A cycling story from 65 years ago!

[ComedyPilot]

Had a similar experience at Glenelg, we knocked on the door of Donald the fisherman to be told we could camp anywhere we couldn't be seen from the road in case we attracted more campers and to help ourselves to water from a hidden tap that Donald showed us by the old black house. Luckily it was breezy on the coast so we weren't bothered by midges. My buddy being a grower, Donald was surprised to be presented with a crate of hydroponic tomatoes when we left.

When I was about 12 I went camping in Killarney with the school scouts. We had three army mess tents in a field by the lakes and we cooked on wood from the forest. Halfway through the holiday I discovered that you slept much better if you folded a towel under you rather than just lying on the ground (camping mats hadn't been invented). The gamekeeper turned up one day with a deer carcase, which we butchered and ate until it went smelly. We made rafts and sailed them around the Lakes of Killarney, we climbed McGillycuddy's Reeks and we did camping trips in 2 man canoes. I can't remember seeing a life jacket or a risk assesment yet nobody had any problems. It stayed dry for the full 2 weeks as well. I'll never forget that experience.

Can you imagine what the film Swallows and Amazons would look like filmed today with the Nanny state and H & S legislation sticking their oar in?

 

[Browser]

I'd imagine the memory of the WAAFs on the beach kept him going fairly well, lucky young beggar!

 

[Headgardener]

400 quid!! yer were ripped off. The Boy's Brigade company camp that I went on at the end of July cost £85 all in which included three meals a day, two of which were hot (cooked by four volounteers), and a hot supper. Activities included walks into Corfe Castle and Swanage, trips to the Tank Museum, Monkey World and fishing in the nearby pond.

 

[gbb]

I love these stories from 'dad'.
Mine used to tell me how they cycled 70 or 80 mile round trips and think nothing of it in the 1940s.
He always told me when i was getting a good bike...'dont waste your money on something ridiculously expensive..it's the rider, not the bike that matters'

I was talking with him sometime after. He was telling me his pride and joy was a bike that cost over a months wages (whatever that was ).

Errrrr...translate that to todays wages...that means i can have a Trek Madone / Ultegra

Methinks dad thinks...do as i say, not as i did.

 

[Campfire]

I have a similar story, overthehill - my Mum and Dad went to Cornwall in the 40s on the bikes with a couple of buddies. My Mum took about £2.10s with her, one pair of spare knickers & no coat. They used to stop at houses on the way and ask for water. One of the guys had an accident on the bike and had to get the train back. I think he was the more prosperous member.
It's amazing how they did that. We'd be worrying about what clothes to take, bike spares etc whilst they just went.
My Dad was a pretty top line rider in the 40s, winning time trials and also running, I have a book full of cuttings from Cycling of his race wins. My Mum also used to come high in the ranking in races too.

 

[longers]

My gran and grandad were tandemmers, only her left now and the bike has long gone - it got sold when she discovered they'd created my dad.

I love hearing the same old stories of the rides they did, her eyes really light up with telling the tales again and again and again. I gave a pic of them and the bike to a workmate to scan for me but she left work and the pic is now lost

 

[Kirstie]

I was sitting at the top of hartside once, just outside the cafe, and a coach load of pensioners pulled up. A very slim lady came and chatted to me about my bike, and told me that her and her husband toured britain and europe on a tandem in the 50s. She had had lots of Dawes bikes, and I ride a Dawes, so its what sparked off the conversation. So we had a chat about our favourite places to ride in Britain. I had her at around 70. I asked if she still had a bike 'Oh no!' she said 'I'm 84!'

Bloomin' heck if I look that good at 84 I'm going to keep on cycling!!

 

[byegad]

My father had a similar story from 1930. He and his brother got up on their first morning at the seaside and had breakfast, went for a swim, played football looked in the rock pools and had lunch, then another swim, more football, and sand castle building then they had tea.

A man cycled past as they were eating tea and they asked him the time. 'Half past six.' he said. Then he asked them if they were eating their breakfast!

Yes they had had the days food by 6.30 in the morning!

As they had no spare food they went hungry for the rest of the week as they eeked out their supplies.

They also fed their soap to a horse in the field next to their tent as they didn't want Mother know they hadn't washed for a week.