I had a great breakfast in the pub in Silverton before heading out towards Taunton. I have virtually given up on the Garmin being able to plot a route. The best strategy is to plot the route using Google Maps. I take note of the villages at key points, e.g. turnouts. I then use the Garmin to go point to point.
Failed Attempt to See the Australian Cricket Team in Action
The route took me into the hills nears Silverton heading towards the Grand Canal. For some reason you cannot follow the canal all the way to Taunton. The plan was to watch a couple of hours of Australia playing Somerset in their 4 day warm up game for the Ashes.
I arrived in Taunton as the rain started as a bit of drizzle. By the time I found the cricket ground, it had started to rain quite heavily. As I walked through the gates, the covers were being put on the pitch and the players had left the ground. The spectators were all leaving the ground and not bothering to the take pass out tickets. The Poms know a bit about their weather – there was clearly no chance of any further play.
What is it about me, canals and rain?
I headed out of Taunton on National Cycle Route 3 which follows the canal to Bridgewater. As I continued along the canal it started to rain more heavily. Fortunately, the tow trail had not become too muddy. This is in contrast to my first experience of a tow trail which was just over a year ago on the Kennett- Avon canal heading from Reading to Bath. For three days it simply pissed down with rain and the westerly wind (sometimes over 50 mph) was blowing in my face.
After about 30 klms, I arrived in Bridgewater. This place is proof that not all English towns are picturesque. This place has serious of the ‘Pararmattas’.
By this stage it had really started to piss down. Memories of last year. I headed on the main road towards Bristol before turning off on B roads towards Cheddar. About 3 miles from the town, there was a sign saying “Road Closed Ahead”. A very earnest woman under a huge umbrella stopped me. She told me that I would not be able to get to Cheddar due to the road closure. She then went on the give me the most convoluted instructions on how to avoid to closure. I was totally confused.
At the next intersection I asked a bloke who was crossing the road if I could get through to Cheddar. He looked at me as if I was stupid. “The road is closed for MVs. You’re on a bike”.
Another YHA
I arrived in Cheddar absolutely saturated. I checked into the YHA. The place is run by a young couple from Yorkshire. I think they are Bail Faulty’s grandchildren.
I am getting into the swing of this ride.
The route out of Launceston took me on to the ‘old A30’ to Okehampton . The receptionist at the White Hart Pub told me that it was “an ancient road on a ridge”. Apparent this had the benefit providing anyone that was on the road the “ability to see their enemies”. It occurred to me that the said “enemies“may have the same idea. This probably resulted in a lot of fighting on the road.
After a few miles, I ran into two cyclist with panniers heading towards me. We stopped for a chat. It turned out that they were Scots heading from John OGroats to Lands End. They were 10 days into their ride and hope to finish it in 12 days. Not a bad effort for Scotsmen.
Anyway the road was great: long gentle ups and downs. Such a contrast compared to the North Cornwall Coast. The book I am using as sort of guide noted that short of Okehampton it is possible to get on to the Granite Way Rail Trail. This one the best and best known Rail Trails in the UK and therefore, the planet. The Garmin went spastic and tried to put me on the A30 main road. Take a serious look at yourself Mr Garmin.
After Okehampton I followed a route I had plotted using Google Maps. It was great: virtually all on country lanes looking over classic Devon farm lands. The lanes are, however, a bit problematic when a big tractor meets oncoming traffic. Check out the pick of a serious traffic jam in a lane.
I made it the Silverton in reasonable time. No camping grounds near this village. I am staying at the Three Tuns Pub. It serves local brews including Exmoor and Dartmoor. The publican is anti “lager crap”. Good to see. He provided with a guide to local brewers Devon in and the surrounding counties. There are 17 in Devon. Apparently the number is increasing. Again, good to see.
I left Perranporth as soon as I could. The book that I am reading provides a guide to the route. The advice was that the hills are “steep and sharp”. This apparently means a shit load of steep up and down. The first big town I passed through was Newquay.
Bedruthen Steps
Not too far north I saw a National Trust sign to something. I accosted I driver at the road related to the said sign and asked if it, was worthwhile seeing. He said it was. It turned out to be the Bedruthen Steps. I stopped that the entrance to the carpark to ask the attendant about the place. He told me that the cliffs were the main feature, however, an interest fact was that site was an iron ore mine. The ore was taken from the cliff via the natural caves.
