News for November 2017

Thursday 2nd November: Severn Bridge to Tintern. Main group report from Bill Balchin: The weather forecast for today was a bit ambiguous but seemed to suggest a dryday under heavy clouds, so I was more than happy with the sun lighting up my bedroom curtains. It's going to be a chance to ride the sporty lightweight bike and make climbing thehills around Tintern a bit less of a struggle (note that I did not say "easier"). Riding to the Severn Bridge on dry roads there was a bit of mist around which intensified along with a drop in temperature at the bridge. It was no deterrent for the BTOTC with twenty six riders ready to try out the Abbey Mill as a lunch stop - although it is a well known cyclists coffee stop already.

There was a bit of consternation at the start as Pete's rear tyre needed a bit more air. This is the tubeless tyre that had suffered a rip in the side previously but had then repaired itselfby the magic goo inside the tyre filling the hole and then just needing to be re-inflated. Keith Shepherd was on first time duty as leader, although no novice to cycling having beena CTC member for years and now having thrown off the shackles of work, able to join us on a Thursday.

With such a large group it was good to split into two pelotons with a shorter ride via Shirenewton on offer. Keith led the main group over the bridge for the most bizarre crossing ever. The mist was so thick that you could not see the first tower from the start of the cables, nor could you see the water below. And to add to that the carriageway was soaking wet. Shirley gave her explanation - "high tide". Hmm, that would be something to see. Once over the other side the roads were dry again, the mist dispersed and it was even a little bit bright. As we approached Chepstow we regrouped and looked around for Pete. Not present. After a few minutes Guido went back to look but returned to say that there was nobody there. So we put two and two together and worked out that Pete had gone with the easier group. I hope we had not made five.

Over the old bridge to Tutshill we started on the climb to St Briavels where the road was wet again, not just wet but running with water. What's going on? After a while we passed a spot where water was bubbling out of the road - looks like a burst main. It's a bit difficult to report it when you are on a bike miles from home but they must have lost a huge amount.

The route was easy to describe from there onwards - keep going through St Briavels and Coleford to Monmouth then turn back along the valley road to Tintern. This was a bit more main road than we are used to, which allowed the speed to be higher than we are used to, and at thirty two miles to lunch was a bit further than we are used to as well. So the arrival at the Abbey Mill was a bit later than we are used to - around quarter to one for the first of the main group with a fair spread as riders arrived in small groups to find the easy group (thankfully including Pete, the tubeless tyre having done it's stuff) not only already there but having finished their lunch. In fact many of them left before I could get the camera out and grab a picture in this new venue. After the somewhat sparse dining room at the nearbyAnchor this felt quite homely. The meals were generally rated as excellent and there was afine choice of bottled beers and ciders. I looked no further than the Wye Valley HPA (Hereford Pale Ale) but cider expert Mike Sennett was so impressed with his chosen cider he had another.

After a staggered arrival there was also a staggered departure with Keith and the final half dozen not leaving until two o'clock. It's always a nice ride home climbing past the fish ponds towards Devauden but after a long morning and a big lunch us stragglers insisted on the main road back. At St Arvans we actually caught up with another group who had taken the fish pond route. Then back to the bridge where the mist had gone and the water and towers were back in their correct places.

Touch here to see the longer route (42 miles).

Thursday 2nd November: Severn Bridge to Tintern. Moderate group report from Pete Campbell: Tubeless tyres - new readers start here: 70th birthday, new bike. "What wheels would sir like?" Thinks: what do I know about wheels? "Well, my Van Nicholas has Mavic Ksyrium which seem good, so the disk version of those please" trying to sound like I'm an expert. Only on delivery do I find the latest Ksyriums come with tubeless tyres, so obviously not much of an expert, but that's okay. The second Thursday out with it, I hit a hole in the road and split the rear sidewall, but the latex sealant does its stuff and I get home without taking the tyre off.

Latest news: I pumped the tyres to 80lb on Wednesday night, and Thursday morning the rear tyre was soft. Track pump into action, and the same hole is leaking air till spinning the wheel makes the sealant come out the hole sealing it. At the Severn Bridge it was softish so I put more air in. On the Wales side Clive tells me the rear tyre is noticeably softer than the front. I'm now getting fearful visions of being stranded in Wales with an empty tyre in the cold and fog. Which is how I came to be riding with Steve's impromptu shorter ride

which he'd hurriedly put in place when he found Keith's ride was going via Monmouth. And pressing the rear it didn't feel any softer than the front so I kept going.

