that we get rain thru this day. Rolled my tent, made some toast and tea then headed out. I had layed in bed, looking at my map on the phone, I knew I had to begin riding east to smaller country.
That was the only realization that I had come to at that point, the rest would be revealed as I rode, by the people that I met and the country I passed thru. One such fellow was a guy who said he was the mayor of this little town I passed thru.
We of course came to know this thru conversation and my lamenting the abundance of vehicles. He proceeded to tell me that something like 70 plus percent of English head for the lower southwest corner of the country on holidays. Quite simple he said, it’s the warmest, the best beaches and plenty of parks and hikes for the children. So just avoid the southern half of the UK I says in jest. If it were me, YES he says. Try Scotland he says with a smile…..I hear its lovely up there one day a year. We both got a chuckle.
On we go, and I am now searching out roads, tracks, etc that are listed as lanes or roads given a name but not a number. In some places there are plenty, others it is really a struggle and you end up having to hit a major road someplace just as a connector between the littles. These prove to be very intimidating each time. School is out, school is still in, heck I don’t know, so I begin asking. Schools here are on a rotational summer holiday agenda. Meaning g that each county is given a 2 week date and during that time only that school is out. That’s the best explanation I have had to date.
Another issue with using the gorgeous country lanes to travel by, a two fold problem really. You cannot see a darned thing, not kidding, rock walls and or 8 foot tall hedge rows impede you seeing anything on either side of that lane. So you watch for gate openings etc to stop and take a peek at the lay of the countryside.
It is truly beautiful, really is. Another thing I noticed was laying in the tent at night my legs tired, and I know I had done some serious sweating thru the day. My ride miles would be 40-50 miles, close to my usual ride pace of 55 average. But when you look at the distance by a major road it was only getting me in the mid twenty mile range down the road. So at this pace I would not be back home till like……2026.
I simply cannot spend all my time zig zagging if I want to get round this place and back home. Down a hill, up a hill, maybe a little spurt across a flat, then up a hill and down a hill was my routine for the day. Rode down and around a corner and met 2 cyclists stopped and looking at their phones. As it turned out, they are 2 guys run a cycling tour package company. On this day, they are mapping out some new loops as he called it. One guy done most of the talking, and was rather a heartless chap it seemed. I told them the trouble I was having, to which he said, welcome to cycling UK. He says we map out loops that offer different challenges to our groups, we try to plan a loop in which we can stop to eat twice, and maybe have an interesting historical item to visit. We ride 2 maybe 3 loops from a small town, then move by van to the next location and do it again. That’s what I would suggest that you do. I says, well. I don’t have a tag along van, and these country lanes while beautiful, they don’t get me very far across the UK at any point time. No, that is true he says, but you will be safe, so stop your whinging. Right I says, giving him my fishmongers eyebrow.
I think my phone is trying to tell me that it needs a rest. Can’t keep it charged up all day, even with the front hub working just fine, battery just loses to much juice. So about 2pm, and since every cross roads seems to have a tiny pub. I pop in, have a tea and charge me phone. I have only eaten at a pub one time so far while I was riding. Still making supper at night for myself. But one of the options that I have considered, is sending most of my camp outfit back home, even lighten my tool pack. But on those days when you get rained on thru the day, it leaves with no way to have anything hot at night before you climb into bed. I don’t mind not having my dinosaur pajamas to wear while I am out traveling, but if I can’t have my hot milk and biscuits, there may be hell to pay. The hills are getting smaller and smaller as I make my way further east, trying to slip under Birmingham and on east from there.
Ever vigilante to be watching that I don’t box myself in and force myself to tackle a road to big, especially those roads marked A. Zoomed down a steep hill and banked hard right……..dead flat and fresh mowed grass on each side, no rock walls or even a hedge……was I on the moon? Put the tent up, right on the side of the road, so few cars. The tent and sleeping bag needed to be aired out, so in the last few ray’s of sunshine, they waved in the wind. I sat there eating tuna in tomatoes (Dan Quail) sauce, and a couple slices of bread and cheese. Just looking out at a field of fat round clean sheep…….so, do ya think that one day a guy sees a sheep with a random branch stuck in the wool as it drags behind the sheep, and that’s the origin of the CUE TIP.