I left my bike with the attendant and headed off to the cliffs. At the top of the cliff I as engaged in conversation by another tourist from Dorking. He picked me as being someone from the either NZ or South Africa. His ignorance end did not end there. I told him what I had been told by the carpark attendant about the site being an iron ore mine. Oh no, was the response was “the only mines in Cornwall were tin”. People from Surrey know everything.
It appears that the carpark attendant is correct. Funny thing that; he works there and is not just a car park attendant. The bloke from Dorking should get a job as a carpark attendant.
Bananas Don’t Grow in Cornwall
My next stop was a café in a farm. Tea and scones were great. On sale was; “produce grown on the farm”. I ordered a banana which is apparently good for preventing cramp. I asked the café owner “where is your banana plant”? She thought I was serious.
Dogs, a Motorbike and Crepes
The route then took me the Padstow. This is classic fishing village. There many places in the ‘new world’ (e.g. Australia, NZ etc) that are named after town in Britain. I suspect there are few that could be as different as the Cornish and Sydney Padstows are.
On my walk around saw about 15 black Labrador dogs. It seem like a dog convention. I saw Laverda 1000 that was not a Jota. The owner spoke at length about the virtues of the bike. I should have given him the contact details of my Canberra host.
I bought lemon crepe at a mobile stall in the carpark. The two very attractive Cornish girls working in the stall decided to start speaking French. Not am not sure what was behind that strategy.
Another Great Railtrail
The route out of Padstow took me along the Camel Walk, a rail trail on ne of the meant lines closed following the Beeching Report in the 1960’s. As will all trail trails, it has been a great success.
The last part of the route into Launceston, the ancient capital of Cornwall was on the A30. This was not my preferred route, but there really wasn’t an option. Given it was late I decide to check into the White Hart Pub. A reasonable chicken meal was washed down by a nice glass of sav blanc and a pint of Skinners.
I am finally on my way on the Lands End to John OGroats ride.
I woke reasonably early and had breakfast in the YHA. Over breakfast I chatted with a couple from London I had met the night before. They were on a walking tour along the north Cornwall Coast. TiThey made the observation that most of the people using YHA’s are in their fifties or older.
I rode from St Just to Lands End. There is not much to say about Lands End except that it is to most southerly and west point of the British Isles and the place is a bit tacky. I had the obligatory photos taken.
I let the Garmin navigate for a while. It took me through Penzance on the way to St Ives. St Ives is great place. I spent a very pleasant week in the place back in 1977.
My route then took me to Hayle where I stopped at bike stop to check my tyres. The owner checked out the Rolloff and noted the cable housing was not properly fitted. I must have do that when I repaired a puncture on my first day in London. A good pick up. I managed to buy a cycle map at the shop. This turned out to vastly superior to the Garmin.
The next part of the route included some very spectacular scenery with rocky cliffs and sandy beaches. The road included lots of ups and downs. So of these were very steep.
A coffee stop I ran into two German blokes on motor bike – a BMW Sports Tourer and Triumph Tiger. I guess one day I will get an Adventure bike. The Triumph Tiger looks the go.
My destination was Perranporth. I checked into the YHA which is perched high on cliff over looking the Atlantic Ocean.
I made my way down to the town a beer and dinner. I had a couple of pints of Tribute, one of the local brews. I watched Lleyton Hewitt winning in his first match at Wimbeldon. I suspect he could cause further damage this year.
During my meal I chatted to a couple form Sunderland. We spoke about the changes to the city, including the demolition of Hendon where my father grew up. They couple seem to be surprised that I would wish to claim any connection to the area of the city. A funny thing – perceptions.
When I got to the YHA I found that I had the room all to myself – a bit of a surprise given this is the start of the peak tourist season.
I decided to take the train to Penzance to commence the Lands End to John OGroats (LEJOG) ride. My Royal Tunbridge Wells hosts were sad to see me leave. My Balmain host should take note of that.
What you see on a short ride through London
I took the train to Cannon Street station in the City of London. The train to Cornwall leaves from Paddington in west London, requiring a short bike ride. The route took me past St Pauls, down the Strand passed Trafalgar Square into the Mall. As I rode down the Mall towards Buckingham Palace I noticed a large number of fancy vehicles parked in the road, including a classic Bentley racing car form the 1920’s. The cars were there for the filming of an episode of the Top Gear TV series.
I passed Buckingham Place and rode to Hyde Park corner, passing the RoyalHorse Guards returning to their barracks. I then rode through Hyde Park past the preparations for The Rolling Stones concert which will be held on 19 July. A short while later I was in Paddington station.
