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Home , Norton Malreward

News for October 2014

Thursday 2nd October - report from Pete Campbell: The weather forecasters have been saying that summer is almost over, and a cold front will be heading our way on Saturday, so I expected a big turnout at Bitton station to savour the last BTOTC ride of 2014 with a guarantee of warm and dry roads. The eleven who gathered at the start were slightly surprised that a lot of regulars clearly had more urgent matters to attend to: maybe going on holiday or clearing the garden.

Martyn set off promptly at 10:00 as he'd promised, as he'd worked out a longer than normal route to Shoscombe with a few hills thrown in, and an expected lunch time of 12:30. Fairly familiar roads took us through Saltford, , Norton Malreward and , and then down the west side of the lake and into the Harptrees. Then the day's first climb, up to Hinton Blewitt, cycling past the Ring O'Bells nestling in the sun and looking like a good place for some refreshments. But not today. Martyn pushed on eastwards through and Paulton, and a final climb before lunch over Radford Hill, down into Clandown, and into the Apple Tree at Shoscombe at around 12:30.

The Bath group were already there sitting in the garden; we did the same. I don't think I've ever eaten inside at the Apple Tree. I had a pint of Wadworths 6X which I don't think I'd seen for a long time, and I'm not sure I'll be looking for again. The cider fans had the pleasure of a pint from the firm of Honey and Daughter which seemed to go down very well, and also had the benefit of having travelled a couple of miles as its made in Midford.

Martyn had a short ride home for us, through Wellow and the Two Tunnels into Bath and then back onto the cycle path to Bitton. An excellent ride; now all we have to look forward to is colder, wetter weather and a long time till spring.

Martyn's route today? Click here.

Thursday 9th October - report from Pete Campbell: All the weather services were threatening a bad day today, so I was surprised to get to Ashton and find three riders already there at 9:50. By 10:00 we had thirteen ready to brave the gales and thunder storms. I've noticed in the past that John Killick seems able to get us onto the Mendips without every going up a hill, so I thought we might be in luck today. But no, although maybe it was the headwind blowing from the south all the way to the Hunters Lodge.

Malcolm was not riding today, as he is now a grandfather for the third time and he needed to spend some cuddle time with his new one, and probably with his daughter as the new one was 10lb 12.5 oz.

So we took the standard route out of Ashton, using the Long Ashton cycle route, Wild Country Lane and on to Manor. And then southward to the Butcombe Triangle. We managed to skirt the northern edge of Lake and got to with no problems. But the dreaded influence still lingered. I decided to it was time for a wardrobe adjustment and removed my waterproof jacket (no rain yet) telling Keith that I'd catch up. Soon after the chain came off (my Dawes Galaxy was complaining after spending all summer in the basement). And now, I had no idea where my mated had gone. So while they turned south west to , I headed south east to Litton and . How hard can it be to find the way to lunch when I had a super-duper smartphone in my pocket? Very hard, it turned out, when there's no network connection. But fortunately I came across Mike Finch also heading west from Chewton Mendip who lives in the area and knew exactly which lanes to take. Mike had also suffered a lost chain earlier, and took his own route southward.

I reached the Hunters Lodge at around 12:30 where they were still serving lunch, so I was able to have the usual high standard pasty and beans. I also had the first three Christmas Lunch bookings. Don't forget to let me know if you're coming, and more importantly let me have your £16.50.

Homeward was more or less directly north, with the wind behind us. I got back to central after 70km from Ashton, and there'd been no sign of rain.

And the route? Click here.

Message from Bill Balchin 16th October 2014. It was a great day for me today to cycle to the lunch stop at Tintern and meet up with you guys. I did not expect to be fit enough for the group ride so rode with my good friend Roy Benney at a steady pace. Most of you know that I have been suffering with vertigo since 21st July. It started with a really violent attack of dizziness, everything spinning, throwing up - awful. After a few days it calmed down but left me unsteady on my feet and unable to even think about riding a bike. The breakthrough came from a physiotherapist at Bradley Stoke leisure centre who performed the Epley manouevre on me. This involves having your head moved in a particular way to redistribute particles that gather in the canals of your inner ear and prevent your balance mechanism from working correctly. After bringing the symptoms back for a few hours things settled down and I was OK again.

Just the small matter now of making up for ten weeks without cycling and getting those legs back to work. The ride back from Tintern was not too bad once I found my way off the back of the group. And I could not resist a group photo with the abbey in the background. I was thinking of some witty comment along the lines of "a load of ruins - with the abbey in the background" but that would be both unkind and untrue - you folks are an inspiration. Hope I can do the whole ride next time to Acton Turville.

Thursday 16th October - report from Malcolm Hanson The report on the ride today shrivels into insignificance compared to Bill’s words so I will leave them up front. Welcome back Bill!!

Someone else we had to welcome back was our august leader for the day Dave Woodward who told us he had hardly sat on a bike since August thanks to the DIY demands of being a second home owner. Welcome back Dave as well.