Anyways a fellow, badly winded from running, rounds the bend not but 200 yards to my left. He can hardly breathe as he walks past so we get to talking…..well, okay, I talked and he huffed for the most part. He is runnin another ½ marathon but wants to get into triathlon. I was a swimmer while in University he says, so I have that handled pretty well. Running was always a part of the swim season training, but the cycling has me really stymied he says. Why is that I ask, the traffic, the bloody traffic. Sorry, you will have to stop whinging on about the traffic my mate, that whining belongs to me I says. We compare notes, but his is far worse and happened right here on one of these tiny little country try lanes. My friend was cycle training ing for a triathlon, was struck and killed by a young kid just going way to fast, not but 10 miles from here in that direction he points.
So needless to say, my wife is not to happy when I tell her I am going to go train for cycling. I am a teacher, so I ride a spinner alot, at school and at home, but as you may know, it’s just not the same. Yeah, I can appreciate it I says, my wife is always disappointed when I get back home too.
Bright colors and activity on the opposite side of the passing hedge row bring me to a halt. I thought it was a farmer market, but if so, it was a long way out in the country for one. So, I mozzy in and low and behold it was a go cart racing competition. Plenty of carts, maybe 50-60. And they raced from 4 years old on up to 16. Twin engine carts capable of doing better than 70 mile an hour, and the little tykes raced bantam carts with 1 engine.
First guy I walked up to, and I spoke a few words, he says I used to live in Oregon for 8 years. Beautiful state he says totally tree covered. I asked him if he ever crossed the Cascade range and seen the other side. No, why. Well next time you go back, when you head over that way bring a tree with you so there will be a least one on the east side. Nice guy, an aeronautical engineer. Stopped to talk to another fellow, James. He is a lorry driver and he build operating rooms in hospitals. Yes I know a very unusual combination. He delivers medical equipment all over UK and Scotland. We visit about his cart, and his sons last year of racing. Just to expensive to move up to the next level, a out 100K a year for cart and crew at the next racing level. But he says, if you can shine in that stage you may win your way into sponsorship and the next level of racing which is an actual car. But very few make it he says. He proceeds asking about myself, and the bike. End up talking about roads etc. Well the south is crowded out by the English, the east coast is crowded out by the folks who come over from Belgium, Holland etc. Let’s just say that it’s already crowded, but in the summers it is especially crowded. Get to Scotland mate, that’s my advice, it won’t be much better but they are less crowded in the middle and over crowded along the edges so you may find somewhere to ride. I am sitting in a cheap hotel in Banbury at the moment, and the guy in the next room is smoking joint after joint. I have been leaning out this window for half and hour, inhaling like a mad man, still can’t feel a thing, must be cheap stuff he is rolling. Speaking of just that, I think that every other Brit is a vapor, little old ladies, young men and women, it is everywhere. Sort of surprised me really, being socialized medicine and all, I just thought they would have come up with a manner to curtail the practice.
A word to the rest of us Trump supporters. If he doesn’t do something about cutting spending, what we will have seen is McConneell will have traded Trump his executive orders strait across for NO-LIMIT spending. Sure worries me, that we are not making inroads on lowering the level of the swamp, nor working our way thru some true budget cuts. Okay, my political rant is over……Whitney, don’t read this paragraph. Not about cycling, just observations and comments. I
have finished 4 books so far. The case for Trump, by one of my favorite authors Victor Davis Hansen was a very interesting read. Followed by Remi Adelekes story called Transformed, also a very interesting read and a great chance to see a man’s heart changed toward Christ in a powerful way. A Dan Silva book, I like his fictional books spy thrillers. I wanted something a little heavier, and my son suggested Fountainhead by Ayn Rand – I have this book but not read it yet. I did also download another book by Ayn Rand, called We the Living. I really think that if you have a brain numbed adolescent with ripped skinny Jean’s sitting on the couch exercising his thumbs, slap him, then hand him this book. So many of the young ( of which I am one- young that is) feel that Red Bernie Sanders has the answers to their problems. Dang, they need to read this book by Ayn Rand. And I am just now on chapter 5 of Drain the Swamp. Interesting for sure so far. Once again, here is a guy calling on us THE CITIZEN to act. The take away is that we complain, we reelect, and re-complain.
