doog
....
- Location
- The beautiful south
This was my second mini tour and for any newbies out there I have a few pointers 
I was prepared with the camping gear, cycling on a Tricross sport (not really a touring bike) on 25mm tyres, two rear panniers and the rest of the kit on a Blackburn rack and a few pages from a 1999 AA road map.
Departed at 1200 hrs on Tues and my intention was to head north to Wiltshire, then due west to Exmoor, down to Dartmoor then home. This didnt happen. I decided to head west after Blandford. After 6 hours (50 miles)of some extremely hilly Dorset countryside (I should have known better) I bedded down at a farm for a tenner on the Somerset border in a place called Seaborough.
After setting up the tent the farmer pointed me towards the nearest pub in Drimpton. I walked over two fields and enjoyed a few pints with the 3 regulars in the Royal Oak.One thing had hit me during my journey so far was the lack of village shops and pubs and true to the theme the locals told me this pub was soon to close!
I set off the next day with no real objective other than to reach a piece of green on the corner of my map......Exmoor. I tried, as previously, to keep to minor roads.
My first point to newbies..Somerset is extremely hilly. I stopped in Chard for supplies and continued over the M5 into some gorgeous countryside but this is when things got extremely tough.
My aim was a site called Wimbleball lake on Exmoor. Second lesson learnt: A and even B roads usually follow the path of least resistance, even if it means a longer route. I tried the small lanes..... I suffered big time. 5 miles of Exmoor back lanes took 2 hours, up and down major gradients I came to hate downhills, seeing the hill beyond would mean a major uphill.
I stopped on the edge of Exmoor ( about 1000 feet)and stayed at a small camp site at Lowtrow Cross...did 49 very hill miles and encountered one other tourer all day. A fabulous pub next to the site made up for it and a few pints of 'Fox' and a curry. This place was fabulous, at 1am with no ambient light and a clear sky the heavens were something else (on my early morning loo visit)
The following day I left the site and headed north reaching 1300 feet on Exmoor. It was a glorious day and here is another hint. Suntan lotion: its an essential
Having reached my 'height's ' I suddenly decided to head home, back to Poole In dorset. It was about 100 miles and for some reason I decided to go for it.
The Journey from Exmoor down to Taunton was fabulous, my problem was keeping the speed down on some of the descents, the B224 from Brendon Hills to the A358 was fantastic.
I carried on, circumnavigating Taunton to the North and made a decision thereafter to do A roads. My thinking was based on the fact that they would be a faster route. Another lesson learnt, some of the A roads in Somerset are in a worse condition than the lanes. I hit the A30 from Crewkerne to Yeovil and encountered some pretty hostile, heavy moving traffic on very narrow A roads.
I was now six hours in and was regretting my lack of suntan lotion. The coldish Easterly from the last 2 days had died and it was now very hot. My ears, neck were burnt so stopped and soaked my micro towel in water and placed it on my head under my helmet and tucked down the back of my shirt.
Drink, Drink, Drink..having suffered from dehydration and its effects many years ago i had ensured that I was prepared...but this was something else. After Yeovil came Babylon Hill onto Sherborne and Dorset. I Live in the South East of Dorset.
The A roads were giving me a hard time but my pace was so much quicker and so what if I cause a motorist a few seconds delay, I am hardened to it through my commute but on very twisty / steep country A roads, fully loaded you just cant stop and walk....ouch.
I sufferred a broken spoke 20 miles from home but decided to carry on, I was so near, the rear wheel went all wobbly but hey ho
I arrive at Poole at 8 PM, 96 miles later with frequent stops. I encountered only one other tourer during my 200 mile trip of Dorset and Somerset.
What lessons have I learnt:
1.Take decent maps with gradients on them
2. Dont do country lanes thinking it will be some kind of heaven on a bike.
3. Dorset and Somerset have big hills.
4. Suntan lotion
5. 96 miles on the last day, with camping gear, on mainly A roads and very hot was more endurance than touring!!