I don’t think there are any other city in the world that would provide such an interesting 5 klm ride transiting between two railway stations.
The Badboy is of Interest
As I waited for the train three people engaged me in conversation about the Badboy and its Rolloff. Unfortunately they were middle aged blokes. I suspect the bike will never compete with a fancy sports car as far a chat-ups are concerned.
Train to Penzance
The train to Penzance travels through Reading and Taunton before heading south to follow the coast to Plymouth. The train travels quickly for the first part of the journey on relatively straight tracks. Once of the coast the track has many curves, reducing the speeds to Australian style progress. The countryside and seascape is, however, spectacular. The route passes through some very picturesque seaside towns.
Last year I rode along the south coast from Brighton to Poole. As some stage I will have to do the ride from Poole further west along the south coast.
Staying in the Lands End YHA
A 11 klm ride out of Penzance took me to the Lands End YHA near the village of St Just. Amazingly the Garmin knew where it was. After checking in I walked up a series of footpaths and lane ways to St Just.
The most inviting Pub had stopped taking orders for meal at 8.00 pm. I had to dine at the Commercial Hotel – such a non-Cornish name for a pub. I was disappointed that only ‘local ale’ on tap was Doon Bar. It is reasonable drop, however, it is seems to be available everywhere. I wasn’t able to make it back to the other pubs in the village to try and find real local ale.
I have been effectively been of ‘no fixed abode’ for about one year. Much of the past year has been spent staying with mates. Some of these stays have been for a periods a bit longer than expected. I may post about that later.
It has occurred to me that my hosts have had number of things in common. I will just comment on one of these things now. They all have an interest in cars and other motor vehicles.
When I arrived in London last May I stayed with a mate I have known since primary school. At the time his wife worked for a government organisation in Europe and was able to buy cars tax free. I suspect this encouraged her to buy very good cars frequently. Her latest purchase was BMW 5 M – the high performance version of the 5 series model. That car goes seriously fast.
Others hosts in Bath had a snappy little A4 Audi sports car and a BMW Estate Car (station wagon). The BMW was again, an M series mode and very fast.
When I returned to Sydney I stayed with my Balmain host. Sometime ago he become the owner of a Mercedes sports car. I was not his choice, he soon become to love it. I am not sure it is an appropriate car for a person of his age.
Later in the year I stayed with on old mate in Canberra. This bloke has a serious vehicle habit-two Range Rovers (albeit one is with his son), a Landrover Discovery and Rover sedan (not on the road at the moment). Add to this; a BMW Sports Tour and Laverda motorbike, and an all-terrain campervan.
When in Canberra, I met up with two other old mates with motor vehicle interests. One has a Audi A7 sports saloon. He also has a large Mercedes Van that has been converted to a camperan with all the mod-cons – shower, TV, satellite communications etc. Another old mate has go a serious MV addiction – 8 old Holdens that he is restoring to their former glory (were Holdens ever glorious?).
My return to England sees me staying with a mate in Royal Tunbridge Wells. While I have been staying here, he has taken delivery of a Volvo convertible. Its transformation from a saloon to an open top has to be seen to be believed. The mechanism has more moving parts than Swiss Watch. My host is very pleased with his “fu**king beautiful car – she is a beautiful Swedish girl”.
I have my bike and a ‘Go Get’ car share card. I quiet like cars. At this time my interest and he satisfied vicariously through my hosts and others.
I am in Royal Tunbridge Wells (RTW) in the county of Kent. My hosts are, an old mate from my 1977 to 79 time in London, and his wife. I was a guest at their wedding in 1983.
My visit coincides with the London to Brighton (L2B) Charity bike ride. The ride is primarily for the Heart Foundation. Other charities that benefit include the Myeloma foundation which supports research into that particular form of cancer. My host suffers from Myeloma. I rode the ride as part of a team organised by my host.
Ride from London
I rode from London to RTW last Thursday. As usual, I let the Garmin plot the route. This time it didn’t do a bad job. It took me through SW London into Surrey, then into Kent. Once in Kent, it took me along country lanes. I did, however, get lost in the final stages of the journey and had to be ‘talked into land’ by my host.
Meal in the Pantiles
RTW is a classic ‘middle England’ town. It is very prosperous. It owes its existence to the discovery of spring water in 1606 by a bloke who felt rejuvenated by drinking the stuff. The ‘Royal’ bit of its name comes from grant of the use of the prefix by King Edward the V11. I must check out how many other towns have a ‘Royal’ prefix. If an Australian town were to be conferred such an honour, I think it should be Dunedoo. ‘ Royal Dunedoo’ has a certain ring to it.