I know that God never sends me where I can`t go, He sends me where others cannot go. And for this I am very grateful. I asked for advice, I asked for wisdom, I asked him to make my path clear. And to my way of thinking, he certainly did thru the people that I met over the last few days. So, I rented an apartment overlooking the beach, and will be home in 3 months…….ya right, Jdub is not a beach guy. Give me a lawn chair to reweave with Baler twine while sitting in the evening sun in ……..Quartsite. Holly doodle, did I really say that?
I am in another rat trap room, looks like a motel room right out of 1960 in Alturas California for instance. But it’s a room, my clothes are all washed…..yes they badly need the washing. My intention was to train it north to Newcastle. Last night I found a cycle route planner and after playing with it for several hours, I have decided to ride out of here….unbeaten for the moment at least. My ride is 235 miles north to Newcastle. If the ride and mapping prove to be an issue there are 2 cities along the way that offer train service north as a way out. Good night and may God bless us all.
Another issue with using the gorgeous country lanes to travel by, a two fold problem really. You cannot see a darned thing, not kidding, rock walls and or 8 foot tall hedge rows impede you seeing anything on either side of that lane. So you watch for gate openings etc to stop and take a peek at the lay of the countryside.
It is truly beautiful, really is. Another thing I noticed was laying in the tent at night my legs tired, and I know I had done some serious sweating thru the day. My ride miles would be 40-50 miles, close to my usual ride pace of 55 average. But when you look at the distance by a major road it was only getting me in the mid twenty mile range down the road. So at this pace I would not be back home till like……2026.
I simply cannot spend all my time zig zagging if I want to get round this place and back home. Down a hill, up a hill, maybe a little spurt across a flat, then up a hill and down a hill was my routine for the day. Rode down and around a corner and met 2 cyclists stopped and looking at their phones. As it turned out, they are 2 guys run a cycling tour package company. On this day, they are mapping out some new loops as he called it. One guy done most of the talking, and was rather a heartless chap it seemed. I told them the trouble I was having, to which he said, welcome to cycling UK. He says we map out loops that offer different challenges to our groups, we try to plan a loop in which we can stop to eat twice, and maybe have an interesting historical item to visit. We ride 2 maybe 3 loops from a small town, then move by van to the next location and do it again. That’s what I would suggest that you do. I says, well. I don’t have a tag along van, and these country lanes while beautiful, they don’t get me very far across the UK at any point time. No, that is true he says, but you will be safe, so stop your whinging. Right I says, giving him my fishmongers eyebrow.
I think my phone is trying to tell me that it needs a rest. Can’t keep it charged up all day, even with the front hub working just fine, battery just loses to much juice. So about 2pm, and since every cross roads seems to have a tiny pub. I pop in, have a tea and charge me phone. I have only eaten at a pub one time so far while I was riding. Still making supper at night for myself. But one of the options that I have considered, is sending most of my camp outfit back home, even lighten my tool pack. But on those days when you get rained on thru the day, it leaves with no way to have anything hot at night before you climb into bed. I don’t mind not having my dinosaur pajamas to wear while I am out traveling, but if I can’t have my hot milk and biscuits, there may be hell to pay. The hills are getting smaller and smaller as I make my way further east, trying to slip under Birmingham and on east from there.
Ever vigilante to be watching that I don’t box myself in and force myself to tackle a road to big, especially those roads marked A. Zoomed down a steep hill and banked hard right……..dead flat and fresh mowed grass on each side, no rock walls or even a hedge……was I on the moon? Put the tent up, right on the side of the road, so few cars. The tent and sleeping bag needed to be aired out, so in the last few ray’s of sunshine, they waved in the wind. I sat there eating tuna in tomatoes (Dan Quail) sauce, and a couple slices of bread and cheese. Just looking out at a field of fat round clean sheep…….so, do ya think that one day a guy sees a sheep with a random branch stuck in the wool as it drags behind the sheep, and that’s the origin of the CUE TIP.
Anyways a fellow, badly winded from running, rounds the bend not but 200 yards to my left. He can hardly breathe as he walks past so we get to talking…..well, okay, I talked and he huffed for the most part. He is runnin another ½ marathon but wants to get into triathlon. I was a swimmer while in University he says, so I have that handled pretty well. Running was always a part of the swim season training, but the cycling has me really stymied he says. Why is that I ask, the traffic, the bloody traffic. Sorry, you will have to stop whinging on about the traffic my mate, that whining belongs to me I says. We compare notes, but his is far worse and happened right here on one of these tiny little country try lanes. My friend was cycle training ing for a triathlon, was struck and killed by a young kid just going way to fast, not but 10 miles from here in that direction he points.
