News for July 2013

Thursday 2nd July 2015. Report from Steve Hicks, photo from Shirley Hume: Today’s weather forecast was for a

warm, cloudy day with the chance of thundery showers by mid-afternoon, sounded like a reasonable day for a ride

especially with my good friend Phil Hodgson leading us to The Plough at Congresbury. Today was my one hundredth

ride with the BTOTC but for Peter Hosking from Portishead it was his very first. Looking to get back into regular

cycling and discover more routes around the Bristol area, Peter had heard about us at a cycle jumble in Malmesbury

no less (!) and duly turned up on his trusty Dawes Galaxy for his first outing.

Eighteen set out from Ashton on the Festival Way but any thoughts of an easy day were soon dispelled when Phil

turned right, up to and across Long Ashton Road and into Keedwell Hill. As we began to climb and turned into

Providence Lane, the possibility of an early coffee stop at the Hodgson residence came and went as we continued

into Longwood Lane and skirted Abbots Leigh. A sharp bend covered in loose gravel resulted in some short

demonstrations of speedway riding in Sandy Lane but no damage done and we regrouped outside Failand Church.

From there it was the long downhill that is Failand Lane and we were in Portbury, heading for Clevedon via Clapton

in Gordano. As we turned towards Walton in Gordano the rain started to fall and despite Richard Hill’s assurance

that it would only be a ‘short shower’, the wet tops started to appear. Temporary traffic lights on Marine Parade

split the group but we were soon back together and heading out of Clevedon onto Kenn Moor. A brief pause in

Kingston Seymour gave Mark Brough the opportunity to inform us that the some local residents have for some time

been objecting to a proposed cycle path route to Weston-super-Mare (Boo Hiss!). The last leg through Yatton and

into Congresbury was completed at a sharp pace, probably due to the increasing wetness and the approach of

opening time.

The Plough was reached just about midday and the usual organised chaos ensued regarding pre-ordered lunches;

fortunately we were the only customers at that point and with no Easy Rider group and only a couple of independent

arrivals, things quickly sorted themselves out. The range of beers available at The Plough was as good as ever, the

Totty Pot - a dark porter from just down the road at Cheddar Ales - was excellent and went down well with the

beefsteak & mushroom pie. John Upward joined us for lunch and did a quick promo for his longer ride of around 60

miles next Tuesday starting from Huntworth near Bridgewater.

Departure at around 1.15pm was celebrated with some light drizzle which had turned into a downpour by the time

we reached Claverham. And by Chelvey everyone was well and truly soaked. Into Backwell and no stopping at

Aimee’s Wine House today so back on to the Festival Way and through Failand. We said farewell and thanks to Phil

in Long Ashton where some huge puddles were appearing on the newly resurfaced road at the end of another great

day out despite the rain; fortunately the threatened thunder and lightning did not materialise.

Oh, for those nerdy fellows like me - those one hundred rides took me 322 hours and covered 4140 miles. I could go

on to tell you how many different pubs I have been ‘forced’ to visit and how many ride leaders I have had the benefit

of learning from, but that is for another time, maybe over a beer or two!

Click here to see where the speedway riders went.

Tuesday 7th July 2015. Report from John Upward: So good we rode it twice. Jim Boylan and I tested the ride in June

with Tony Galpin, and then on 7th July the real thing with Mike Finch, Brian Trott and Phil Hodgson. On the first ride

it was a glorious sunny day for sitting in a deck chair with an iced gin & tonic. On the second it was grey with the

occasional shower and a wind from the sea. Through narrow lanes we rode with occasional glimpses of what lay

behind the hedges on each side. Nether Stowey for a good coffee & cake, before pushing on to Watchet for an ice

cream on the Esplanade. The pub at Stogumber was closed for lunch, so on the proper ride we changed to

Monksilver and enjoyed an excellent repast for only a pound or two more than normal. An hour later and with one

puncture and an uncleating fall we reached the highpoint of the ride: somewhat tired of undulations. Downhill to

Hestercombe Gardens for tea & cake before heading back to the car park. No pain no gain: a very enjoyable, if quite

demanding, day.

Photo above: Phil Hodgson demonstrating hard cycling

Thursday 9th July 2015. Report from Bill Balchin: First a thank you to the many people asking how my wife, Viv, is

doing. She began her chemotherapy treatment for lymphoma two weeks ago. For the first week the combined

effects of the lymphoma and the drugs made her feel pretty rough. By the second week (today) the drug effects are

subsiding and the lymphoma effects seem to be reducing so she is feeling much improved - in fact, well enough to

insist that I shove off on my bike. Next Thursday the cycle begins again and continues for the rest of the year, we are

expecting more of the same but taking things day by day.