The six of us used roads which you've seen a few times before, through Mathern and then up to Shirenewton passing Morgan BS and Son's farm which is well know to cyclist in the area as the owner of a very yappy dog. But today - no dog! What's happened? Is it dead? Has it OD'd on cycling shoes? We stayed in English-sounding places as we swept down through Earlswood, but you can't get to Tintern without touching a few Celtic settlements: first Gaerllwyd and then the famous Kilgwrrwg. Don said his wife knows about Welshspeakand pronouncing it is easy, but then he was explaining that y sounds like u and w sounds like something else. I couldn't lodge that in my brain as I had a leaking tyre to worry about.

Onward through Devauden, Craigau, Cobblers Plain and alongside the fish tanks on the Anghidi River into Tintern and the Abbey Mill at noon, arriving at the same time as Ian Deegan. The main group was nowhere in sight so the seven of us studied the extensive menu (half a dozen pies to pick from being most people's choice) and a fridge of bottled beer from the Kingstone brewery (seven minutes away by bike).

Steve's homeward route (for him, Don and me) was back up past the fish tanks to the Devauden road and the always enjoyable long downhill into St Arvans. Another good day out although the day could have been warmer (no, not because of shorts, my top was too thin).

Touch here to see the shorter route (31 miles).

9th November, Message from Steve Kinsella: Recently, North Somerset's project engineer David Fish phoned me. He told me that, despite appearances to the contrary, thecouncil still wishes to proceed with the project to complete the Clevedon and Weston Cycle Route with a bridge over the river Yeo at Kingston Seymour.

David told me that the council assesses the worth of schemes from the "Likes" on Facebook. Yes, really! The more "Likes", the more power for obtaining funds, he said. Although the old website is no more, we still have a Facebook page, which presently has 426 "Likes". The council would prefer to see 1000 "Likes", or more. So I'm now writing to you as one of 872 supporters to suggest that you might please click the Facebook page www.facebook.com/ClevedonAndWestonCycleRoute and "Like" the Home page, if you haven't already done so.

The link across the river Yeo will make a tremendous benefit for recreational cycling and commuting. And it lies on a possible route for the few thousand cyclists who ride one of theworld's most famous cycle journeys each year - between Land's End and John O'Groats.

Thursday 9th November: Bitton Station to Shoscombe. Report from Bill Balchin: What is it that attracts more people to one ride than another? The weather? The lunch venue? The charisma of the leader? Mulling this over with Mike Sennett we decided that the weather was a big influence, especially going into late Autumn when good cycling dayscan become rare and need to be grabbed when they appear. So with the prospect of a dry day and possibly some sunshine later, plus the always popular Apple Tree at Shoscombe, that nice Mike Finch had to lead another thirty riders out of Bitton station just as the sun came out.

With such a large group I am always wary of crash in the peloton so when Andy Short's wheels whipped out from under him on our way down the railway path, I was glad I had lefta gap. A combination of a runner on the left, an oncoming cyclist on the right, wet leaves and a newly serviced front brake with extra stopping power saw Andy on the deck. But he soon remounted and carried on with just a muddy jacket to show for it.

With Guido on back marker duty, often quite a way back as the bunch spread out, we passed through the two tunnels and took to the road by the Hope and Anchor at Midford. Turning left onto the main road the long haul up to Hinton Charterhouse beckoned but before the hill began Mike took us left onto a small lane. "Don't get your hopes up" warned Mike Chouings, "This one is just as steep as the main road". Thanks pal for those words ofencouragement. Passing through Limpley Stoke at the top of the climb we descended through Freshford where a nice little bridge presented itself for a photo opportunity. I know,I'm a sucker for bridges.

Approaching a right turn for Freshford Mill some hopeful types asked if we would be turning right. Nope, straight on, on what looked like a wall but was actually a road going up. We put in a loop through Westwood before turning back to drop into Iford Mamor and grind out the other side. Grip was at a premium on the narrow dirty surface and if you strayed into the grassy mess up the middle you would spin your wheel to a stop. Crossing back over the A36 again we climbed some more lanes that looked familiar even to a SouthGlos bloke like me. We were at Hinton Charterhouse. Passing the Rose and Crown (our lunch venue for 30th November) we turned left and blasted down the big hill into Wellow. I was struggling a bit as we started climbing again so my thanks to Guido for staying with me and to Mike for waiting at the turning for Shoscombe which I would have surely missed. And then a few minutes later we were at the Apple Tree arriving from the opposite direction I was expecting.