So needless to say, my wife is not to happy when I tell her I am going to go train for cycling. I am a teacher, so I ride a spinner alot, at school and at home, but as you may know, it’s just not the same. Yeah, I can appreciate it I says, my wife is always disappointed when I get back home too.
Bright colors and activity on the opposite side of the passing hedge row bring me to a halt. I thought it was a farmer market, but if so, it was a long way out in the country for one. So, I mozzy in and low and behold it was a go cart racing competition. Plenty of carts, maybe 50-60. And they raced from 4 years old on up to 16. Twin engine carts capable of doing better than 70 mile an hour, and the little tykes raced bantam carts with 1 engine.
First guy I walked up to, and I spoke a few words, he says I used to live in Oregon for 8 years. Beautiful state he says totally tree covered. I asked him if he ever crossed the Cascade range and seen the other side. No, why. Well next time you go back, when you head over that way bring a tree with you so there will be a least one on the east side. Nice guy, an aeronautical engineer. Stopped to talk to another fellow, James. He is a lorry driver and he build operating rooms in hospitals. Yes I know a very unusual combination. He delivers medical equipment all over UK and Scotland. We visit about his cart, and his sons last year of racing. Just to expensive to move up to the next level, a out 100K a year for cart and crew at the next racing level. But he says, if you can shine in that stage you may win your way into sponsorship and the next level of racing which is an actual car. But very few make it he says. He proceeds asking about myself, and the bike. End up talking about roads etc. Well the south is crowded out by the English, the east coast is crowded out by the folks who come over from Belgium, Holland etc. Let’s just say that it’s already crowded, but in the summers it is especially crowded. Get to Scotland mate, that’s my advice, it won’t be much better but they are less crowded in the middle and over crowded along the edges so you may find somewhere to ride. I am sitting in a cheap hotel in Banbury at the moment, and the guy in the next room is smoking joint after joint. I have been leaning out this window for half and hour, inhaling like a mad man, still can’t feel a thing, must be cheap stuff he is rolling. Speaking of just that, I think that every other Brit is a vapor, little old ladies, young men and women, it is everywhere. Sort of surprised me really, being socialized medicine and all, I just thought they would have come up with a manner to curtail the practice.
A word to the rest of us Trump supporters. If he doesn’t do something about cutting spending, what we will have seen is McConneell will have traded Trump his executive orders strait across for NO-LIMIT spending. Sure worries me, that we are not making inroads on lowering the level of the swamp, nor working our way thru some true budget cuts. Okay, my political rant is over……Whitney, don’t read this paragraph. Not about cycling, just observations and comments. I
have finished 4 books so far. The case for Trump, by one of my favorite authors Victor Davis Hansen was a very interesting read. Followed by Remi Adelekes story called Transformed, also a very interesting read and a great chance to see a man’s heart changed toward Christ in a powerful way. A Dan Silva book, I like his fictional books spy thrillers. I wanted something a little heavier, and my son suggested Fountainhead by Ayn Rand – I have this book but not read it yet. I did also download another book by Ayn Rand, called We the Living. I really think that if you have a brain numbed adolescent with ripped skinny Jean’s sitting on the couch exercising his thumbs, slap him, then hand him this book. So many of the young ( of which I am one- young that is) feel that Red Bernie Sanders has the answers to their problems. Dang, they need to read this book by Ayn Rand. And I am just now on chapter 5 of Drain the Swamp. Interesting for sure so far. Once again, here is a guy calling on us THE CITIZEN to act. The take away is that we complain, we reelect, and re-complain.
I know that God never sends me where I can`t go, He sends me where others cannot go. And for this I am very grateful. I asked for advice, I asked for wisdom, I asked him to make my path clear. And to my way of thinking, he certainly did thru the people that I met over the last few days. So, I rented an apartment overlooking the beach, and will be home in 3 months…….ya right, Jdub is not a beach guy. Give me a lawn chair to reweave with Baler twine while sitting in the evening sun in ……..Quartsite. Holly doodle, did I really say that?