On to today and Jane put her hand up to lead the ride from Amcor to Shipton Moyne. Considering that she has just

completed Lejog with husband Richard on the tandem and is leading a ride next Tuesday (14th July) to Wales, that is

real dedication to the cause. I always enjoy Jane's routes, and others must do as well since we had nineteen riders at

the start. It would have been a round twenty if new boy Peter Hosking had not been caught in traffic driving with his

bike from Portishead and forced to detour to Tormarton and join us at the lunch stop. There can't be any roads on

the way to Shipton Moyne that we don't know by now and with over twenty miles even by a fairly direct route we

kept a generally easterly bearing through Iron Acton and Horton to Hillesley. The choice of climb to get up onto the

Cotswold Edge is a major consideration. Bowling along the Kilcott valley out of Hillesley you would not want to be

anywhere else other than this lovely little lane, passing pretty cottages set in the rolling hills under a blue sky.

Poetry over as we turned left and climbed up to the A46. It looked almost ghostly with two day old surface dressing

making everything grey and passing vehicles kicking up dust until we got back onto the lanes again through

Leighterton. Now on the flat stuff we could admire the scenery once again - passing open fields, the polo ground and

the finally the villages of Westonbirt and Shipton Moyne - quietly stating "money" - and arrived at the quaintly

named "Cat and Custard Pot" a few minutes after noon. With only one person behind the bar taking food and drink

orders we were soon waiting in a line right out through the door. Too much for our brothers from Bath who turned

around and remounted to look for an alternative stop in Sherston. Those who waited patiently were rewarded with

some fine meals - the pork and apple pie was highly praised and the haddock and chips was enough for two people -

although Don and I polished off ours. We all sat in the garden and were surprised when the easy riders appeared.

They had been inside having sought refuge from the flies that were drawn to any item of yellow clothing.

I entertained the crowd for a while struggling to climb up onto the pub wall to take a group photo and then we were

off again via Easton Grey and some more pretty cottages and scenery, still under blue skies. You can see why cycling

is gaining in popularity. I expect that I could have found my own way home but I was more than happy to continue

following Jane as we took in Littleton Drew, Burton and descended Hinton Hill. There was a big split as some called

into Quackers Farm cafe and those of us with stories to write and Tours to watch pressed on for home to finish off

another cracking day with the BTOTC.

See the route of the day by clicking here.

Tuesday 14th July 2015. Report from Shirley Hume: Weather forecasts of endless rain all day proved to be as

accurate as the ones I used to churn out when I worked at the Met Office [i.e. not very]. At 9.00am the Tremendous

Three were waiting to see if the expected fourth member of the group would arrive, when at 9.02 a streak of blue

whizzed round the roundabout at the old Severn bridge, in a manner akin to a French rider in a breakaway on

Bastille Day, which of course it was [Bastille Day that is, not a French rider!] Anyway the Fabulous Four set off across

the bridge on a dry, if somewhat murky, day to make their way to the Goose and Cuckoo pub at Upper Llanover for

lunch. First surprise of the day was our route through Chepstow – having cycled through on numerous occasions I

didn’t think Jane, our esteemed leader, would be able to surprise me – but she did and took a route to Shirenewton

which bypassed the horrendous climb on Route 42. From there we followed Route 42 to Usk, enjoying the

screaming descent down the hill, while seeking reassurances that we would be returning by a different route!!

We stopped in Usk at Sprokwobbles café [who could resist a name like that] for coffee and generous portions of cake

before heading off up the valley. Over a mile outside Usk Chris realised that he had left his rucksack at the café, so

the two of us headed back while Jane and Mark patiently waited for our return. Onwards up Route 42 to Betts-y-

Newdd where we turned left to rejoin the valley road and cross the Chainbridge, which has a somewhat bizarre

attempt at a bike lane on it [not met with approval by our two expert companions]. A pleasant section on quiet

roads got us to the bottom of the climb up to the pub. Probably best to draw a veil over this bit, but we did all puff

our way to the top [except Mark who didn’t appear to puff at all] to fight our way through the crowds to get to the

bar. Perhaps unsurprisingly on a dull, now drizzly, Tuesday lunchtime in a pub at the top of a dead end road in the

back end of nowhere we were the only customers!

The drizzle came and went but in the intervals you could see over to Sugar Loaf and Skirrid and the valley leading up

to Abergavenny – on a clear day it must be fabulous. Since leaving Usk we had been entertained by our Tour Guide,

Mark, who used to live in Penperlleni and had endless anecdotes of his time in Wales, from car crashes to 50th

birthday celebrations. Far be it from me to reveal any stories from his ‘interesting’ past – but suffice to say it made

the ride come alive. We saw his local [Goytre Arms] which he didn’t go to, his regular [Foxhunter Inn] and his all-

time favourite pub – the Goose and Cuckoo [masochism is alive and well in BTOTC].

