Nice weather for running and cycling

Friday 12^th August 2016

Monday last, the day after the Jurassic  was another lovely day for weather, I also decided that it was a rest day, no cycling or running, but I did have a partial garage sort out!!! And can now get in and out much easier round the 6 bikes!! A trip down the dump with a car load.

Tuesday it was the Blackmore Vale CTC coffee meet at the Riverside Café in Langport, a cool start made the downhill start a chilly descent, but! I soon warmed up  as I set a good Pace on the Chard to Ilminster cycle route heading to Shepton Beauchamp and Kingsbury Episcopi, the roads seemed quiet, must be the school holidays, I made good time and the 18 miles soon passed. The group were already gathered with their coffees and cake, I duly ordered tea and a piece of ‘Langport Bun’ a cross between a Chelsea and lardy cake, with fruit and apple. The café was quite busy and I had a good chat about arranging a ‘classic bike ride’ before the end of the summer for pre 1987 bikes, ‘Eroica style’ and also to catch up with my friend Dave about the potential ‘Manche to Med’ ride with the CTC next June, that’s Caen the other side of the channel, down to Montpellier on the Mediterranean I have initially put my name down for the 1000 km ride over 16 days, looks exciting! I seemed to spend ages in the café and finally left to ride home with Dave partway, via Muchelney, Hambridge and the National Trust village of Barrington, we shook hands and both agreed we were up for the ‘Manche Med’ Challenge and promised to keep in touch. I cycled home from there in lovely bright sunshine, 38 miles covered, a nice morning out.

Wednesday, the weather was again promising after a cloudy and cool start, and today I made a real effort to meet up for the firs time with the ‘Wobbly Wheelers’ an off shoot of Chard Wheelers cycling club for those of us who can cycle mid week, and they meet round the corner from where I live. There were five of us who set off to ride down to West Bay [ I seem to be spending a lot of time down there at the moment] we went a slightly different route, taking in Forde Abbey and Pilsdon Pen  and as it was market day in Bridport the back way down to the harbour area. It was relatively quiet, and the ‘Harbour Lights’ café [ famous from Nick Berrys Harbour Lights TV series] was also quiet, fruit cake washed down with several cups of tea, fortified me for the return ride, this time back over Symondsbury [a lovely Dorset village sitting just under the famous Colmers Hill] and through the Marshwood Vale  with the steep climb out of Bettiscombe. I then caught a stone on the side of my tyre and pinch punctured, a quick change of tube whilst the group waited, but! A couple of miles down the road saw me puncture once again!!! So another tube change to get me home. A really nice ride out with a nice group of people, my first ride with them I hope to meet up again next Wednesday and hopefully not have the embarrassment of another puncture. Another 38 miles covered.

Thursday we took the van down to Seaton for a morning coffee by the sea, a lovely morning, sat in the park on the cliffs, many sailing boats out from the small bay at Beer, the sunshine and brisk wind giving ideal conditions for them, even though we could see several go over in the stiff breeze. After lunch a visit to the dump and a little garden tidying it was a deckchair session under the parasol.

Evening, I did my first run after the Jurassic, a steady 6 miles round the town, a steady run but still came under an hour , I have my eye on another Jurassic Coast run next week, this time at Budleigh Salterton , another 10k and I know most of the route. I will see how I feel next week and hopefully enter on the day.

My son his wife and Twins and Grand daughter will be down this evening to spend a few days with us. This should be exciting to see the children again and I have no doubt we will spend sometime at the sea side!!!