I am in another rat trap room, looks like a motel room right out of 1960 in Alturas California for instance. But it’s a room, my clothes are all washed…..yes they badly need the washing. My intention was to train it north to Newcastle. Last night I found a cycle route planner and after playing with it for several hours, I have decided to ride out of here….unbeaten for the moment at least. My ride is 235 miles north to Newcastle. If the ride and mapping prove to be an issue there are 2 cities along the way that offer train service north as a way out. Good night and may God bless us all.
Another issue with using the gorgeous country lanes to travel by, a two fold problem really. You cannot see a darned thing, not kidding, rock walls and or 8 foot tall hedge rows impede you seeing anything on either side of that lane. So you watch for gate openings etc to stop and take a peek at the lay of the countryside.
It is truly beautiful, really is. Another thing I noticed was laying in the tent at night my legs tired, and I know I had done some serious sweating thru the day. My ride miles would be 40-50 miles, close to my usual ride pace of 55 average. But when you look at the distance by a major road it was only getting me in the mid twenty mile range down the road. So at this pace I would not be back home till like……2026.
I simply cannot spend all my time zig zagging if I want to get round this place and back home. Down a hill, up a hill, maybe a little spurt across a flat, then up a hill and down a hill was my routine for the day. Rode down and around a corner and met 2 cyclists stopped and looking at their phones. As it turned out, they are 2 guys run a cycling tour package company. On this day, they are mapping out some new loops as he called it. One guy done most of the talking, and was rather a heartless chap it seemed. I told them the trouble I was having, to which he said, welcome to cycling UK. He says we map out loops that offer different challenges to our groups, we try to plan a loop in which we can stop to eat twice, and maybe have an interesting historical item to visit. We ride 2 maybe 3 loops from a small town, then move by van to the next location and do it again. That’s what I would suggest that you do. I says, well. I don’t have a tag along van, and these country lanes while beautiful, they don’t get me very far across the UK at any point time. No, that is true he says, but you will be safe, so stop your whinging. Right I says, giving him my fishmongers eyebrow.
I think my phone is trying to tell me that it needs a rest. Can’t keep it charged up all day, even with the front hub working just fine, battery just loses to much juice. So about 2pm, and since every cross roads seems to have a tiny pub. I pop in, have a tea and charge me phone. I have only eaten at a pub one time so far while I was riding. Still making supper at night for myself. But one of the options that I have considered, is sending most of my camp outfit back home, even lighten my tool pack. But on those days when you get rained on thru the day, it leaves with no way to have anything hot at night before you climb into bed. I don’t mind not having my dinosaur pajamas to wear while I am out traveling, but if I can’t have my hot milk and biscuits, there may be hell to pay. The hills are getting smaller and smaller as I make my way further east, trying to slip under Birmingham and on east from there.
Ever vigilante to be watching that I don’t box myself in and force myself to tackle a road to big, especially those roads marked A. Zoomed down a steep hill and banked hard right……..dead flat and fresh mowed grass on each side, no rock walls or even a hedge……was I on the moon? Put the tent up, right on the side of the road, so few cars. The tent and sleeping bag needed to be aired out, so in the last few ray’s of sunshine, they waved in the wind. I sat there eating tuna in tomatoes (Dan Quail) sauce, and a couple slices of bread and cheese. Just looking out at a field of fat round clean sheep…….so, do ya think that one day a guy sees a sheep with a random branch stuck in the wool as it drags behind the sheep, and that’s the origin of the CUE TIP.
Anyways a fellow, badly winded from running, rounds the bend not but 200 yards to my left. He can hardly breathe as he walks past so we get to talking…..well, okay, I talked and he huffed for the most part. He is runnin another ½ marathon but wants to get into triathlon. I was a swimmer while in University he says, so I have that handled pretty well. Running was always a part of the swim season training, but the cycling has me really stymied he says. Why is that I ask, the traffic, the bloody traffic. Sorry, you will have to stop whinging on about the traffic my mate, that whining belongs to me I says. We compare notes, but his is far worse and happened right here on one of these tiny little country try lanes. My friend was cycle training ing for a triathlon, was struck and killed by a young kid just going way to fast, not but 10 miles from here in that direction he points.
So needless to say, my wife is not to happy when I tell her I am going to go train for cycling. I am a teacher, so I ride a spinner alot, at school and at home, but as you may know, it’s just not the same. Yeah, I can appreciate it I says, my wife is always disappointed when I get back home too.
