Just back from a wee pedal with a pal in the Shropshire Hills.
Planned for the week before, but the horrendous weather forecast had us slide it a week, then a Storm Agnes made us slide it another day…..in the end we were lucky!
We had decided to have an overnight camp to test our kit for possible future escapades….packed up, with bike + kit probably weighing over 30kg, parked up in Ludlow and set off on Thursday morning on a circular route my mate had planned.
Day 1 was a bit of a climb to begin, before settling in to a relaxing rhythm. We rarely cycle together, so a nice time on quiet roads to catch up with life 👍
Horton Castle was a lovely little pile to pause and wander around. Slightly atmospheric with the grey day we had.
Soon after there, despite both having Wahoo devices, we somehow missed a turn which should have taken us around A Big Hill & instead found ourselves peddling inexorably up a 20% beast 😱 That will teach us to natter too much!
At least there was a sharp roll down the other side to Clun, where a tasty lunch was taken at the eclectic Postcard Cafe 👍
A refreshing beer was taken as we finally cycled into the Powis Arms, Lydbury North, our destination, where we then pitched our tents, showered & enjoyed an evening of food, ale and banter.
Day 2 broke with promising hazy sunshine, although the tents had taken a hammering during overnight rain.
A disastrous start was just averted: I had forgot to pack matches for my stove, but a fella arrived at the pub for work and kindly gave us some: porridge + ☕️ was saved! & yes, the chairs were a luxury item I carried just for some additional weight 💪
What a simply gorgeous day 😎
I thought Thursday had been tough with 3,000ft of climbing over our 38 miles (& that beast of a hill!), but Friday chose to take us over 4,000ft up 😱
However…. a nice snack at The Bog Visitor Centre (where I did subsequently visit the bog 🤪) fueled us up, ready for the climb up to The Long Mynd.
What a place!
Spectacular views, & some lovely off-road trails to go along the top. A bit gusty, but the sky was clear and the air was crisp….a delight to be out on a day like that.
Dropping down to Church Stratton was…steep 👀 Had to pause for a while to let my pals rim brakes cool down: my disc ones seemed to fare a bit better, no dodgy smells from them 🤣
A lovely sandwich at the Holly Bush Cafe, where 3 older fellas appeared to be re-making their own version of Last of the Summer Wine outside, fighting off the many wasps who rather fancied the jam on their toasted tea cake 🤣
The last part back to Ludlow was relatively flat and easy: a fabulous mini-break 😎👍
Now just the small matter of trying to dry the tent….popped it up yesterday, but the dry day turned into a very wet one….maybe today will be kinder to it 🤞
Planned for the week before, but the horrendous weather forecast had us slide it a week, then a Storm Agnes made us slide it another day…..in the end we were lucky!
We had decided to have an overnight camp to test our kit for possible future escapades….packed up, with bike + kit probably weighing over 30kg, parked up in Ludlow and set off on Thursday morning on a circular route my mate had planned.
Day 1 was a bit of a climb to begin, before settling in to a relaxing rhythm. We rarely cycle together, so a nice time on quiet roads to catch up with life 👍
Horton Castle was a lovely little pile to pause and wander around. Slightly atmospheric with the grey day we had.
Soon after there, despite both having Wahoo devices, we somehow missed a turn which should have taken us around A Big Hill & instead found ourselves peddling inexorably up a 20% beast 😱 That will teach us to natter too much!
At least there was a sharp roll down the other side to Clun, where a tasty lunch was taken at the eclectic Postcard Cafe 👍
A refreshing beer was taken as we finally cycled into the Powis Arms, Lydbury North, our destination, where we then pitched our tents, showered & enjoyed an evening of food, ale and banter.
Day 2 broke with promising hazy sunshine, although the tents had taken a hammering during overnight rain.
A disastrous start was just averted: I had forgot to pack matches for my stove, but a fella arrived at the pub for work and kindly gave us some: porridge + ☕️ was saved! & yes, the chairs were a luxury item I carried just for some additional weight 💪
What a simply gorgeous day 😎
I thought Thursday had been tough with 3,000ft of climbing over our 38 miles (& that beast of a hill!), but Friday chose to take us over 4,000ft up 😱
However…. a nice snack at The Bog Visitor Centre (where I did subsequently visit the bog 🤪) fueled us up, ready for the climb up to The Long Mynd.
What a place!
Spectacular views, & some lovely off-road trails to go along the top. A bit gusty, but the sky was clear and the air was crisp….a delight to be out on a day like that.
Dropping down to Church Stratton was…steep 👀 Had to pause for a while to let my pals rim brakes cool down: my disc ones seemed to fare a bit better, no dodgy smells from them 🤣
A lovely sandwich at the Holly Bush Cafe, where 3 older fellas appeared to be re-making their own version of Last of the Summer Wine outside, fighting off the many wasps who rather fancied the jam on their toasted tea cake 🤣
The last part back to Ludlow was relatively flat and easy: a fabulous mini-break 😎👍
Now just the small matter of trying to dry the tent….popped it up yesterday, but the dry day turned into a very wet one….maybe today will be kinder to it 🤞
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My suggestion is to buy a small lighter and keep it with the stove. As a smoker, I carry backups of backups. My picture of Hell is a morning with coffee and ciggies - but no way to enjoy them 