We have always dined outside on previous visits but that was asking a bit much for November so the whole gang squeezed inside including Roger, Phil and Jane who had started from Mangotsfield and taken a less lumpy route. With twenty three people pre-ordering their lunch I guess it must have been a help to the kitchen although they still had to feed thirty of us.. My lasagna was excellent and Andy was up for giving an award to the chilli con carne. Then the conversation turned to the route home. Mike had it all worked outto make a nice circular route for the day going back through Camerton, Timsbury and rejoining the railway path at Saltford. About a third of the group could not face the thought of the climb out of Camerton into Timsbury and elected to return to Wellow on the delightful NCN24 and back through the tunnels. As it turned out Mike's way back to Bitton was a couple of miles shorter and if you check both maps, his is a more satisfying loop shape while the other looks more like a balloon with a puncture. As for climbing, I don't trust the profiles that my cheap phone records on Ramblr - I expect Pete's is more accurate. Just goes to show - our leaders know what they are doing.

Check out the nice circle here And the punctured balloon here.

Thursday 16th November: Ashton Bridge to Sandford. Report from Bill Balchin: Another large group - possibly twenty eight although counting is more difficult than you would expect - turned up at Ashton for our first-time ride to the Railway Inn at Sandford. Luckily we had a trained ride leader today in the shape of Mark Brough. Lucky not just because of the size of the group but we were also on a time constraint as the pub had another large group booked in and asked us to arrive by twelve. Setting off under bright sunshine on slightly damp roads we only got as far as Wildcountry Lane before a misunderstanding between Mark and Andy Baker saw Andy making his own way. Taking Hobbs Lane to get to the A38 I grabbed a few photos of the group as we climbed alongside the busy main road to the peace and quiet of Dial Lane.

Now on our preferred back lanes we arrived at Winford Manor which is never a bad idea. There is always going to be some descending on small lanes from there. Today we took the left turn, found a lovely bit of fresh tarmac through Regil, followed by some mucky rough stuff past Nempnett Church, and followed the lane that runs parallel to the north edge of Blagdon Lake. We used to know this area as the Butcombe Triangle - named afterthe infamous Bermuda Triangle where strange things would happen to travellers. There used to be weird things happening to bicycles in this area, not so bad now, nothing untoward today but I still would not trust it. There was some mumbling in the ranks about this being touted as a flattish ride as we crested one hill after another. Oh no. Mark explained that it did not contain any named cat 1 climbs like Blagdon or Burrington - got it?Getting around the western end of the lake we dropped down towards Blagdon and then took the right turn to Aldwick past the vineyards and rode for a few yards on part of Guido'sroute to Nailsea three weeks previously but in the opposite direction.

Into Langford, we passed another of our favourite pubs, The Langford Inn, before turning by the veterinary college and entering Churchill. With the pie king leading the way I expected to turn into Pudding Pie Lane but Mark ignored that and took the turning after into Jubilee Lane. This is a tiny little lane that I surely would have missed without Mark waiting on the corner. It was not a favourite with Julian who rode over a heap of mud lurking at the edge of the tarmac and wobbled into Jeff. Pete stayed on the main road with map recorder at Churchill as the official route took us past the sports centre and we rolled into the Railway Inn car park at two minutes to twelve - spot on.

I have cycled past the Railway Inn several times and never paid much attention. A friend who lives nearby in Winscombe tells me that it was a pokey little locals pub until it was closed for a few years and transformed at enormous expense (by Thatchers, I guess) into the large and beautifully presented pub it is today. We sat on a long table in the airy dining room by a glass wall under a high ceiling supported by massive oak arches like some baronial hall. Service was slick, meals were good and as you would expect there was a huge range of cider (as well as beer) on offer. Be warned that the Thatchers Stans Cheddar Valley does not last very well - a couple of gulps and your pint has disappeared. A Bath contingent arrived but had to go in the bar to find a seat. This is an understandably busy pub and I expect we will be back.

After the obligatory "new pub" group photo we set out for home not long after one. Mark offered a choice of routes to get back. The normal way is via Congresbury, Claverham andFlax Bourton. But conscious of the shorter route to Sandford necessary for the time constraint, Mark offered a bit extra on the way back via Congresbury but then Clevedon, Clapton in Gordano, Portbury and finishing off with a nice climb through Failand and over the suspension bridge. You can see this route on the map link. The direct route via Claverham still made my mileage for the day up to sixty one which was plenty for me thanks all the same.