Bright colors and activity on the opposite side of the passing hedge row bring me to a halt. I thought it was a farmer market, but if so, it was a long way out in the country for one. So, I mozzy in and low and behold it was a go cart racing competition. Plenty of carts, maybe 50-60. And they raced from 4 years old on up to 16. Twin engine carts capable of doing better than 70 mile an hour, and the little tykes raced bantam carts with 1 engine.
First guy I walked up to, and I spoke a few words, he says I used to live in Oregon for 8 years. Beautiful state he says totally tree covered. I asked him if he ever crossed the Cascade range and seen the other side. No, why. Well next time you go back, when you head over that way bring a tree with you so there will be a least one on the east side. Nice guy, an aeronautical engineer. Stopped to talk to another fellow, James. He is a lorry driver and he build operating rooms in hospitals. Yes I know a very unusual combination. He delivers medical equipment all over UK and Scotland. We visit about his cart, and his sons last year of racing. Just to expensive to move up to the next level, a out 100K a year for cart and crew at the next racing level. But he says, if you can shine in that stage you may win your way into sponsorship and the next level of racing which is an actual car. But very few make it he says. He proceeds asking about myself, and the bike. End up talking about roads etc. Well the south is crowded out by the English, the east coast is crowded out by the folks who come over from Belgium, Holland etc. Let’s just say that it’s already crowded, but in the summers it is especially crowded. Get to Scotland mate, that’s my advice, it won’t be much better but they are less crowded in the middle and over crowded along the edges so you may find somewhere to ride. I am sitting in a cheap hotel in Banbury at the moment, and the guy in the next room is smoking joint after joint. I have been leaning out this window for half and hour, inhaling like a mad man, still can’t feel a thing, must be cheap stuff he is rolling. Speaking of just that, I think that every other Brit is a vapor, little old ladies, young men and women, it is everywhere. Sort of surprised me really, being socialized medicine and all, I just thought they would have come up with a manner to curtail the practice.
A word to the rest of us Trump supporters. If he doesn’t do something about cutting spending, what we will have seen is McConneell will have traded Trump his executive orders strait across for NO-LIMIT spending. Sure worries me, that we are not making inroads on lowering the level of the swamp, nor working our way thru some true budget cuts. Okay, my political rant is over……Whitney, don’t read this paragraph. Not about cycling, just observations and comments. I
have finished 4 books so far. The case for Trump, by one of my favorite authors Victor Davis Hansen was a very interesting read. Followed by Remi Adelekes story called Transformed, also a very interesting read and a great chance to see a man’s heart changed toward Christ in a powerful way. A Dan Silva book, I like his fictional books spy thrillers. I wanted something a little heavier, and my son suggested Fountainhead by Ayn Rand – I have this book but not read it yet. I did also download another book by Ayn Rand, called We the Living. I really think that if you have a brain numbed adolescent with ripped skinny Jean’s sitting on the couch exercising his thumbs, slap him, then hand him this book. So many of the young ( of which I am one- young that is) feel that Red Bernie Sanders has the answers to their problems. Dang, they need to read this book by Ayn Rand. And I am just now on chapter 5 of Drain the Swamp. Interesting for sure so far. Once again, here is a guy calling on us THE CITIZEN to act. The take away is that we complain, we reelect, and re-complain.
I know that God never sends me where I can`t go, He sends me where others cannot go. And for this I am very grateful. I asked for advice, I asked for wisdom, I asked him to make my path clear. And to my way of thinking, he certainly did thru the people that I met over the last few days. So, I rented an apartment overlooking the beach, and will be home in 3 months…….ya right, Jdub is not a beach guy. Give me a lawn chair to reweave with Baler twine while sitting in the evening sun in ……..Quartsite. Holly doodle, did I really say that?
I am in another rat trap room, looks like a motel room right out of 1960 in Alturas California for instance. But it’s a room, my clothes are all washed…..yes they badly need the washing. My intention was to train it north to Newcastle. Last night I found a cycle route planner and after playing with it for several hours, I have decided to ride out of here….unbeaten for the moment at least. My ride is 235 miles north to Newcastle. If the ride and mapping prove to be an issue there are 2 cities along the way that offer train service north as a way out. Good night and may God bless us all.
