Alan had a good night’s sleep the last two nights courtesy of the ear plugs Sandra bought him on Tuesday. The ear plugs also had the mysterious effect of making Alan snore; so not only could he not hear me snoring, he also couldn’t hear me complaining about the noises he was making. Oh did he laugh as we enjoyed a lovely breakfast in an open sunny dining area yesterday. The Steppes bed and breakfast in Lugwardine is to be recommended.
However I was nervous; from the day we planned our route, day 9 was the day I was most worried about. I know the area reasonably well and the routing software told us we would need to climb over 6000 feet with 8 climbs worth mentioning.
The software was correct – we ended up climbing 6200 feet over 76 miles (at a low average of 12.5 mph even including a maximum 39 mph). I was mostly bringing up the rear, especially in the morning when the climbs were toughest coming over the Hereford hills, into Monmouth and then into Chepstow via Tintern. These roads were difficult (for me) but the weather was good and the scenery along the Wye Valley was simply stunning. We had a couple of stops; first to inspect some poppy fields which have been planted to provide opium for licenced drug making– masses of red poppies with a background of rolling green hills. Unfortunately Mark left his sunglasses up here which he only discovered after cycling down the hill from the fields to the road so he had to cycle back up again – he was very annoyed so cycled quickly. Soon we stopped at the Tump Inn at Wormelow where Alan and I spent many hours some 25 years ago when we used to come to Hereford for fancy dress and cricket parties. This brought back many memories.
During a fuel stop in Chepstow (in the form of a large chip butty) a lens fell out of my sunglasses while we sat outside the fish and chip shop. Alan spotted it on the pavement but I didn’t think it was mine and proved this by poking myself in the eye through the frame where the lens should have been. Fortunately an optician was no more than 50 yards away and it was fixed in 10 minutes.
Next stop was the Severn Bridge and this experience made the route worthwhile. There’s a cycle path by the side of the road and we stopped at the middle of the bridge. It is huge, as is the expanse of water below. The currents below, wind blasts and the vibrations on the bridge as heavy trucks pass by make it a very physical experience.
Over the bridge we started on busy, dangerous roads but soon found back roads into Bristol. Alan took an instant dislike to Bristol and its steep hills. His response was to make up a very poor, abusive song about the place which he sang for the next 30 minutes until we reached Clifton suspension bridge. This was another fantastic experience – the Avon gorge below is a long way down and the views are spectacular (although we couldn’t stop for pictures).
A great ride down through a park took us into Somerset. Another few miles and we met up with Steve King at Barrow Gurney. Steve is joining us for the next 2 days and I last saw him 29 years ago when he recruited me at Schlumberger – I think I’ve changed more than he has in the meantime. He subsequently went on to work at Inchcape where he met Alan and they have remained good friends since.
The final ride to Axbridge was along the A38 which goes up and comes down, many times. Mark got to 41mph which is fast when you’re pedalling. The arrival in Axbridge was superb. This is a wonderful 15th century village mostly untouched over the centuries. We arrived at the Oak House Hotel in glorious sunshine and sat in the sun enjoying a beer overlooking the old market square and the 1450 ‘bistro house’. It is at times like this when you don’t want to be anywhere else in the world. Many of the old houses look like tyhey were built for Hobbits and are totally unsuitable for today's larger sized people. It really is a quaint village and I would like to spend more time here.
Sally was at Wimbledon today and got a bit of rain and it’s been raining at Glastonbury which is close by, but for us the weather has almost been perfect today. We have been lucky and the day has been memorable. We’re on the last stretch now. The sun is still shining as I'm waiting for breakfast to be served.
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