Starcross day off

It is another grey day that intended to use for a trip to Dartmouth. Instead I slept in and went for a coffee at the nearby castle that has recenyly had a change of owners. The refugee son that married the US actress returned on father's death and has taken up residence. I am a bit like his sister. The boys got the money and the ugly sister got a card. Your brother is now the inheritor but thanks for the card and good luck. But now and again we need a day off. Frankly I can not believe how lucky I am. Travel is a total privilege and a joy and anyone that is familiar with my last 10 tears travel will know how good it has been to me. I would have preferre to be able bodied this time but the Ram that butted my knee and tore it apart did not know what an inconvenience he was but I guess that is payback for times I have similarly afflicted someone else. Today I had rain. What a surprise. Every day since arriving. But it is summer so it did not rain all day. Tomorrow inshallah I will visit Dartmouth and then thru the moors to Ilfracombe where I had a little experience last year that took me to a hospital. Falling asleep on a bike. Not to be commended but it has happened before just hope it does not happen again. Pardon me being repetitious but I do love the biking. So I am back to the local for dinet. Hope I can add a picture and tomorrow perhaps can visit the place where theon arch of Britain has such connection. Lizzy met Phil at Dartmouth. Their kids went to sailing school there. I on the other hand will probably feel more at home on Dartmoor where the villains were housed. Having a few problems with email and data so may be a few typo. I need to say on the eve of Great Britain leaving the EU and it looks like they will the sun is out. Must be an omen.

17 July Part 3

The next day the 16th I left the Farm near by the Forest of Dean and headed towards Brecon where I had heard of another 10th Century Church. It had extensive damage and subsequent repairs and was a wonderful old building with the Nave of beautiful timbers. It also had a very good organ or so I am led to believe. The Orgains was showing someone how it worked so I was lucky to hear it for a short time. They are simply brilliant instruments. I left to ride through the Valleys of the Brecon hills in seriously deteriorating weather in fact so bad I couldn't see far in any direction. My only choice was to make a run for it which I did back to Mastlebridge where again I stayed with a great couple Jane and Keith. They were off to a Charlie Chaplin play and I to the Cathedral at St Davids to hear the Choir sing a Rossini work which anyone that has seen the Shawshank Redemption would know of Rossini. Unless I am mistaken those two dames were singing a Rossini composition. It was a delight to be there. So home for supper. I have been so lucky with my hosts. The only downside to Air BnB is Air BnB themselves. They are messing up a fantastic concept by Americanising it. Sad really. However Keith was up and a cup of tea came round the door and we were off again. Too many days on the road without a break is having its toll. So while Keith and his lads were taking the boat out of the Barn after 4 years restoration I was laying off as much extra stuff as I could. I was off to Ireland on the Ferry after having a 20 pound disaster booking a Ferry at 2am not 2pm but I made the later one and sailed to Ireland in the fog. Three hours of trying to log in to post a blog. I hate bloody Google. Like Airbnb a good thing that is being destroyed trying to protect their income stream. Forget your customer at your peril. I arrived at the Irish Port of Rosslair and enjoyed a trip through New Rossini and Waterford to end up in Tramore with more wonderful hosts..and I do not just say that but I was offered and accepted a beer while dinner was cooking that I was invited to enjoy. That is not included that is splendid generosity. So tomorrow is planned as much as planning is possible but fingers crossed the weather looks the best I have seen so far. Maybe even a sunny day on the Irish Coast around Sheep's Head in Bantry Bay.

17 July Part two.

So dowe the road from Wivenhoe to Southend on Sea. A real English seaside town of 50 years ago. Fun fair ferris wheels rides and slides and fish and chip shops lots of them. So after a very nice piece of Cod I was off to London. It was concert night at St Paul's. A wonderful night followed by a visit to a fantastic old Pub in Blackfriars. Then it was away West toward Oxford. Not a patch on Cambridge. So on toward Cissinghurst where stories of a beautiful Church became a reality. Right down to the Gold Chalice owned once by Anne Boleyn. But the road called and I was away to Monmouth for a night on a small farmer, dinner in the local pub and a thoroughly good night.

