Travellers’ We need you! Cycle wants your Travellers’ Tales. TALES Write or email the editor – details on page 86 – to find out what’s required. A ’plane to Spain DAVID FOSTER AND PARTNER SOPHIE FLEW TO ALICANTE FOR WINTER SUn – tHEY HOPED… THE SLEET was falling more heavily as we headed out of Castalla towards Ibi. The discomfort was compounded by our recent trial of the via verde El Maigmõ. Although I’ve ridden extensively on dirt roads in Western Australia in the rain, I was unprepared for the clay that covered this track and our wheels. We got about 20 yards before our wheels blocked up! Our cycling holiday in Spain was inspired by a CTC Cycling Holidays trip, which was too long for us but gave ideas of where to go. Also, Sophie wanted to see some sun. Little did we know that it was to be the coldest Spanish winter for 40 years! That wintry day, we took the bus from Ibi to Alcoy, only to find Wight around that Alcoy and its olive groves were disappearing under more snow. We retreated, again by bus, to Alicante. the island We did, however, manage to get around a bit on the days before and This summer, Dave Shambrook and family cycle- after the snow, going by the smaller camped their way around the Isle of Wight roads through Elche (should have stopped), Crevillente, Aspe and iving on the Isle at Egypt Point. On the the worst, and relied Novelda. of Wight, we’re second day, the detour on good brakes for The other side of the snowy day L often asked if out to the Needles was the way down. Our in Alcoy, we stopped in a casa rural we’ve done the ‘Cycle hard work, but the final day started (rural guesthouse), picked because the Wight’ annual views along the coast with an easier ride it was to the north east of Alicante. organised day ride towards Dorset were through Sandown This was so good, with excellent around the island. But well worth the effort. towards Bembridge, food, wine, and conversation with the trailing after hundreds Leaving Freshwater reaching the last 8-year-old John owner – a cosmopolitan Frenchman of sweaty cyclists Bay, we avoided the milestone at Foreland carried his own – that we stayed two days. We spent luggage for isn’t our idea of fun. main road along the lifeboat station. After the 75-mile trip our last night near to the airport. Instead we thought southern coast by a celebratory paddle around the island Overall, although the weather we’d have a go at our heading along the in the sea, we headed could have been better, the roads own circumnavigation Tennyson Trail over home via Seaview and were excellent and the Spanish on of the island, visiting the downs – again Ryde. them extremely polite to cyclists. each of the island’s hard going but the We rode: hybrid extremities and views on a clear day with Deuxjohn trailer camping en route. are breathtaking. for the camping Our first day was After an overnight gear (Dad); Circe also our longest, stop back on the coast, Helios tandem heading up to East we hit the hilliest (Mum and Rachel, Cowes, across to part of the route: past 5); and an Islabikes Cowes on the chain the southernmost Beinn 20 (John, 8). In ferry, and then point at St Catherine’s total we covered 75 following quiet rural lighthouse and miles and suffered no Average temperatures lanes out to Yarmouth through Ventnor punctures. The route for Alicante in in the west of the towards Shanklin. passes all the island December range from 7 degrees to island. That gave us Here the gradients can ferry terminals so is a balmy 16. But the opportunity to tick border on alpine so we an easy trip from the snow is possible! off our first extremity resorted to walking up mainland. CTC.ORG.UK CYCLE 89 Travellers’ TALES Exmoor singletrack IAN BOOTH HEADED FOR THE HILLS, MAKING THE MOST OF A RARE DRY DAY IN SUMMER THERE WERE few opportunities this summer to have a good day’s ride off-road across Exmoor. But 23rd May was too good to be true: dry, sunny, no wind, and as it was mid- week, everyone else was at work. I set off from Exford. The first climb to Hilshead Cross, which starts on tarmac then changes to a stony track, soon had me puffing. But as I climbed, the views opened up over the Brendon Hills. Almsworthy Fan-Tas-tic Common provided a nice, swoopy track to the remote Aldermans Christmas Barrow. I took one of my favourite tracks On holiday in Australia over Christmas, Gill Marsh to Larkbarrow, one of the deserted and Andrew Pentelow hired bikes in Tasmania farms from the 1800s when the Knights from the midlands took over tarting from saw us passing huge were forced to stick Exmoor and tried to develop it. This Hobart, we expanses of pristine, to the main road. The area was also a firing range in the S crossed the empty beaches, scenery varied from First World War; shell holes can still Tasman Bridge on tempting several pleasant to spectacular be seen in places. a very narrow cycle paddling stops. A day but was never dull. A permissive path led me on to track and, after a off the bikes allowed Cycle tourists were few the footbridge/ford at Badgworthy night in Richmond, us to do the classic and far between. Water. It’s a technical descent: a reached the sea at walk in the Freycinet We saw several steep, narrow track, with stones Orford in torrential National Park, visiting curious sights along that jump out to trip you up! The rain on Christmas Wineglass Bay, the way, including ride down ‘Doone Valley’ was Day afternoon. reputedly one of the a huge Santa Claus, excellent; it’s usually deserted mid- Having failed to ten best beaches in the disguising a tree on week. I rode past the memorial to RD make a supermarket world. a suburban roadside Blackmoor who wrote Lorna Doone. visit, due to a sudden Our route lay verge, and a post-and- After a cafe stop in Malmsmead, I The ford at thunderstorm the mostly along the wire fence strung with Badgworthy buzzed along for few miles on tarmac previous afternoon, A3, but traffic was hundreds of discarded Water. RD down winding lanes, passing Oare Christmas Day light and the drivers shoes. Blackmoor set church. Then I had a tough climb his book Lorna evening was dreary generally courteous. We made visits to Doone in this back onto the moor. I rode over and alcohol free. A surprisingly large several convict-built valley South Common, then back along the On the whole number of cars were bridges, including Larkbarrow track towards Exford. though, we avoided the towing boats. the oldest bridge in rain and enjoyed some Our plan to ride Australia and the glorious sunshine along the firm sand aptly-named spiky and some very hot of 9-mile beach was bridge. We also made days. The east coast thwarted by the detours to vineyards route northwards, retirement of the and fruit farms to through Swansea and ferryman – with no sample the excellent Bicheno to St Helens, exit at the end, we local produce. DROPPinG thROUGH YOUR letteRBOX in two months: ROAD BIKES FOR BIG RIDES l’eroica NEXT Audax and sportive bikes on test A retro ride through Tuscany ISSUE LONDON-EDINBURGH-LONDON MENORCAN MOUNTAIN BIKING Get ready for Britain’s longest Off-road around Majorca’s smaller audax event neighbour 90 CYCLE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012-13.