13 of us gathered at Aust with the sun beating down on us. I seem to remember that last winter’s rides were blessed by a series of sunny Thursdays all surrounded by wet, windy and cold other days of the week. If we have to suffer the latter this winter let’s hope that, as today, we continue to enjoy dry, windless and warm Thursdays.

Over the bridge and up the cycle track, but then what? Well today it was a sort of “avoid as much of Wales as you can” route. To achieve this Dave led us through the twists and turns of the back streets of Chepstow to the bridge over the Wye and so back into . From there we ground up Castleford Hill and through Tutshill to ride along the B4228 towards St Braivels. Having risen 200m Dave then made us blow it all by descending down Park Hill Lane towards the river Severn. This was totally new territory for most of us but delightful territory with lovely views back over towards the . However, we were all aware that Tintern still lay on the other side of the ridge we had just come off so the inevitable re- climb soon began. I hadn’t ridden for a couple of weeks and was recovering from a heavy cold so when, after a partial climb back up, Dave decided to go back down again I decided my frail body might not stand another re-climb so I chickened out and carried on climbing to take a shorter route to the pub. The others crossed Cone Brook and headed up through some woodland to St Braivels before heading down through Brockweir.

We found The Anchor was about to host some big event which meant the rooms facing the Abbey were not available for us. So round the back it was to a large room with two huge, long tables. It felt a bit like being back at school but it did mean that lots of people could chat to each other. Those people included a goodly crowd who had made their own way to the pub, Bill included.

Suitably refreshed it was the standard return route up the A466 and down to the bridge. We will not be crossing the bridge again until the spring so we will be seeing even more of England over the next few months starting with Acton Turville next week. See you then!

For Dave Woodward's route to Tintern, click here.

Thursday 23rd October - report from Bill Balchin: I'm not sure when Mark Brough first joined in with the BTOTC, sometime in 2011 probably. I remember taking a photo of four newbies sat outside the Rose and Crown at Hinton Charterhouse in the sunshine at the end of September. I remember it because I got them to sit together which tipped over the picnic table so I had to take it again with two each side. Of the four, Paul came a few times and disappeared, Pete Brown was an "irregular" for a few years, Clive is still out especially on a Tuesday coffee meet and Mark is now leading rides with the first today from Bitton to Acton Turville.

There is a wealth of recent history on the website so Mark based today's ride on the event last year - and why not. It was good then and it is still good now. Fifteen made a prompt start down the cycle track for the first turn-off at North Common, picking up Roger a few yards into the path. The sixteen then used Cann Lane and Chesley Hill to bring us aound the north of Wick where more quiet lanes took us into Doynton and Rob Shiels peeled off for home bringing us back to fifteen.

The big test of the day was the climb of Dyrham Hill, not too bad today with dry roads and the wind in our favour. I was pleased to get up there after a long lay-off but it was a struggle. After crossing the A46 - as manic as ever - it was more lanes to skirt past Marshfield on the A420 before turning north again past the chicken farms and dropping into Castle Combe.We were well on schedule as we crossed the Burton Road with a left and right jink heading for Grittleton - but what is this ahead? A police road block? Due to some animal movements going on we were diverted along Summer Lane by a very pleasant lady PCSO. I could not see a SWAT team backing her up but hey ho, do as you're told, Summer Lane it is which took us to the Grittleton Road near the Salutation pub. Just a short trip now under the motorway, through Littleton Drew and we arrived at the Fox and Hounds just around noon. Just time for a photo of Mark checking that his lock would be suitable to secure the shiny new Van Nicholas titanium roadster.

The Fox and Hounds has no trouble keep hold of it's triple A rating - good food, good beer (and cider) and good service. There were a handful of cars in the car park but the garden was rammed with bikes. The easy-riders just pipped the main group and a Bath group arrived half an hour later to fill the right-hand side of the pub with cyclists - around thirty of us. Most people took the Tormaton Road for home, not one of my favourites with the drag of the incline now into the wind plus that rough road surface. The sun made a brief appearance of less than a minute before a bit of drizzle kicked in half-heartedly for another minute. But it generally continued to be dry under the grey sky as we dropped into Dodington Ash and the splitting off for home began.

Mark's route today - click here.

24th October - report from Shirley on Dave Clegg and Alex Rendu: who collided with each other on 8 October while on a cycling holiday in Spain. Both suffered various broken bones and extensive bruising. The damage should mend in due course, and both are now back in the UK. Shirley went there on 12 October and here's her summary:

Well, eventually we all made it back to Bristol on the same day by a variety of means - great relief all round! David was cleared to leave on Monday - the repatriation team sprang into action at an impressive rate and by late afternoon we were set up to travel back by air ambulance on Tuesday. However, British weather intervened - at 9.30 that night I had a message to say there were no beds available in Bristol hospitals which were on 'black alert' because of the forthcoming gales...The transfer took place the following day - a lengthy journey but with a great result, David being delivered into the arms of the BRI around midnight. I was able to travel with him but my trip finished at the hospital and I met a bit of a challenge getting home with a huge holdall full of David and Alex's biking gear etc plus my own bag. Still, a minor detail as at least on this occasion I was able to explain my predicament to the helpful receptionist at A&E who kindly arranged a taxi.

