Your ride today....

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Donger

Convoi Exceptionnel
Location
Quedgeley, Glos.
I had today planned as my last chance this year to chase the Severn Bore, as a good one was due in daylight hours ... but as soon as I saw the weather forecast last night I changed my mind. Instead of getting out early to catch the tide, I left it until about 10:15 and headed off out in my sunglasses, shorts and short sleeves to make the most of the last day of this brilliant Indian Summer we are having. Got my Metric Century-a-Month Challenge ride done early this month as a result.
I headed off out pretty much without a plan, except to avoid the A38 as much as possible and to weave about exploring bits of the Severn Vale that I don't often go to. Left the A38 for the first time at Whitminster, stopping off at Whitminster Church, which is actually about a mile away from the village, and nearer to Saul. I've always liked this church:
311 Whitminster Church.JPG

After Frampton, I got back on the A38 for a couple of miles before turning right across the main road (after waiting 5 minutes for a chance) and heading for Slimbridge via Ryall's Lane and then cutting across towards Berkeley via Moorends Lane. Lovely quiet lanes today in glorious sunshine. I hung a right towards the river, stopping off at the canal bridge at Purton:
312 Purton Bridge.JPG

The roads gradually became slightly less flat around there, with one or two nice little winding, lumpy bits:
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.... before carrying on round to Sharpness docks, where I stopped for a moment at the picnic site at the dock gates:
314 Sharpness Picnic area.JPG

I quite like this place, but the docks always seem a bit sad and neglected. There were plenty of trucks coming and going, but I can't remember the last time I saw a decent sized ship there.
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From there, I headed off through Berkeley, where I decided against stopping for lunch, as I wanted to get some more miles on the clock and get as close to the Severn Bridge as I could.
317 Berkeley.JPG

I went past Rockhampton and Hill, again ignoring lunch opportunities , stopping for a snack on a bench in the hilltop churchyard at Cowhill (another of my favourite places). It was a bit hazy today, but you could still easily see one of the Severn Bridges from there:
318 Severn Bridge from Cowhill.JPG

I made a point of taking every little side road, turning off to Whale Wharf near Littleton upon Severn. I had hoped there might be a cycle path along the river bank there, but I found only a footpath with a tight little turnstile gate, so I didn't hang around:
319 The Severn from Whale Wharf.JPG

I eventually got to within two miles of the Severn Bridge, before turning for home and picking up a familiar road with a nasty, never-ending hill up to Alveston (that anyone who has ever done the Severn Bridge Loop anti-clockwise will be able to picture). I grabbed myself some provisions from the Alveston Stores .... an ice cream, a soft drink and a packet of wine gums .... a balanced diet if ever I saw one. They got me home, which was an uninteresting main road slog, almost entirely on the A38. That's another 63.7 miles (102.5 km) done .... at a leisurely tourist pace of 10.5 mph door-to-door. That ride was a bit of a bonus. Unexpectedly great weather. I can always do the bore-chasing ride next Spring. You can't waste days like these.
Cheers, Donger.
 

gavgav

Legendary Member
Out this morning on a 30 mile loop: Lyth Hill, Condover, Cross Houses, Attingham Park, Upton Forge, Wroxeter, Cressage, Acton Burnell, Cantlop and back via Condover again.

Lots of :sun:but also lots of mist about so not much in the way of views today. The legs didn't seem to have much energy in them today so I was slower than I'd expected and I had a scary moment when a wasp hit me in the face just below the left eye (one time I'm glad of having glasses). I managed to flick it away without getting stug fortunately but it left me rattled for a bit.

The rest of the ride was all pretty uneventful and the easterly wind helped speed things along towards the end.

30.6 miles at 14.4 mph average

Sorry, the photos are all a bit unimaginative today:

View attachment 433484
View attachment 433485
A couple of shots in Attingham Park to show off the conditions.

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A favoured viewpoint between Wroxeter and Cressage. No chance of seeing the hills in the background this morning.
I had one of the pesky critters land on my lip last night!! Managed to do the same and get it off without a sting. Too close for comfort when it’s the mouth.
 

Katherine

Guru
Moderator
Location
Manchester
Sorry, the photos are all a bit unimaginative today
They are lovely as always. Especially the first one. :smile:

Big OUCH! I came off my bike
1f641.png
:sad: Sprained and dislocated my left thumb and slight sprain in right thumb.
I was on a cycle path and crossing a side road, looking into the sun I didn't see a black car turning in. I braked hard and we both missed each other but I went flying. Very lucky really, only a few cuts and scrapes on the rest of me. The driver lived locally and I went to his house, he phoned a taxi and kept my bike till my son could collect it .5 and a half hours in A & E!

