News for June 2017

Thursday 1st June. Ashton to Clevedon. Report from Bill Balchin: The first day of June, and if you are a meteorologist also the first day of Summer. Most of the twenty one starters responded appropriately by bringing their Summer bike and wearing short sleeves for Keith Borrisow's ride to the Salthouse at Clevedon from Ashton Bridge. Keith is quite rightly proud of so usually works in a few local delights when he leads a ride. The first is often to ride through Ashton Court past the deer park and today was no exception. Keith was promising a fairly flat ride today - and it would have been if we had started at the Clifton suspension bridge. Crossing over it I glanced at my watch to see how much time had passed since I had ridden over in the opposite direction on the way to the start.

A tour around the downs followed, looking glorious in the sunshine - the downs that is, (and us I suppose). A swoop down into Combe Dingle and we were suddenly into countryside on roads that several of us were unfamiliar with. With the group getting strung out I was grateful that several people had the presence of mind to wait at junctions to point the way otherwise we would have lost a few along Napier Miles Road going past Kingsweston School.

I was back onto familiar ground as we continued past Blaise Castle although Peter Ralph had to ask me where we were. That's what happens when you live out east. The next section was another mystery trip for some as we swooped into Hallen and rode on the Avon Cycleway - part lanes and part roads through the ever expanding warehousing area near Avonmouth. There were several bollards around but a chorus of "BOLLARD" erupted each time we got near one so no crashes today. Just worried for your welfare Guido. Our route took us over and under the M5 and M49 a few times. One time on a flooded underpass. Luckily the water on the footpath was only an inch deep.

After the loop to north of the motorways Keith led us back into Lawrence Weston where we stayed on the roads rather than the cycle track which would have been a pain with all it's barriers. Over the Avonmouth bridge next to the noise of the motorway traffic we regrouped on the far side where Phil took the opportunity for a quick lie down on a giant spanner. Then there was another new route as we took a sharp right turn, through some wicked looking bollards made out of RSJ and took some back roads through Pill before coming out on Priory Road by the Kings Arms. Once we reached Portbury it was countryside again as Caswell Lane and Clevedon Lane gave us a quiet ride. The pace moved up a notch or two and back-marker Shirley and a few others got detached by the time we arrived in Clevedon town. But the Salthouse is pretty easy to find so within ten minutes the whole group was sat on the patio along with dozens of other customers. It was the busiest I have ever seen it but there were plenty of staff working hard and by half past one it was time to drag yourself back to your bike for the trip home.

The homeward trip sometimes degenerates into a bit of a free for all. Andy got things off to a bad start when he rode into the back of Mike and fell off - no damage to the Rotrax you will be glad to hear. Then it was a sprint through the Gordanoes and into Portishead for the Sheepway and back into Pill. Keith's plan was for a stop at the Buttery on the docks but as we crossed the Martcombe Road into Pill Keith got dropped and half the group ended back at the Avonmouth bridge again. Oh well, nothing for it but to get onto the Portway for you Bristol folk while I retraced my way back through Lawrence Weston. Sixty four miles was enough for me today without an additional trip into Bristol.

See the odd shaped route here.

Thursday 8th June. Amcor to . Report from Steve Hicks: So, after all the weeks of campaigning, today was the day to make your choice; take the westerly route with Andy Short or the "moderate paced" easterly route with Don Ford, for our ride to The Huntsman at Falfield. Seventeen arrived at Amcor in the dry hoping that the forecast showers might contrive to give our chosen routes a miss; however, with only minutes to go before the 10 am start, down came the rain!

Twelve chose the westerly route with Andy, heading out via and Ham to Falfield while the remainder followed Don up into Winterbourne and beyond. I chose Don's route which proved an interesting foray around , Kendelshire, Henfield and before we picked up Frampton End Road. At this point, Don suffered a navigational "senior moment" and carried straight on at the sharp right-hand bend plunging us into an ever more muddy and waterlogged farm track. "Must know where he's going" thought the rest of us and not wanting to appear rebellious, we followed on until an anguished cry from the front indicated we were off course. Retracing our path through the quagmire, we regained Frampton End Road and continued on our way. We carried on through into Nibley Lane and eventually around the north of and the perimeter of before pausing at the original Church of St. James, which stands on the hill above the the village.