On we go, and I am now searching out roads, tracks, etc that are listed as lanes or roads given a name but not a number. In some places there are plenty, others it is really a struggle and you end up having to hit a major road someplace just as a connector between the littles. These prove to be very intimidating each time. School is out, school is still in, heck I don’t know, so I begin asking. Schools here are on a rotational summer holiday agenda. Meaning g that each county is given a 2 week date and during that time only that school is out. That’s the best explanation I have had to date. Another issue with using the gorgeous country lanes to travel by, a two fold problem really. You cannot see a darned thing, not kidding, rock walls and or 8 foot tall hedge rows impede you seeing anything on either side of that lane. So you watch for gate openings etc to stop and take a peek at the lay of the countryside.
It is truly beautiful, really is. Another thing I noticed was laying in the tent at night my legs tired, and I know I had done some serious sweating thru the day. My ride miles would be 40-50 miles, close to my usual ride pace of 55 average. But when you look at the distance by a major road it was only getting me in the mid twenty mile range down the road. So at this pace I would not be back home till like……2026.
I simply cannot spend all my time zig zagging if I want to get round this place and back home. Down a hill, up a hill, maybe a little spurt across a flat, then up a hill and down a hill was my routine for the day. Rode down and around a corner and met 2 cyclists stopped and looking at their phones. As it turned out, they are 2 guys run a cycling tour package company. On this day, they are mapping out some new loops as he called it. One guy done most of the talking, and was rather a heartless chap it seemed. I told them the trouble I was having, to which he said, welcome to cycling UK. He says we map out loops that offer different challenges to our groups, we try to plan a loop in which we can stop to eat twice, and maybe have an interesting historical item to visit. We ride 2 maybe 3 loops from a small town, then move by van to the next location and do it again. That’s what I would suggest that you do. I says, well. I don’t have a tag along van, and these country lanes while beautiful, they don’t get me very far across the UK at any point time. No, that is true he says, but you will be safe, so stop your whinging. Right I says, giving him my fishmongers eyebrow.
I think my phone is trying to tell me that it needs a rest. Can’t keep it charged up all day, even with the front hub working just fine, battery just loses to much juice. So about 2pm, and since every cross roads seems to have a tiny pub. I pop in, have a tea and charge me phone. I have only eaten at a pub one time so far while I was riding. Still making supper at night for myself. But one of the options that I have considered, is sending most of my camp outfit back home, even lighten my tool pack. But on those days when you get rained on thru the day, it leaves with no way to have anything hot at night before you climb into bed. I don’t mind not having my dinosaur pajamas to wear while I am out traveling, but if I can’t have my hot milk and biscuits, there may be hell to pay. The hills are getting smaller and smaller as I make my way further east, trying to slip under Birmingham and on east from there.
Ever vigilante to be watching that I don’t box myself in and force myself to tackle a road to big, especially those roads marked A. Zoomed down a steep hill and banked hard right……..dead flat and fresh mowed grass on each side, no rock walls or even a hedge……was I on the moon? Put the tent up, right on the side of the road, so few cars. The tent and sleeping bag needed to be aired out, so in the last few ray’s of sunshine, they waved in the wind. I sat there eating tuna in tomatoes (Dan Quail) sauce, and a couple slices of bread and cheese. Just looking out at a field of fat round clean sheep…….so, do ya think that one day a guy sees a sheep with a random branch stuck in the wool as it drags behind the sheep, and that’s the origin of the CUE TIP.
Anyways a fellow, badly winded from running, rounds the bend not but 200 yards to my left. He can hardly breathe as he walks past so we get to talking…..well, okay, I talked and he huffed for the most part. He is runnin another ½ marathon but wants to get into triathlon. I was a swimmer while in University he says, so I have that handled pretty well. Running was always a part of the swim season training, but the cycling has me really stymied he says. Why is that I ask, the traffic, the bloody traffic. Sorry, you will have to stop whinging on about the traffic my mate, that whining belongs to me I says. We compare notes, but his is far worse and happened right here on one of these tiny little country try lanes. My friend was cycle training ing for a triathlon, was struck and killed by a young kid just going way to fast, not but 10 miles from here in that direction he points.
So needless to say, my wife is not to happy when I tell her I am going to go train for cycling. I am a teacher, so I ride a spinner alot, at school and at home, but as you may know, it’s just not the same. Yeah, I can appreciate it I says, my wife is always disappointed when I get back home too.