I'm so cross with myself. I don't know how long I'll be off the bike for and such a waste of a wondrously sunny late afternoon / evening. I'd been really looking forward to my ride and I was only 7 miles in.
sunny October on the Port salford Greenway.jpg
 

C R

Guru
Location
Worcester
They are lovely as always. Especially the first one. :smile:

Big OUCH! I came off my bike View attachment 433570 :sad: Sprained and dislocated my left thumb and slight sprain in right thumb.
I was on a cycle path and crossing a side road, looking into the sun I didn't see a black car turning in. I braked hard and we both missed each other but I went flying. Very lucky really, only a few cuts and scrapes on the rest of me. The driver lived locally and I went to his house, he phoned a taxi and kept my bike till my son could collect it .5 and a half hours in A & E!

I'm so cross with myself. I don't know how long I'll be off the bike for and such a waste of a wondrously sunny late afternoon / evening. I'd been really looking forward to my ride and I was only 7 miles in.
View attachment 433569
A like for the ride, not the fall. Glad it wasn't anything serious. GWS
 

welsh dragon

Thanks but no thanks. I think I'll pass.
They are lovely as always. Especially the first one. :smile:

Big OUCH! I came off my bike View attachment 433570 :sad: Sprained and dislocated my left thumb and slight sprain in right thumb.
I was on a cycle path and crossing a side road, looking into the sun I didn't see a black car turning in. I braked hard and we both missed each other but I went flying. Very lucky really, only a few cuts and scrapes on the rest of me. The driver lived locally and I went to his house, he phoned a taxi and kept my bike till my son could collect it .5 and a half hours in A & E!

I'm so cross with myself. I don't know how long I'll be off the bike for and such a waste of a wondrously sunny late afternoon / evening. I'd been really looking forward to my ride and I was only 7 miles in.
View attachment 433569


A like for getting out. Sorry to hear of your mishap. I do hope you heal soon. :hugs:
 

Joey Shabadoo

My pronouns are "He", "Him" and "buggerlugs"
Whereabouts are you? Valencia?

Benidorm - but I try to stay away from the new town. Was in Valencia on Tuesday for their national day celebrations though. Never seen fireworks like that before!
 

Rickshaw Phil

Overconfidentii Vulgaris
Moderator
They are lovely as always. Especially the first one. :smile:

Big OUCH! I came off my bike View attachment 433570 :sad: Sprained and dislocated my left thumb and slight sprain in right thumb.
I was on a cycle path and crossing a side road, looking into the sun I didn't see a black car turning in. I braked hard and we both missed each other but I went flying. Very lucky really, only a few cuts and scrapes on the rest of me. The driver lived locally and I went to his house, he phoned a taxi and kept my bike till my son could collect it .5 and a half hours in A & E!

I'm so cross with myself. I don't know how long I'll be off the bike for and such a waste of a wondrously sunny late afternoon / evening. I'd been really looking forward to my ride and I was only 7 miles in.
View attachment 433569
Sorry to hear about the incident. Sounds painful. I hope you'll be better and back on the bike soon.:thumbsup:
 

13 rider

Guru
Location
leicester
They are lovely as always. Especially the first one. :smile:

Big OUCH! I came off my bike View attachment 433570 :sad: Sprained and dislocated my left thumb and slight sprain in right thumb.
I was on a cycle path and crossing a side road, looking into the sun I didn't see a black car turning in. I braked hard and we both missed each other but I went flying. Very lucky really, only a few cuts and scrapes on the rest of me. The driver lived locally and I went to his house, he phoned a taxi and kept my bike till my son could collect it .5 and a half hours in A & E!

I'm so cross with myself. I don't know how long I'll be off the bike for and such a waste of a wondrously sunny late afternoon / evening. I'd been really looking forward to my ride and I was only 7 miles in.
View attachment 433569
So to here about that . Hopefully you will heal quickly . Take care . It's annoying when you have an off that's your fault I certainly know ,you cant beleive you can be so unaware ,don't beat yourself up about it .
 

gavgav

Legendary Member
They are lovely as always. Especially the first one. :smile:

Big OUCH! I came off my bike View attachment 433570 :sad: Sprained and dislocated my left thumb and slight sprain in right thumb.
I was on a cycle path and crossing a side road, looking into the sun I didn't see a black car turning in. I braked hard and we both missed each other but I went flying. Very lucky really, only a few cuts and scrapes on the rest of me. The driver lived locally and I went to his house, he phoned a taxi and kept my bike till my son could collect it .5 and a half hours in A & E!

I'm so cross with myself. I don't know how long I'll be off the bike for and such a waste of a wondrously sunny late afternoon / evening. I'd been really looking forward to my ride and I was only 7 miles in.
View attachment 433569
So sorry to read this. Best wishes for a speedy recovery and hopefully you will be back on the bike soon. That low sun has been tricky all week.
 