Don was able to tell us that the graveyard contains the mass grave and memorial to the sixteen people who died in the Charfield railway disaster of 1928 and the unsolved mystery of the two child victims who were never identified. We set off again through Charfield, Huntingford and Damery as the rain eased for the first time. We crossed the A38 at Stone, dropping down to Lower Stone and back up to The Huntsman at Falfield, to find that Andy's group plus a small contingent of "easy riders" and a couple of the Bath boys were already drying out. Lunch was served efficiently with the only complaint being that the Wickwar "Bob" definitely tasted "off" and several of the group had their pints changed for Bath Ales "Gem", which was fine. With the rain having held off since around midday and everybody fed and watered, Andy opted for a prompt departure taking the main group via Rockhampton while those of us in more of a hurry to get home took the direct route down the A38. Touch here to see Steve's route for the day. Extra note from Pete Campbell: Andy's group had the benefit of a flat and traffic-free route, but everyone found out how effective their rain gear is. By the time we got to Hill people were either wet or very wet and Wayne and Martyn decided enough was enough so turned off to home, while Mike took a shortcut to the Huntsman. It started to feel cold, so the speed went up, reaching 16 mph on the final slope up to Falfield when we could almost taste our lunch. Some of our colleagues are on cycling holidays: Phil Hodgson, Alan Partridge, Mike Finch and Brian Trott are in Dorset so will certainly have got as wet as we did today; Mike Sennett is in the Dordogne region of France so has probably forgotten what rain is. Touch here to see where Andy's group went.

Thursday 15 June 2017. to Luckington. Report from Shirley Hume: The encouraging weather forecast for today meant that a number of people [myself included] were taken by surprise by the persistent drizzle that started about half an hour or so before the ride set off. Luckily it never became any worse and in a relatively short period of time it was back to broken sunshine and ferocious winds - although the wind factor was a lot more apparent on the return journey. Originally this was a two ride week, but due to circumstances outside anyone’s control the moderate ride had to be cancelled, so it was with some trepidation that a number of us waited to hear what Martyn had in store - not helped by his comment on the Facebook page that while he could ride it on a fixie he wasn’t going to……In fact Martyn was out on a new bike today, but sadly it didn’t appear to slow him up at all!

We were heading to Luckington and the first deviation from normal was passing the Golden Valley turn and heading up [and up and up] through Upton Cheyney to turn left and lose all the height again before rejoining the more usual route to and . A left turn in Dyrham took us to the bottom of Cock Lane and the second of the ‘two’ hills of the day. I think perhaps Martyn’s school missed the memo about the importance of numeracy!! From there we did a short loop to cross the A46 and head for West Littleton and onward in the direction of Marshfield. We then did the familiar loop which eventually led via some quiet lanes to Mountain Bower and on to Castle Combe. On the descent to Castle Combe I managed to patent a new transition method for the bike / run phase of a triathlon – you had to see it to appreciate it I’m told, but suffice to say it is probably the most graceful manoeuvre I have made since my Mother was asked to remove me from ballet class at the age of 7 [for being totally unsuited to anything dainty apparently].

From Castle Coombe we took a left and immediate right heading towards Grittleton, when Andy suddenly raced ahead and at the next junction he was to be found unrolling a white cloth containing an impressive set of what I assume were bike tools [either that or he was planning an unorthodox roadside amputation]. The reason was soon revealed as he sorted out a rattle on Martyn’s mudguard before we headed north via Grittleton and Alderton to arrive at The Old Royal Ship.

I didn’t think to look at the time but it can’t have been long after 12.00, with the Easy Riders still in the queue for food and drink. With only 15 of us out on the main ride today the queue didn’t take long to clear and we found ourselves split between the garden and inside for food, with a few independents already there. It was a lovely day, if breezy and nobody was rushing to get on the road, but by 1.20 [ish] we were heading back into what felt like the teeth of a gale. As usual the group quickly disintegrated and people made their own way back and fingers crossed that Bill made it back safely on his Eroica bike, before heading off tomorrow for the event. (Yes my first Eroica and I thank messrs Shimano and Campagnolo for all their efforts to consign cantilever brakes, toe clips and downtube shifters to the dustbin of history - Bill)

It doesn’t feel like two years since my first ride with BTOTC – a lovely sunny June ride to The Old Royal Ship in Luckington!!