Otherwise it was brilliant....
I was prepared with the camping gear, cycling on a Tricross sport (not really a touring bike) on 25mm tyres, two rear panniers and the rest of the kit on a Blackburn rack and a few pages from a 1999 AA road map.
Departed at 1200 hrs on Tues and my intention was to head north to Wiltshire, then due west to Exmoor, down to Dartmoor then home. This didnt happen. I decided to head west after Blandford. After 6 hours (50 miles)of some extremely hilly Dorset countryside (I should have known better) I bedded down at a farm for a tenner on the Somerset border in a place called Seaborough.
After setting up the tent the farmer pointed me towards the nearest pub in Drimpton. I walked over two fields and enjoyed a few pints with the 3 regulars in the Royal Oak.One thing had hit me during my journey so far was the lack of village shops and pubs and true to the theme the locals told me this pub was soon to close!
I set off the next day with no real objective other than to reach a piece of green on the corner of my map......Exmoor. I tried, as previously, to keep to minor roads.
My first point to newbies..Somerset is extremely hilly. I stopped in Chard for supplies and continued over the M5 into some gorgeous countryside but this is when things got extremely tough.
My aim was a site called Wimbleball lake on Exmoor. Second lesson learnt: A and even B roads usually follow the path of least resistance, even if it means a longer route. I tried the small lanes..... I suffered big time. 5 miles of Exmoor back lanes took 2 hours, up and down major gradients I came to hate downhills, seeing the hill beyond would mean a major uphill.
I stopped on the edge of Exmoor ( about 1000 feet)and stayed at a small camp site at Lowtrow Cross...did 49 very hill miles and encountered one other tourer all day. A fabulous pub next to the site made up for it and a few pints of 'Fox' and a curry. This place was fabulous, at 1am with no ambient light and a clear sky the heavens were something else (on my early morning loo visit)
The following day I left the site and headed north reaching 1300 feet on Exmoor. It was a glorious day and here is another hint. Suntan lotion: its an essential
Having reached my 'height's ' I suddenly decided to head home, back to Poole In dorset. It was about 100 miles and for some reason I decided to go for it.
The Journey from Exmoor down to Taunton was fabulous, my problem was keeping the speed down on some of the descents, the B224 from Brendon Hills to the A358 was fantastic.
I carried on, circumnavigating Taunton to the North and made a decision thereafter to do A roads. My thinking was based on the fact that they would be a faster route. Another lesson learnt, some of the A roads in Somerset are in a worse condition than the lanes. I hit the A30 from Crewkerne to Yeovil and encountered some pretty hostile, heavy moving traffic on very narrow A roads.
I was now six hours in and was regretting my lack of suntan lotion. The coldish Easterly from the last 2 days had died and it was now very hot. My ears, neck were burnt so stopped and soaked my micro towel in water and placed it on my head under my helmet and tucked down the back of my shirt.
Drink, Drink, Drink..having suffered from dehydration and its effects many years ago i had ensured that I was prepared...but this was something else. After Yeovil came Babylon Hill onto Sherborne and Dorset. I Live in the South East of Dorset.
The A roads were giving me a hard time but my pace was so much quicker and so what if I cause a motorist a few seconds delay, I am hardened to it through my commute but on very twisty / steep country A roads, fully loaded you just cant stop and walk....ouch.
I sufferred a broken spoke 20 miles from home but decided to carry on, I was so near, the rear wheel went all wobbly but hey ho
I arrive at Poole at 8 PM, 96 miles later with frequent stops. I encountered only one other tourer during my 200 mile trip of Dorset and Somerset.
What lessons have I learnt:
1.Take decent maps with gradients on them
2. Dont do country lanes thinking it will be some kind of heaven on a bike.
3. Dorset and Somerset have big hills.
4. Suntan lotion
5. 96 miles on the last day, with camping gear, on mainly A roads and very hot was more endurance than touring!!
Otherwise it was brilliant....
