Superb. Thanks for sharing -- both the tale and the pics. Great work. Paul -------------- Original message ---------------------- From: "Bob W" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > I came back yesterday from a cycle trip around Dorset, Wilts and > Hants. Here are the pictures in case you don't want to read all the > guff below: http://www.web-options.com/Byway/ > > Here's a couple of old boys who should join the PDML: > http://www.web-options.com/Byway/content/_6185590_large.html > > I cut the trip short a few days because I blew my accommodation budget > in just 3 nights - it was costing me 2-3 times more than anticipated. > The prices of B&Bs around there is outrageous, and frankly I got sick > of traipsing around looking for somewhere reasonably priced, then > having to settle for the top end of the market because there were no > other vacancies anywhere. > > Anyway, the cycling itself was very enjoyable, but difficult at times. > I don't know why they call them Downs - they seem mostly to be Ups, > into a headwind. I took the train to Tisbury on Monday, cycled to > Shaftesbury, which is a lovely town, and spent a very enjoyable > evening there. In the morning I cycled across Cranborne Chase via > Melbury, Ashmore, Farnham and the Gussages, up to Cranborne, Tidpit > and Rockbourne to Fordingbridge, where I had a huge problem finding > accommodation, but eventually found a grotty little place in a nearby > village. > > By that time one of my spokes was breaking, which made the back wheel > wobble and catch the brake pads. I had to loosen the brakes almost to > the point of danger to let the wheel spin at all. I couldn't find > anyone to repair it quickly in Fordingbridge, so the next day I cycled > up to Salisbury along the edge of the New Forest via Brune Purlieu, > Woodgreen, Alderbury, East Grimstead, Farley and Pitton. > > I found a very good, helpful bike shop in Salisbury (Stonehenge > Cycles, if you ever need a bike fixing in Salisbury! > http://www.stonehengecycles.com/) and he was able to replace the spoke > and true the wheel in the morning. He was also helpful in recommending > several B&Bs, but they were all full and I had to settle for the only > vacancy I could find, which was humungously expensive - not much > cheaper than one of the top hotels in town. Next morning I heard one > of the guests had arrived at 2am after searching the whole of > Salisbury, accommodation being so scarce. Probably all the druids have > booked the rooms. > > When I had the bike back I headed back to Tisbury via > Stratford-sub-Castle, the Woodfords, Wylye Valley and then down across > Cranborne Chase via Dinton and Teffont Magna. Including various > side-trips (and getting lost) I cycled about 110 miles - over half of > it on an out-of-true back wheel. > > The countryside and villages are quite spectacular. Some of the > villages, especially on Cranborne Chase, are quite breathtakingly > beautiful, they're so ancient and crumbling. Mostly I didn't even > bother trying to photograph them. To get the best shots you need to > wait around for the light, and to find the best view, but even then > you'd just have a postcard view. To do the places justice I think you > need to live there and have the places as a background to the locals' > lives, as James Ravilious did in Devon. > > But it's a wonderful area to cycle (although some of the hills are > hard work) and shows the very best of tourist board England. I was > very surprised in Hampshire though that so few of the villages still > had pubs. I'd planned on pub lunches, but from Fordingbridge up to > Pitton not a single village still had a pub. The pub in Pitton > wouldn't serve me any food because it was after 2pm and the chef had > gone home. Apparently only chefs can make a ploughman's lunch, which > probably explains the absence of ploughmen in Hampshire - they've all > starved to death. The villages in Hampshire seem dead - just dormitory > villages - whereas at least in Dorset and Wiltshire they seem to have > something other than rich commuters. > > Salisbury and the area around the Cathedral Close are really stunning > in the summer evening light. Unfortunately the cathedral itself is > covered in scaffolding at the moment, but the cathedral close is very > beautiful. > > I'd like to have gone to Filly Loo tonight in Ashmore (that's their > annual festival when they have pagan rituals round the duck pond), and > earlier I was still debating whether to drive over and back today, but > I'm very tired (slept 11 hours last night), so I'll give it a miss > until next year. > > I still plan to cycle around South and West Dorset and visit various > Hardy sites, and the prehistoric and Roman sites, but I'll do it from > a base near Dorchester. Maybe even next week, if I can find some cheap > accommodation at such short notice. > > Cheers, > Bob > > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
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