Alex was given 'good to go' last Friday but ironically, given that his transfer should have been more straightforward, it took five days to set up. The insurance company decided that they now needed various bits of paper - having not asked for anything in the previous nine days - so more running around to get documentation downloaded, filled in, faxed back etc. On Monday the ward administrator was adamant that there was no medical report that Alex's doctor had assured me he was completing on Friday. Eventually with the assistance of another doctor, and with the two of us standing over the administrator in his office, the report was found to be on the system after all. ..Then a nurse had to be flown out to escort Alex back on an Easyjet flight - unfortunately it went to Gatwick but he was sent on by ambulance to Bristol and is now at home starting his recovery programme.

It was an interesting experience spending 10 days in a Spanish working town - very different from the usual tourist activities. There have been many occasions when I've been grateful for the kindness of strangers but never more so than during my stay in Lorca. As I've said before, communication was a struggle but a smile and a greeting goes a long way so I really appreciated the gap-toothed 'hola' from the woman in the fruitera when I met her in the street - she occasionally added an extra bit of fruit to the bag of oranges etc I was taking to the hospital (usually a rock-hard peach but the thought was there..) Plus, of course, the owner of the cafe where I had an early-morning coffee and the Moroccan man with the complicated love-life who helped with getting documentation to and fro . David is being re-assessed so in the process of being monitored and having new x-rays etc. There's a bit of concern about the pelvic injury so consultation is taking place with a specialist team at Southmead (another Bristol hospital) about the best way forward. Remarkably, he's almost pain-free which is the good news, but is still pretty immobile and is champing at the bit at his lack of ability to hasten his recovery, as you might imagine! He's now in an environment that is far more conducive to aiding recovery - there's a restriction on visiting hours and numbers (apparently unheard of in Spain), he has control of his own tv so does not have to endure the Spanish equivalent of Jeremy Kyle and the food, while not gourmet, is 100% better. There's even a choice and a meal that is meant to be hot arrives at a decent temperature.

If anybody out there wants to call in and is in or close enough to Bristol, then David would welcome seeing a face other than mine and getting news of the great outside, including, would you believe, the world of biking. Yesterday I had to take him the biography of Robert Millar that he was halfway through before the ill-fated trip to Spain...I'm not sure how long he'll be in the BRI but it's likely to be at least another couple of weeks and maybe longer.

As before, many many thanks for all the messages for both David and Alex. Neither is particularly sentimental but it's meant a huge amount to know that people are thinking of them and wishing them well. And thanks also for message of support and offers of help I've received - much appreciated.

Tuesday 28 October - picture from Dennis Harris.

In a week with a mixed bag of weather the Tuesday coffee drinkers got the best deal sitting outside the Eastwood cafe in the sunshine.

Thursday 30 October - report from Pete Campbell. The jet stream still appears to be well to the north of us, so summer continues. Apparently the strawberry growers expect there to a good supply of fruit until almost Christmas so look out for strawberries and cream after your roast turkey this year. Around fifteen people turned up at Ashton for Jane's ride to , including Wayne Tasker who hasn't been out with us for a good few months, and Olly with a broken rib after he fell off a body board onto rocks last week.

Jane took the usual route onto the new Long Ashton path, but turned left at Yanley Lane, up onto the Bridgewater Road, and then onto new roads for me, west of Bishopsworth. The only way south from there is up onto which we did along some lanes which were not as steep as I'd expected, arriving at the top to the east of the village. From there we were into Jane's more relaxed part of the journey, via Nortons Hawkesfield and Malreward, and . But this is hedge-cutting time, and we found a stretch of the route where the farmer had been out with his shears since Jane was here last. No problem for us on the lane, but a mile farther on Phil Hodgson found his rear tyre was flat. Was there a connection? I guess we will never know, but we can guess. Phil told us to carry on without him. We took a longer route via North and South Widcombe, and an extra loop up to the Blue Bowl, which meant we arrived at the Ring O'Bells in Compton Martin not too long before Phil arrived.

I counted twenty seven cyclists at the pub, which seemed a reasonable turnout for what was proving to be (yet again) the last day of summer. The menu is small compared to some of the places we go to, but there was a good reaction to the size of the ploughmans. I had today's special, mussels and chips, which were very good although I didn't notice anyone else having them.

Jane's route home was via and Winford Manor, and the reverse of our normal route out from Ashton. Olly's broken rib was starting to give him some discomfort, but as we all know there is apparently no gain without pain, I guess he was feeling today's ride was another bonus. I certainly was, as from now colder weather is expected. We will see.

Click here for Jane's route to lunch.

Friday 31 October - update on David Clegg. David has been moved to Southmead hospital and had an operation on his pelvis earlier this week, resetting a bone his consultant wasn't happy with. He will be starting physiotherapy today.