Ups, downs, the Butcombe triangle - we did them all today

Thursday 23rd November: Amcor to Brookend via Littleton-upon-Severn. Report from Peter Ralph: Thankfully the very strong gusty wind had died down by the time most of us had left the warmth of our homes to make our way to Amcor for the ride to the Lammastide at Brookend. With about eight minutes to go before our 10 o’clock start Shirley was suggesting “the weather must be affecting numbers as there were only about 9 or so riders present” then with a rush we were suddenly 23.

Two ride options were on offer today and it was slightly amusing to see Andy Short and Don Ford encouraging riders to join their group. Listening intently last week to Andy and Martin talking Fixies for today it was clear his ride was likely to be longer and faster than Don’s, who promised about 23 miles, some nice scenery and only 900 ft of climbing.

Decisions made; 17 riders followed Andy, including me as the volunteer back marker, a position I thought would give me an insight into the general discipline of our group along some of the busier roads and see how hard or easy it is to get dropped/left behind/abandoned when the group fails to realise the tail-enders have lost sight of the main group.

As usual we rode off up Old Gloucester Road, with Don’s group following suit, albeit as I slowed to allow what I thought to be stragglers to overtake me, he politely informed me “we are the front of our group, not the back of yours” it did make me chuckle.

After an uneventful few minutes we passed a driveway with a large black dog quietly standing guard and seemingly oblivious to the fluorescent clad riders passing by; that is until he spotted Mike Sennett’s leg. I am not sure how or why but despite much barking and rushing to and fro and inches from biting, it changed its mind and all was well and I slid past unnoticed.

Settling back down to normality our route took us out to Alveston, then a huge loop to the west of Thornbury via Old Down to Elberton, where we began to feel the benefit of the strong winds pushing us northwards towards Littleton on Severn and thence Kington, Oldbury on Severn, Rockhampton and Stone before the northerly run up through Berkeley arriving at the Lammastide at 11:50 to be joined almost immediately by Don’s group, so great timing by all.

We had encountered sunshine and light showers, pretty clean roads and lanes and as promised Andy reminded us at the top of the only really fast downhill to take care and take the second right. Most of us realised he was really warning Martin, Keith and himself all onfixies, that it would be tricky slowing sufficiently without spinning out particularly if the road had been wet.

The Lammastide served us well, at our end we all got ours very quickly, that is apart from the three that ordered pies. However that allowed Moira to try to entice us to pimp our helmets and bikes for the Christmas rides like her other ride group does. So check out her photo that is attached to this report. I’m not sure I want to tape batteries and strings of fairylights to my spokes and wheels so not a competition but a more modest attempt might be fun.

We were really pleased to see Simon back again after his first ride with us last week; Wayne, a very fit young friend of Keith Shepherd, and Jerry Croome with his trike and Hamish Smith already at the pub when we arrived.

All too soon it was time to venture out and make our way back to Amcor. Without a fixed route Roger Ireland led us off via Thornbury and Tytherington (I think) as by this time the rain had started, we had wind on the nose and certain bikes were throwing up mud like proper muck spreaders.

Reflecting on why I was at the back; I can report ride discipline was really good, perhaps due to Andy’s speed, an average of 23 kph so we were strung out with good gaps maintained when traffic built up. We generally kept together with the ride leader in sight for most of the time and only occasionally when right turns or HGV’s got in our way did we at the very back need to chase to see the which way the group went.

As the winter sets in, one can see the benefit of wearing florescent/reflective jackets, particularly when we are a large group and strung out. We didn’t seem to encounter a single irate driver today despite holding up one or two on the tightest lanes. Let’s keep this discipline up, ride safely when you are out on your own and fingers crossed for frost free Thursdays.

Andy's longer route - touch here to see it.

Thursday 23rd November: Amcor to Brookend via Stinchcombe. Moderate group report from Don Ford: I was grateful to the five volunteers who joined me for the start of the more moderately paced ride. This was a bit of a misnomer as we swept along the road to Tytherington with a gale behind us. Despite our best efforts the fast group were soon outof sight only to be caught at the temporary lights but we kept a respectful distance. The delay was fortunate as it helped Arnold, who had arrived 5 minutes late at Amcor, to catch us at Tytherington. Nevertheless, it was a splendid effort by him to catch us.

So the Magnificent Seven sped on to Cromhall avoiding the muddy lanes. The roads were remarkably dry despite yesterday's rain. Heading towards Damery and beyond the lanes were delightful and we had fine views of the ridge with the Somerset and Tyndale Monuments standing out on the horizon. We hardly noticed the climb up to Stinchcombe which looked particularly attractive in the sunshine. For those that didn't know, the village was the birthplace of William Tyndale and was the home of Evelyn Waugh for 20 years. Hewrote 'Scoop' and Brideshead Revisited while he lived there.