Bright colors and activity on the opposite side of the passing hedge row bring me to a halt. I thought it was a farmer market, but if so, it was a long way out in the country for one. So, I mozzy in and low and behold it was a go cart racing competition. Plenty of carts, maybe 50-60. And they raced from 4 years old on up to 16. Twin engine carts capable of doing better than 70 mile an hour, and the little tykes raced bantam carts with 1 engine.
First guy I walked up to, and I spoke a few words, he says I used to live in Oregon for 8 years. Beautiful state he says totally tree covered. I asked him if he ever crossed the Cascade range and seen the other side. No, why. Well next time you go back, when you head over that way bring a tree with you so there will be a least one on the east side. Nice guy, an aeronautical engineer. Stopped to talk to another fellow, James. He is a lorry driver and he build operating rooms in hospitals. Yes I know a very unusual combination. He delivers medical equipment all over UK and Scotland. We visit about his cart, and his sons last year of racing. Just to expensive to move up to the next level, a out 100K a year for cart and crew at the next racing level. But he says, if you can shine in that stage you may win your way into sponsorship and the next level of racing which is an actual car. But very few make it he says. He proceeds asking about myself, and the bike. End up talking about roads etc. Well the south is crowded out by the English, the east coast is crowded out by the folks who come over from Belgium, Holland etc. Let’s just say that it’s already crowded, but in the summers it is especially crowded. Get to Scotland mate, that’s my advice, it won’t be much better but they are less crowded in the middle and over crowded along the edges so you may find somewhere to ride. I am sitting in a cheap hotel in Banbury at the moment, and the guy in the next room is smoking joint after joint. I have been leaning out this window for half and hour, inhaling like a mad man, still can’t feel a thing, must be cheap stuff he is rolling. Speaking of just that, I think that every other Brit is a vapor, little old ladies, young men and women, it is everywhere. Sort of surprised me really, being socialized medicine and all, I just thought they would have come up with a manner to curtail the practice.
A word to the rest of us Trump supporters. If he doesn’t do something about cutting spending, what we will have seen is McConneell will have traded Trump his executive orders strait across for NO-LIMIT spending. Sure worries me, that we are not making inroads on lowering the level of the swamp, nor working our way thru some true budget cuts. Okay, my political rant is over……Whitney, don’t read this paragraph. Not about cycling, just observations and comments. I
have finished 4 books so far. The case for Trump, by one of my favorite authors Victor Davis Hansen was a very interesting read. Followed by Remi Adelekes story called Transformed, also a very interesting read and a great chance to see a man’s heart changed toward Christ in a powerful way. A Dan Silva book, I like his fictional books spy thrillers. I wanted something a little heavier, and my son suggested Fountainhead by Ayn Rand – I have this book but not read it yet. I did also download another book by Ayn Rand, called We the Living. I really think that if you have a brain numbed adolescent with ripped skinny Jean’s sitting on the couch exercising his thumbs, slap him, then hand him this book. So many of the young ( of which I am one- young that is) feel that Red Bernie Sanders has the answers to their problems. Dang, they need to read this book by Ayn Rand. And I am just now on chapter 5 of Drain the Swamp. Interesting for sure so far. Once again, here is a guy calling on us THE CITIZEN to act. The take away is that we complain, we reelect, and re-complain.
I know that God never sends me where I can`t go, He sends me where others cannot go. And for this I am very grateful. I asked for advice, I asked for wisdom, I asked him to make my path clear. And to my way of thinking, he certainly did thru the people that I met over the last few days. So, I rented an apartment overlooking the beach, and will be home in 3 months…….ya right, Jdub is not a beach guy. Give me a lawn chair to reweave with Baler twine while sitting in the evening sun in ……..Quartsite. Holly doodle, did I really say that?
I am in another rat trap room, looks like a motel room right out of 1960 in Alturas California for instance. But it’s a room, my clothes are all washed…..yes they badly need the washing. My intention was to train it north to Newcastle. Last night I found a cycle route planner and after playing with it for several hours, I have decided to ride out of here….unbeaten for the moment at least. My ride is 235 miles north to Newcastle. If the ride and mapping prove to be an issue there are 2 cities along the way that offer train service north as a way out. Good night and may God bless us all.
One Response to “Blog 6- Shamrocks and Kilts Tour”
Ya know, if weather is an issue on these rides have you ever considered a Caribbean ride? If all that water seems to be a hurdle and physical exercise is something you Watts cherish so, maybe a paddle boat?