A feature of the town is the Pantiles. This was the centre of the town in the past. It is now are very trendy little area with boutique shops, restaurants and pubs.
My host and I had a great meal in the Pantiles listening to live jazz music.
Remembering 30 years Ago
On Friday, another of my host’s mates and his wife arrived from Belgium for the L2B Ride. We had a great meal cooked my host’s wife and daughter. It was a great night, which included looking at our hosts’ wedding photographs from 30 years ago – documentary proof that we were all once young.
Seeing more of Kent than Planned
On Saturday my host’s Belgium mate and I decided to go on a training ride in preparation for the L2B. My hosts suggested a route which we plotted using Google Maps. Experience has shown that the Garmin cannot be trusted to plot a cycle route beyond relatively short distances (say 15 to 20 klms). We headed off at around 11 o’clock, expecting to ride for 4 to 5 hours.
The first part of the ride went extremely well, taking us along quiet lanes and classic ‘Garden of England’ scenery. We had an excellent pint of bitter ale at pub called the ‘Bricklayers Arms’. There are a lot of pubs with this name. I continue to be amused by a certain lack of imagination in the naming of English Pubs. Someday I will research number of ‘Royal Oak’,’ White Hart’, Prince of Wales’, ‘Barge Inn’, etc. pubs there are in England.
The last part of the ride did not go well. The plan was to bypass Sevenoaks, which is reasonably large town. We asked the Garmin to take us to Plaxtol. This seemed to work, however having passed through Plaxtol, and wishing to continue on to RTW, the Garmin seemed intent to take us back to Plaxtol. For over an hour we passed sign posts that indicated that we were between 1 to 3 miles from Plaxtol. We simply could not seem to get away from the place.
We finally gave up on the Garmin and telephoned home base to be ‘called in’ by our host. After nearly 9 hours we finally finished the ride.
Another of my host’s mates had arrived from Cambridge to provide moral support to the team on the ride. I had met this bloke in 1978 in the St James pub in London. At some stage I will write a post devoted to some memories of that place.
We had another great meal, and then early to bed in readiness for a 4 a.m. start for the drive to London for the L2B Ride. My host’s wife drove to London in very quick time – one seriously good driver.
The London to Brighton Ride
The L2B Charity Ride is a huge event. It is similar to the Sydney to Wollongong ride, only on a larger scale. The ride starts in Clapham Common, one of the many green spaces which contribute to making London such a great city. Thousands of cyclists descend on the Common for the 60 mile ride south.
The route takes you through South London. It is a relatively short distance (about 20 klms) before you are in the countryside, highlighting how densely populated Greater London is. Once in the countryside the route mainly takes country lanes through a series of villages. Some are really picturesque. There are numerous ‘ pit stops’ along the route manned by volunteers selling all manner of food and drinks.
The team I was riding for was decked out in vivid orange T shirts. This made identification of other members of the team a simple task. We also had our names emblazoned on the shirts. In one village, Skinner’s Hill, there was a commentator positioned in the town square making comments on the passing rides. I suspect, as result of my T shirt I was identified as “Bill on a black bike riding for Team Myeloma”. Is that an Andy Warhol moment?
A highlight of the ride, in more ways than one, is Ditchling Beacon. This is a hill which rises sharply from the village of Ditchling. The climb up the hill is quite steep, requiring the lowest gear on my new Rohloff internal gears. I struggled to go faster than cyclists who had decided to walk up the hill.
My host, the Chairman of the team, had issued instructions that the team was to be photographed: “ at the start of the ride, the end of the ride, and most importantly, at the top of the Beacon”. Last year, I missed the all-important Beacon shot. We engaged the services of a fellow cyclist, resplendent in ‘dinner suit’ styled cycling gear, to take the required photo. After being photographed we headed down the hill into Brighton. Just metres before the finish, the team resembled to form a peloton so we could be photographed by my host.
A tradition followed by my host’s L2B Team is to have fish and chips on the Brighton beach. After some discussion as how this would be financed and delivered, we were all fed. We also had our final photograph taken with the famous Brighton Pier in the background.
This was a fitting end to a great ride.
At least one Extra Rider Next Year
As I write this post, my host is preparing to go up to London for more tests. We can only hope that the result will be a solution to his health problems and a speedy recovery.