Click here to see most of the route - we really need Pete to do the recording! Message from Peter Metelerkamp 14th June 2017: Peter is one of our newer riders so thought his name may be largely unknown, hence I have included a photo. As Pete Campbell remarked "He will always be known as that bloke who crashed in France". As opposed to Spain, Majorca...

Dear Fellow BTOTC riders, I thought I should let you know that if you don't see me on rides for a few weeks, it won't be for lack of interest!

Unfortunately, on Monday 5th June on the way down from an epic climb up Puy Mary, the highest peak in the Auvergne, on the "rest day" of the wonderful "Manche to Med" tour (CTC tour 1719) with Nic and Julie Hodgetts, I crashed. Fellows on the trip replaced the front tube where there had been a blowout with the tyre coming off the rim, and after riding a few km to the next little town, ambulance to Mauriac and assessment there, it turned out to be a little serious - consciousness briefly lost (cracked helmet), badly snapped collarbone, three broken ribs, and a punctured lung. I was helicoptered to the bigger hospital in Aurillac, where I was in ICU with a catheter to suck the air from the pulmonary cavity around the lung for a couple of days. However that was stabilised, and after most excellent and welcoming treatment, especially considering my half-dozen words of French (!), I was brought home by ambulance last weekend.

I'm now in the decidedly unwelcoming hands of the NHS, awaiting an appointment with the Fracture Clinic, trying to manage both pain and frustration, and hoping for improvement...

The France tour leaders Nic and Julie will very kindly bring back my bike and baggage when they return next weekend, and I'll of course then check the bike over very carefully.

Take care and best wishes, Peter

Thursday 22 June 2017. Ashton to Lower Langford. Report from Pete Campbell: It seemed like a long time since I'd been on my bike - two weeks, in fact as I had a week with my wife in St Davids in Pembrokeshire, walking bits of the coastal path where not even a mountain bike would get through. The Van Nicholas was ready to go. Riding through the centre of Bristol, I got an admiring comment from a passing lad on his road bike (not admiring me, only my bike, of course). I was one of the last to reach the Ashton start before Phil gathered us together for a summary of the day, telling us that there would be a lot of downhill riding. Look Phil, we've all been doing this long enough to know that you can't have the downhill without the preceding up. Yes, he smiled. The main climb of the day would be the Wrangle, after which he'd be abandoning us at the roadside while he went home to deal with Bristol Water and a leak (or some such excuse).

We set off with around twenty riders under the gray skies. Much better weather than the heat of the past few days. I guess I wasn't the only one finding it hard to raise the energy to move around the house, never mind doing anything useful. We took Wild County Lane, all the way to the end, including the steep downhill gravelly section into Barrow Gurney, and up onto Hobbs Lane which since it has been for cyclists only seems to have turned into a nature reserve, or as Shirley thought, a triffid plantation. A bit more uphill led to the east of the airport followed by a steep downhill past Nempnett Thrubwell and into Compton Martin. So, then onto Highfield Lane (or the Wrangle to use its well-loved name). Phil agreed it would be steep, but he told us it is short. Yes, well, I guess its not as long as some. Most people managed it without walking but there's no disgrace in not being able to keep turning the pedals. Anyway, the treat was that not much further we came to the long descent of Burrington Combe. I always feel I've failed a little bit when I have to use my brakes. The Langford Inn us under new ownership since we were there last. They wanted a pre- order and ten people obliged with their choice. But the large number of people not pre- ordering didn't seem to have a problem. This was because the chef didn't arrive for work until 11:50 so we were all treated the same! The price of drinks seems to be a good indication of the rate of inflation: my Butcombe Bitter was £3.80 and Guido's cider was £4. Is this what we will see everywhere soon? I led the homeward run through Congresbury, avoiding our normal route along Wrington Road which Phil told me could be closed by road works. On the edge of Congresbury we were joined by Luke Hanson, Malcolm's son, who has ridden with us a number of times over the past few years, sometimes accompanied by one or both his children. This time Luke was riding alone. There had already been some suggestion that a visit to Aimee's Wine House was necessary, so about a dozen of us turned in there. And Luke volunteered to pay for us all. What a gentleman you are, sir! So we all thought of Malcolm, again, while we polished off a Marshfield ice cream. I chose banana flavour and unfortunately there was not quite enough left so I was given a top-up of clotted cream ice cream. Excellent.