Fortified with beer and food and with the rain stopped again we zoomed back down the hill and pedalled to Usk by a

different route. Jane then routed us down the Usk valley to cross the river again at Newbridge on Usk and then to

Magor for a tea stop in Donnies. This was where the rain started in earnest – not heavy but persistent – and we got

our heads down and headed for the bridge, damp but not downhearted. 65 miles and 4,600ft of ascent felt like a

good day out, so hats off to Jane and Mark who rode to and from the bridge as well. We offered to try and get them

and their bikes into our Berlingo, but quarts and pint pots…….

My only regret is that I forgot to take my phone so have no photos to add to the report – but I would highly

recommend this ride to anyone, especially on a clear day. Thanks Jane!!

Thursday 16th July 2015. Report from Bill Balchin: Mangotsfield station must have seen the most people on its

platform today since the trains stopped running. Both the main group and easyrider group met at the same place

and the same time for once. But after a bit of chat Dawn led her bunch towards Bitton for a direct ride and Martyn

led his towards Coxgrove hill for something a bit tougher. First victim was new boy Colin who made it up Coxgrove

but found the pace for the Hinton by-pass too much as we made our way up onto the Cotswolds. Martyn was

making it easy for us by riding his fixed Wheel but it did not feel like for those of us at the back. Anybody got a bike

trailer? I think we should get him to tow one as a handicap.

Once over the A46 and onto the fields to the west of Castle Combe things settled down as we rode under overcast

skies with the temperature on the border of long sleeves or short. Last week at Shipton Moyne my arms got

sunburnt. Today I kept the arm warmers on all morning, and the gilet. We broadly followed the same route as before

with a satisfying swoop down through the trees to the A420. Previously we have gone right and left and taken a nice

little lane with a surface that would disgrace a goat track. Today we turned left on the main road for while and then

took a right for Biddestone. Apparently the goats have had their track resurfaced so next time we will probably

revert to that.

The terrain was now mildly undulating as we passed through the Wiltshire villages of Neston and Atworth with the

sole remaining airworthy Vulcan bomber using some of its remaining precious flying hours on the way to Fairford for

this weekend's air tattoo. The steep descent into Bradford on Avon brought us to the Canal Tavern right on our

expected arrival time of twelve thirty. The easy riders were already tucking in and some of the Bath group had also

beaten us to it so there was a crowd of over thirty cyclists mostly sitting in the garden with the sun coming out as we

waited...and waited. I thought that Rich Hill was asking for trouble ordering pumpkin taghine and sure enough it was

a fifty minute wait. Much safer to order the "ultimate" burger I thought. It turned out that ultimate did not mean

that the burger was delicious but was the last item delivered at nearly half past one, almost an hour after we arrived.

Oh well, more time for socialising and working out the return trip.

The canal towpath is not my favourite with its gritty surface but there had been just the right amount of rain

previously to lay the dust without leaving large puddles to wriggle around. The Avoncliff aquaduct is a splendid

construction but you have to be careful when crossing under the water to get into your granny-most gear for the

climb up. Arnold got caught in the wrong gear, stalled and took a tumble when his cleated shoes would not grip on

the steep hill. Mark and me tried to give assistance but with a "put me back on my bike" show of defiance Arnold

carried on. We caught up with the others at the marina where Martyn had a route planned via the two tunnels. The

scenery on the route using the towpath into Bath is fantastic, but the path itself is so poor that anything over twelve

mph is likely to shake all your fillings out. But if it was properly surfaced it would attract twice as much traffic going

twice as fast and hence become a nightmare.

So we climbed away from the canal, through Monkton Combe and got onto the two tunnels path. The long tunnel

felt really chilly and coming out again my glasses immediately steamed up but it did not stop us bombing along with

a proper road surface and no Bath traffic to negotiate. It was my first time on the new tarmac between Bath and

Bitton which is just perfect - apart from encouraging you to ride at high speed. So to summarise, a terrific day out

and to cap it all we called into Warmley station for a photo with Shaun the Sheep. And then as we continued Rich Hill

caught us up after he had stayed on the towpath. And then as we crossed over the ring road there was Pete

Campbell cycling the other way. We had a mutual wave, but stopping? Nah. Once you are on the way home you

don't want to stop.

Click here to follow the route

Thursday 23rd July 2015. Report from Pete Campbell: I thought we were well into summer, so was surprised to find

some of today's contingent arriving at Ashton in long sleeves and various layers, and talking about rain. Ian

Fergusson last night showed a blue blob floating over Bristol, so maybe my lack of a waterproof was a bit hasty. Time

will tell. John Upward organised today's ride to the Crown Inn at Churchill, a new lunch stop for the BTOTC.

Apparently it would be too small inside for our usual lunch numbers, but there's a big garden so I'm going to be in

trouble when the blue blob empties out over Churchill at 1:00 p.m.