Ireland 17 July

I am in Ireland. After a ferry ride from Wales in the fog I arrived to a sunset. Longtime since I saw one of those. Eventful days. After leaving Lancaster and riding through the midlands the wonderful rolling hills that formerly farmed sheep and created the wool industry and the Mills now all abandoned. The once flourishing towns now full of retirees and a rapidly shrinking commercial centre. So I made it to Cambridge, what a very attractive town. Sadly full of tourists which do not add to the ambience of the town. On to Colchester with the usual rain and delightful countryside. Colchester lacks anything of striking interest but has a very interesting castle with very attractive grounds. So I rode the cycleway I was entertained very kindly by my Airbnb hostess and was even taken to the bell ringers practice evening. What a very nice visit I had to the town of Wivenhoe.

Lancaster 11July

I did wonder how I selected Lancaster but it turned out to be a place of considerable interest. The history is serious and was a Roman Fort. Being on the river Lune a fort on the Lune became Lunecastle and soon Lancaster. Well so I was told. Apparently Bede writes of a very famous battle that it seems may have taken place there as well. My man on the cycleway was telling me this as we rode along. But the best was yet to come and despite the rain I rode the Lake District bottom to top and back and the and back was a heck of a ride. It is a pretty place. The English countryside is pretty special. I saw it again as I came down over the wolds and despite some rain it was a good ride, but of course it rains every day so nothing new in that. Tonight it is Milton Mowbray. Just another fast fading rural town. The move from the country towns is significant but I see a prolly in the press today saying how good it would be for the rural economy to be able to enter the free market and compete without the enormous subsidies paid to French "farmers"... Well the UK had a good weekend, with a win at Wimbledon and the Formula One but it ends there unless Froome pulls of another Tour d France victory. Meanwhile the Pollies continue to self destruct....

Notes from a traveller 8 July

This day I find myself in Lancaster. It did not start there it began in Llangollen after a night at the 70th anniversary of their annual music festival. A capacity crowd was well entertained by Mr Brynn Terfel a much accomplished Welsh singer and ably supported by another Tenor and a lady lady Soprano. A jolly good musical smorgasbord. I had previously invested more time and money replacing my GPS which has done about 5 days work in its life and the wireless helmet that it needed that replaced the one "lost" by Holland Post last year. As well there was a recall repair to the bike plus a repair that I had to pay for. The electronic fuel measuring device in the tank that saw me out of fuel because it was misreading got replaced. So another nasty and costly day out. However the investment was well employed today. It was rather good to ride the Peak District. I have this trip ridden the wonderful southern moors, Dart, at Plymouth and the Exe, and now to have ridden the Peak District was great. This weekend I will manage the Lake District as well Inshallah. Life still agreeably astonishes me. I was bought a drink by a lady in the bar. "You are amazing". Isn't it sad that these pleasant interludes occur when we are so safely incapacitated by age and infirmity. What is actually amazing is how protective we all are. Air BnB is still housing me. Tonight I thought I had drawn a blank, no one home. Hence the interlude in the bar but it all came good and my very young hostess was most apologetic, wrong day, sorry. So it was all OK after all.

Wales visit.

I was not just there as a house guest I walked the coastal path, and I rode the Welsh cycleway the next day and I rode to St David's, famous place. So I had a great 4 days before riding north. That was was a terrific days ride along the coast. The Cardigan Bay coast, a name familiar to most Kiwi not because of the Welsh connection but the horse ! But I had already dined on "faggots" a welsh haggis of pig entrails, and delicious, so the opportunity to dine on Laver Bread ( which is cooked seaweed) and is actually a lot more enjoyable than the thought conjures. So I left the sea as delightful as it was and headed into the valleys to Llangollen. A lot harder to pronounce than it looks. So I walked the hills, and I cycled the Canal that goes by the town originally used to freight slate on which half of Wales seems to have been built. Pleasant in fact a delightful town. I discovered there was a music festival on complete with a New Zealand choir, so I have had a few good days and entertaining nights. The downside is that the piece of rubbish sold by Garmin to unsuspecting motorists including motorbikers stopped altogether. I spent 2 days attempting to buy a replacement on eBay and that was a wonderful expose of how total idiots can ruin a good concept. In order to identify everyone for marketing purposes eBay found I had registered in Australia so if I want to but something it has be posted to Australia, so I write to the vendor to ask can it be sent to a town down the road in the UK but eBay says I can not send more than two messages a day even if no one replies ......so commerce stops. However a day in a BMW garage fixed not only that but also a faulty fuel gauge which had me on the side of the road in a hell of a bad place with no fuel until my saviour Mac arrived with fuel and jumper leads, three hours of flashing warning lights takes a toll on small batteries. The guy was Mac Mackenney at Mac@maxadventure.co.uk and if you ever feel inclined to make contact with a proper bloke send him an email and say thanks for saving me. Gotta go