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but nothing bad at least!
Where to start? The weather will do, well its not actually been too bad so far this week, a bit grey on Monday, brighter yesterday and today we are looking at a warmish 25c! Look, us Brits take what we can get, this rates as high summer in these parts, I mean, its not rained hard for like 2 days.
I've booked travel for my next trip to GOC, at the end of this month, just a long weekend, see family and friends then back - no heroic bike journeys this time. Unlike last time which was a direct bus, this time I go via the capital, it's cheaper to the point that my round trip has cost me less than last time's one way! Oh and a special thank you to Dave who has made it possible by donating to the keep Maddy sane fund, I really do appreciate it and know that it isn't being squandered on fripperies.
We've had our first 'proper' crop / meal from the garden produce, home grown taters and beans graced the plates on Monday evening and yesterday it was cherry pie with fruit from 'The Cherry Tree'. Oh and the first onion provided a bit of zing to Mondays sarnies - all in all quite fulfilling, there might not be much more fruit but there will be a lot more veg in the coming weeks!
Yesterday, with a mostly dry forecast, I set off with no specific destination in mind other than a bacon sarnie near Lydney - well I've not had one for ages, I've not spent much this week so it was a bit of a treat. Out to the Bridge, then a few Km's up the A48 to Woolaverton and the reliably open burger trailer that has stoicly remained open throughout the pandemic when many have been closed - and you get a decent cuppa too. But where now?
Well I thought I'd explore some lanes on the edge of the Forest of Dean, the first try quickly put me back on the main road, a second loop lasted a bit longer with much climbing but again deposited me back on the forty eight. Oh well, Gloucester it is then, it's not that bad a road and I made fair progress, stopping briefly at Telford's West Road bridge over the Severn before crossing the 'water meadows' to Gloucester Docks. I found a bench and spent half an hour over my sandwiches enjoying the sun and views of the main basin.
If you take the direct, A38 route, Bristol is @ 2 hours away but where's the fun in that? I toyed with a route along the Cotswolds but settled on something a little different and flatter, the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal towpath! This is a canal more like those found in mainland Europe and North America, built to allow ocean going shipping easy and safe access from Sharpness on the Severn to Gloucester via the 86ft wide, 18ft deep and 16 miles long waterway, when it was opened in 1827 it was the biggest canal in the UK. Freight use has all but ceased although Sharpness docks still take bulk freight, so its all pleasure craft and folks like Sam's Savannah who live on the water in a variety of narrow boats, barges and even converted life boats (a surprisingly popular choice).
Anyhow, I set off, not to ride the full distance but to get past the otherwise unbridged River Cam between Frampton and Slimbridge. The first leg out of the city is well maintained, often tarmac which makes the going easier but beyond the city bounds it degrades to at best a dirt trail and worst, a bumpy grass verge. There wasn't too much of the latter, and a goodly amount of the former was suitable for reasonably quick progress along the waterway.
A short stop at Saul Junction where the Cotswold canal is intersected then on past Frampton and Slimbridge, to Purton where I left the waterway @ 3km from its end as my plans meant a more inland route was preferred. Not a bad ride but it probably gets quite busy with walkers/bikes at weekends so best avoided, my weekday late afternoon sojourn was pretty much clear of other 'traffic'. By the time I reached Berkeley a steady drizzle was falling - oh well, its been dry to here, it persisted for @ 20 minutes but by Thornbury it was dry again for the final run in.
I arrived back, tired but happy, a bit before seven, 1100m+ of climbing, 154km distance, just about 7.5 hours in the saddle, 2 food stops and 2 photo stops after setting out.
Today's Gaby chapter is Jen's Award, part 37 of The Visitors. Its a longer chapter, 6000+ words but there is a lot crammed in, a bike race, cheering, revelations from Rhod and finally, a meeting with Mum - the emotions swing about like a ride at Blackpool Pleasure Beach!
So that's it, time to grab some lunch then this afternoon I'll take a walk, make use of the fine weather.
Next news at the weekend but for now,
Ciao
Madeline Anafrid