There were twenty ready to ride at 10:00, including various recent recruits who obviously like what we do well

enough to come back for more. Also with us today for the first time for a couple of years was Stuart who used to be

the only person I know with a tricycle, but today was on a tandem with his mate Steve.

So, the tried and trusted route through Long Ashton, Wild Country Lane and Winford, but then due south via Regil

and east to Chew Stoke. We had a brief stop at Chew Valley Lake to see the wild birds. Ducks and geese as far as I

could tell, but I expect they have proper ornithological names. I always feel there's a gap in my education when

someone on a Thursday spots a bird hovering and looking for its lunch, and says its a peregrine falcon or a hen

harrier (or something) and all I can see is some feathered assassin.

Anyway, on with the ride, safely through Ubley, into Blagdon and almost to the bottom of Burrington Combe. A few

more miles of down and up brought us to the Crown Inn which seems to feature no pub sign or indeed anything that

would make you think you could get your lunch there - just looks like somebody's house. But not at all - around six

different ales, same number of ciders, various wines, and a good menu of basic meals. However, no chips (shock!).

But in fact it is very similar to the Hunters Lodge on the Mendips, as all the meals I saw came with thick hunks of

bread. Of course, the Hunters Lodge is unique in its distressedness. The Crown will have to work hard to get close to

that level of shabbiness. And my beer and cauliflower cheese came with change from £10.

On the road again, through Congresbury, and we almost stopped for tea and cake at Poppies cafe in Claverham. But

it was only twenty to two, so probably too close to lunch, we decided. It was not much farther to go to Aimee's Wine

House in Backwell where half a dozen people felt they need a Marshfield ice cream to be able to get home.

Another good day, another pub on the list for the future, and no rain. Excellent.

And the route around Blagdon to Churchill.

Friday 24th July 2015. Extra from John Bishop: The Easy Rider group were on their way to the pub when one of our

number pulled up because of a broken chain. A very long delay ensued (25/30 mins) but no matter how hard we

tried we failed to repair the chain. Kay, the lady concerned, decided to walk back home pushing her bike-a distance

of a couple of miles. The remainder, now 8 in number, decided to carry on but soon realised that at our pace(!) we

would be lucky to reach Churchill before 1.0pm. We ended up at the Moorend Spout by 12:30.

Thursday 30th July 2015. Report from Bill Balchin: Oh the withdrawal symptoms! After three weeks of watching

Froomey, Gee and the boys show the world's cycling elite how it's done the tour is over for another year. I did get a

reminder in Elburton on the way to the start when I spotted a completely yellow bike advertising the upcoming

Sodbury Sportive in August.

Luckily we have the perfect remedy with a BTOTC ride over the Severn Bridge to Shirenewton, led by Steve Hicks.

There were several speed restriction warning signs on the bridge dictating a 15mph maximum. But a stiff north

westerly wind kept not only the temperature down but also the speed as we struggled to make 10mph. Maybe it's

more for the moped riders who are also allowed across. Mark told me that on two previous rides in October the

temperature was higher than today, I was just glad of the arm warmers and gilet. Regrouping after the motorway

roundabout a group of three cyclists asked the best way to St Briavels. It brought it home to me how much

knowledge we have in our group to be able to ride for mile after mile without using main roads. We took the wriggly

cycle track into Chepstow then turned left through the arch and right into Mounton Road to cross the main road by

the hospital.

On the small lanes now, we passed a couple on a loaded tandem as we climbed towards Shirenewton past the farm

with the nosy collie who gave us a long look but did not bark or attack. And so we arrived at Shirenewton. But Steve,

it's only eleven o'clock! After a regroup and a quick move on before the tandem caught us again we rode the quiet,

undulating lanes through Earlswood before taking a right turn at the end. I thought I recognised it - Old Road. We

have used it a couple of times previously in the opposite direction on the way to Magor. Ah yes - turn right onto the

Usk road and it takes you straight to the Huntsman, nearly all downhill, job done. Except we went straight across the

Usk road on the smallest lane of the day to continue on lanes with some of the most scenic views of the day, past

Kilgwrrwg which is either a village or a scrabble competition and through a maze of unsigned junctions before

arriving at the back door of the Huntsman at ten past twelve.

Again there was a crowd of cyclists present with both the easy riders and Bath boys beating us to it again. A quick

redeployment by the management saw a lady reassigned from the kitchen to the bar for taking orders and serving

drinks which helped to clear the queue and left us ready to depart by a quarter to two - starting with that steep

climb within feet of the front door. Our homeward route followed the morning route, past the farm where the collie

was absent but three little critters looking like something out of gremlins were scampering about in the road. We

took the direct route through Pwllmeyric and Mathern now in bright sunshine, the wind dropped and the

temperature warmer than October. Arm warmers off but I still kept the gilet on all day.

How lumpy was it today? Click here to see.