You may be interested in this blog post I came across which allegedly ranks Mendip climbs in order of difficulty. And touch here to see where we went today. Phil's leak 22nd June: Thanks to Pete for leading the final few miles to the pub and to Guido for being diligent Tail-end-Charlie for the day. Phil peeled off to descend via Blagdon a back the way we had come to get home in time to see Bristol Water. Thankfully the leak was from their meter. Hope you all enjoyed the ride. Thursday 29th June. Severn Bridge to Redwick. Report from Bill Balchin: I've been really looking forward to our ride to the Rose Inn at Redwick - not for myself (I did the ride three times in May) but so that the group could enjoy it as much as I did. I told the landlady that we normally had about twenty on a ride - but then I started to worry that with a Tuesday ride and the Vets 100 either side of Thursday numbers could be down. When I cycled there previously the weather was absolutely perfect so I started to get a bit concerned as the date got closer and the forecast kept changing between mediocre and poor. A cold, wet day on the Wednesday did not bode well either but there was a glimmer of hope that we may have a window of reasonable weather for our Thursday ride. My fingers were firmly crossed on Wednesday.

Turning up at twenty to ten at the bridge on the day of the ride I was only the fourth to arrive and by ten there were eighteen in the group. It was overcast and a bit chilly but dry so it looked like all the worry had been unnecessary. Our route took us through Mathern and straight up to Shirenewton where we regrouped at the church before a storming descent on Red House Lane into Llanfair Discoed. Then another climb towards Wentwood before we took an unsigned left turn to Llanvaches. I was glad to have help from willing volunteers with Keith doing the back-marking and strong guys Martyn, Wayne and Max taking turns to wait on the many turns that could have spelled disaster if missed.

After Llanvaches we made a 120 degree turn to pass close to the Wentwood reservoir before reaching the highest point of the day at 600 feet. The hedgerows have grown a bit in the last month so you will have to take my word that we passed some terrific views. Another blast downhill on a single track followed, quickly curtailed by a large tractor brushing the hedges on both sides. Sensible riding saw us able to pull in and let him pass without drama, although being on the front I was glad of my good brakes.

A few more narrow lanes dropped us into Parc Seymour where we crossed the A48 by the Groes Wen pub and into Bowdens Lane that takes you into Magor. But not for us today. We took a right fork (after a ten minute delay while I fixed the only puncture of the day) into Llandevaud to the west of Magor. Crossing the M4 we rode on flat lanes with a similar character to the Kenn Moors (which are over on the opposite side of the Bristol channel) including a duck under a low railway bridge that saw Andy Short ducking more than most. And we arrived at the Rose Inn at about ten past twelve - behind schedule by the puncture delay.

Several people recognised the Rose as a place they had visited in the past but nobody had arrived by such a twisty route as today's. I think this one could become a keeper for the BTOTC. Although the ordering queue moved a bit slowly the meals arrived as if by magic. Don had walked to the table but not sat down when his lunch arrived. A pretty place with a friendly welcome. and Hobgoblin Gold on draft! What's not to like? With the quick food service we were ready to leave by one fifteen after the tradition group photo in the pub garden. With two throne-type seats we had the village church as the background rather than the boozer. The return trip from Magor usually means either the gravel tracks into Caldicot or the A48 cycle track from Caerwent. Today we took a middle route by taking the St Brides road out of Magor to Carrow Hill then lanes and the Dewstow Road into Caldicot where we finished off with the usual Portskewett/Mathern route back. I was well satisfied with today, hope you were as well. I would be even better with some sunshine but at least we stayed dry.

The twists and turns don't look quite so odd on the map. See it here.