Rickshaw Phil

Overconfidentii Vulgaris
Moderator
I had one of the pesky critters land on my lip last night!! Managed to do the same and get it off without a sting. Too close for comfort when it’s the mouth.
That was fortunate! I've had enough of them now but they can't last much longer before they die off for the winter.



It looks like a wet and windy few days coming up so I got out with the knockabout bike this morning to get a ride in before the rain arrived. I opted for my route to Oaks, Pulverbatch, Wilderley, Smethcott, Walkmills, Dudgeley and back via Hollyhurst, Longnor, Ryton and Condover. It's a bit of a hilly route for legs tired from the last few days but when I'm already going slow up a hill, the headwind doesn't seem as much of an issue.

There was more traffic down the lanes than I'd expected but being on a bike is an advantage when meeting a cattle lorry down a lane that is only just wide enough for it. I could slip into a gateway - the motorist behind me had to reverse back to the last junction.

After Oaks I came across a chap hugging a tree - haven't seen that for real before. Dodged wasps and tractors along the lanes round the edge of the Long Mynd then picked up the best tailwind I've had in ages as I turned northwards for home and got wafted along at speed for about 10 miles.

There was a slight holdup at Ryton where I encountered a Polish registered artic trying to back out of the lane to Ryton Grove. This little lane is pretty narrow with tight corners so it's unlikely he'd manage to get down it alright. I'm guessing that his satnav was tring to take him to Condover Industrial Estate. Oops!

26.3 miles this time and the wind helped the average speed up to 12.2 mph. No rain until after I got back which was nice.

DSC0007240.jpg

From Lyth Hill. It's not the sunny morning the forecast I saw suggested. I risked it though.

DSC0007242.jpg

Climbing up to Oaks.

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Near to Walkmills and looking at the Lawley and Caer Caradoc.

DSC0007246.jpg

At Ryton and darker rain-laden clouds are following me. Time to dash for home.
 

Old jon

Guru
Location
Leeds
They are lovely as always. Especially the first one. :smile:

Big OUCH! I came off my bike View attachment 433570 :sad: Sprained and dislocated my left thumb and slight sprain in right thumb.
I was on a cycle path and crossing a side road, looking into the sun I didn't see a black car turning in. I braked hard and we both missed each other but I went flying. Very lucky really, only a few cuts and scrapes on the rest of me. The driver lived locally and I went to his house, he phoned a taxi and kept my bike till my son could collect it .5 and a half hours in A & E!

I'm so cross with myself. I don't know how long I'll be off the bike for and such a waste of a wondrously sunny late afternoon / evening. I'd been really looking forward to my ride and I was only 7 miles in.
View attachment 433569

Recover swiftly. What a mishap!
 

Old jon

Guru
Location
Leeds
Cloudy day the other side of the windows but the forecast rain was not happening, so I creaked the old bones into life and chose the geared bike for a ride.

The last time I rode to Otley was in February, I just checked. There is no way my memory is that accurate. The bike knows the way, especially the bit through the wannabe Urban Village to Office Lock. Last time I rode this stretch of towpath I was riding the fixed, this time on the Ellis Briggs the path felt quite a lot smoother. I will give credit to the frame as both bikes run the same make, model, and size of tyres. It could just be the wheels. The fixed has cheap round things that, to be fair, do the job and the other has some Shimano alphabet spaghetti super duper incrementally, err, round, things. The Shimano wheels should be the stiffer, they cost almost as much as the other bike. But who knows.

So, leave the towpath at Viaduct Road and after crossing both the river and Kirkstall Road climb to Headingley and after the shopping centre climb some more to the Ring Road and a stretch of flatter road on the way to the Lawnswood Arms. I once worked under a foreman who gave that place as his address . . .

Stay on the A 660 ‘cos I was not wanting too much uphill today. The road is nominally flat but turning the pedals does become more difficult here and there, particularly on the approach to Bramhope. And the bit from the crossroads to the puritan chapel always seems to have a headwind. But once the Dyneley Arms is reached there is a choice of two downhills. I took the one with more whizzz factor and the speed camera told me I reached 32mph as the last bend was approached. The camera scowled at me, I grinned back. The pedestrian lights just a bit further stopped me. Huh! Anyway, turn left onto the Otley road.



After the end of the video pedal along to the maypole and stop for a munch and a drink, because the next bit is up for a fair distance. The top is reached, slowly for me but it was good all the way up. Some of the views to the left are well worth the effort, and today’s weather had turned sunny and bright to make them look better still. So, the A 660 goes all the way to Headingley where there is a right turn to Kirkstall which is a convenient way back to the towpath. This misses umpteen sets of traffic lights and road junction buffoonery, and takes you quietly back to Water Lane and the ride under the wings for the amble through Hunslet and out towards home. Always happy to see my front door, especially after 29 miles and 1200 feet of up.

And, just because,

11102018.jpg
 
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