From Stinchcombe we descended at speed to the A38 and across to Breadstone before turning off to Purton. We had ridden 21 miles at Purton and it was only 11:35. So we bumped along the track to have a look at the beached ships along the banks of the Severn. Back on the road, the sky darkened and we had a wet ride against the fierce wind to arrive at the Lammastide at 11:55 only to find the fast group already there.

Sorry I lost you all on the way back. I stopped at The Salutation to put on a waterproof andeveryone swept past. I did have Hamish for company but he wisely took refuge in the bus shelter opposite while I ploughed on in vain pursuit of the peleton. I expect I got as wet as everyone else. Many thanks to all those who rode with me this morning. It was a very enjoyable ride.

Touch here to see Don's cultural and historical route.

Thursday 30th November: Bitton station to Hinton Charterhouse. Report from Shirley Hume: Today was cold, seriously cold, freezing your extremities off sort of cold – at least when we all left home. I had struggled into 2 pairs of socks, plus shoes with covers, thermal base layer, warm BTOTC top, anorak, buff, hat and 2 pairs of gloves before venturing out, only to see a cyclist clad in shorts and a T shirt ride past the house. However I was not alone because the 23 people who assembled at Bitton appeared to be auditioning for a bizarre ‘yeti lookalike’ contest. Once Alan [I take no prisoners] Partridge had described his route there were some clothes being hurriedly removed as the first monster climb started shortly after the start. We were soon on our way, the numbers temporarily swollen to 24 by a Bristol South rider, who then mysteriously vanished again atsome point after the first climb [I reckon some of us think that mightn’t have been such a bad strategy!].

First we climbed up through Upton Cheyney, onsurprisingly clean and dry country lanes, then eventually a hard right turn for a final steep haulup to the top of Lansdown Hill, where we had a much better view of Beckford Tower and the surrounding countryside than we had on Mike S’s ride to Yatton Keynell [when the tower was completely hidden in low cloud and we were all too wet to care anyway]. Splitting into groups toleave gaps for traffic we spread out along Lansdown Hill until a left turn took us through the new housing development on the site of oldGovernment buildings. We descended steeply to ensure that the next climb would be suitably difficult and inevitably turned back up a steep hill to reach Bailbrook Church – a church built of tin in 1892 and eventually converted to a private house in 1977. We had previously passed the original Bailbrook Sunday School, an impressive brick built structure – now also a private house.

Next down to Batheaston before tackling the lung busting, eyeball popping climb towards Conkwell. The next section was lovely along the top with good views, popping out east of

Winsley and eventually dropping down to the canal after which we faced the steepest climb of the day to get us up from the canal towards Avoncliff. The gradient and the hairpins meant that a few people simply didn’t have the gears to get up this one so there was a regroup at the top before Alan led us across [and down!] to Iford Manor to ensure that we would have one final climb to work up an appetite for lunch. It was ‘only’ 20 miles to the Rose and Crown at Hinton Charterhouse but I think most people would agree that it was a tough ride overall. Various bits of techie equipment gave different figures for the ascent, but I used a more reliable guide and asked my legs what they reckoned. They bothagreed that eleventy billion feet of climb was what it felt like and who am I to argue with such a reliable source.

The bulk of the group had pre-ordered lunch and the pre-orders appeared with admirable speed, with the rest of the meals not too far behind. With the promise of a short and easy ride back to Bitton people seemed happy to relax and chat, but eventually we got back outside to realise we now had a bitterly cold headwind to contend with as well as an initial chilly descent.

The route back was the tried and tested one via the Two Tunnels and the cycle path. The group split into smaller groups but our trusty leader got us back safely, having managed the large group with aplomb.

On the way up the final climb from Iford Manor I was wondering why it seemed so much harder than it did 3 weeks ago, when it dawned on me that three weeks ago I was still on my carbon summer bike, whereas today I was on my old steel tourer which weighs more than a quarter of my total body weight. I was suggesting to the Mechanic over a cup of tea that it was quite hard work and perhaps ‘Father Christmas’ or one of his elves might be able to help me address the ratio. He thought about this and then helpfully commented that since most people put on a bit of weight over Christmas the ratio should improve…………

Nearly 2200 feet of climbing - touch here to see where the ascents were.