Home – Bristol – Bath
This was the start of a week away. The plan being a low-contact, Covid avoiding tour, staying in England. I had my Sonder Camino loaded and ready to go.
I got out of the house in good time, to Lewes station. Where my train was cancelled, due to too many being broken. The train timetable app wasn’t advising a dash to Brighton, so I stayed put. I’ve used Southern trains often enough to anticipate a cancellation and a half hour wait left making my connection tight but doable.
I did get to London, on a train that wasn’t packed but with two trains of people wasn’t empty either. Masks all round though. The ride along the edge of Hyde Park to Paddington was fairly brisk, although I was obliged to wait a minute for the Queen’s horses and men to trot past and several traffic lights on the new (to me) cycle route. I had a quick chat to another cyclist at one set of lights, and offered him to go ahead, on account of being rather less laden.
My carriage wasn’t at the far end of the train, and my bike’s reservation in the next carriage. The space was empty, though I wasn’t the only cyclist getting on. The train pulled out as I was hanging it up, and I relaxed – the timetabled part of the trip was working. I’d treated myself to a seat in first class, which was pleasantly empty.
My phone got a charge and a podcast passed the time to Bristol. Here I failed to stop for lunch, wrongly assuming that there’d be somewhere just outside the ticket barriers that was more interesting than platform food. Then, after a small loop as I missed a turn in some roadworks, I was heading away from the center. I rode along an on-brand graffitied, but rideable, cycle path beside the river. In a park I paused to put on sun cream and have a snack. Then wound my way through a Sustrans suburban route to an ex-railway cycle path.
This turned into a lane, climbing steadily, and the first spots of rain appeared. Soon enough I’d paused under a tree for a waterproof, as it was neither as light or brief as I’d first hoped. A little further on I passed someone with their second puncture of the day who was calling for a drier exit.
Around the top of the hill another cyclist offered “it’s like a river down there” as she passed in the opposite direction. I contemplated overshoes, but my feet were soaking already! Then down, to Chew Magna, the road running like a river – as promised. An empty can floating past. My first stop was to visit a friend from work, who had recently moved here. She had a towel ready, and we caught up over a mug of Early Grey.
On setting off again I had a couple of back and forths, trying the wrong hill out of town, before finding my turn. Sandy Lane was indeed sandy, and gave me my first brief push – it takes more tyre than I’m using to do uphill sand. Then some lovely green lanes rolled me along to Stanton Drew. I do like a an ancient place, and I spent a while taking a leisurely walk around with my camera. I had a the field to myself, which was relaxing and let me take in details, experiencing them as a calm space.
By the time I set off again it was gone 4:30, but the next stretch was quiet, rural and rolling – some effort required but enjoyable. Under a big viaduct at Pensford, and over a bigger lump coming into Pensford. Eventually I reached the slightly downhill and traffic free (except all the other cyclists and runners) Bristol – Bath cycle route.
This, as you’d expect, took me into Bath – and with minimal faffing. Somehow I’d put the wrong Travelodge into Komoot, but the right one was all downhill and only took one loop around the theater to find. The bike in the room worked fine, and let me get things dried out and repacked easily.
50km with 600m of climb covered in 5 hours. Which felt like a respectable first day, especially since half the day was spent on the train.
It was an England match tonight, so my plan for supper was to avoid the crowds. The first restaurant I tried (a nice looking Breton, but not pancakes, place) was closing due to lack of trade, but Cafe Rouge provided the right mix of bread, wine, salad and pudding to set me up – and feel like a treat. Especially as I was one of about 5 customers. Football and people avoided, I slept well.
Between & Beyond 