Everyone is hoping that as the leader of the team, he will be riding next year.
I have spent a great week in London. It is so good to be back in this city.
Tour of the All England Club
On Monday I walked down Church Road past the All England Tennis Club. Through the gate I saw a tour group forming. I decide to take the tour.
The tour took us around the grounds and through some key buildings including Court Number One, the members’ club house, and Centre Court.
The tour guide was a very good and quite amusing. As with typical for such a tour all the participants had to identify their nationality. Most of the people of the tour were Americans, with a sprinkling of Europeans and Japanese. Surprisingly, I was the only Australian on the tour. The guide took the opportunity to ask ne questions and make some disparaging comments (in jest) about the current state of Australian tennis and sport, in general.
I know that the All England Club is a private club and this reason the way the Championships are run is unique among the Grand Slam and other tournaments. However, the guide told us something sI did not know. These include the following:
There are only 375 members, over 90% are men
To be a member you have to be invited by a member and have the support of three other members. You have to be a good player (‘A’ grade pennant equivalent or better) and have skills (and the time) to contribute to the running of the Championships.
The members are typically in their mid-forties to late fifties with legal, finance and business backgrounds.
All the seats in a particular court (say, Court Number One) on are particular day (say, day 3) are the same price, irrespective of where they are.
There no ‘corporate boxes’ or corporate seats
Most of the seats are sold via a ballot. These seats should not be re-sold
Some seats are allocated to tennis clubs, for allocation to members. This includes allocation to international clubs (e.g. Kooyong) and associations. The later was how my Dad got tickets.
Apart from The Championships, the grass courts are hardly ever used. They are used for an inter-service completion and a competition between Oxford and Cambridge University and Harvard and Yale
I can recommend the tour.
Tate Britain
When I was in late in late seventies, the art gallery on the north bank of the Thames in Pimlico was called the Tate. Now it is called that Tate Britain. I think this is because there is new gallery down the river called the Tate Modern.
The Tate Britain is great. I love the Turners, the Constables and the Hockney’s. I am not sure about the Freud’s. I just don’t get Damien Hirst’s stuff: a table with a packet of cigarettes and full ashtray on it, in glass box is not art for me.
A great Juke Box Musical
After checking out the Tate, I went to see ‘We Will Rock You’. It is a musical written by Ben Eton and the remaining members of Queen. It uses all Queens greatest hits. It is very clever how the songs are woven into the plot. Some of the lines are very amusing.
There have been a few of these ‘juke box’ musicals lately. Jersey Boys and Mama Mia are other examples. My host tells me that ‘We Will Rock You’ was panned by the critics. The audience loved it. So did I.
On Friday I went into Australia House to meet with an erstwhile Department of Foreign Affairs colleague. She is in her final year of a posting to the High Commission (HC). For my non Commonwealth readers, HCs are embassies in British Commonwealth nations.
Australia House
I have a number of memories of Australia House dating back to my first visit in 1966. Australia House is a very prominent building in the Strand. It is like a big ship heading down the street.
Met my ex colleague in the main entrance and we made our way into the building. Embassies and High Commissions have always had high level of security, even before 9/11, and the London and Bali bombings. It is now extreme. Australia House is no exception. It is such a pity what the terrorist have managed to do the architecture of parts of such a beautiful building. Large electronic security doors do not mix well with classic architecture.
A feature of Australia House is the spiral staircase. Check out the photographs at the Flickr link below.
The Days of Newspapers Reading Rooms
We went into the ball room of which is located at on the ground floor. For many years this large space was used as the newspaper reading room. All the Australian Newspapers – Sydney Morning Herald, the Melbourne Age, Canberra Times etc. were laid out on large tables. Tourists and others wishing to catch up on Australian news would come to the reading room. It was, as I recall, a great social interaction for tourists and ex-pat Aussies and locals interested in Australian affairs.
Nowadays, of course, there is no need for newspaper reading rooms. Everyone, anywhere can access news, including via newspapers from anywhere via the internet.
Politicians make goods High Commissioners Ambassadors
As we wandered around we ran into Mike Rann the current High Commissioner. Rann is a former Premier of South Australia. He one of a long line of former politicians appointed as High Commissioner in London. In fact it is the rule, rather than the exception for the top job to go to a politician as opposed to a career diplomat. An exception was his predecessor, John Dauth who was a long term career diplomat.
There is often a lot of criticism of the appointment of ex-politicians to senior diplomatic posts. Both sides of politics do it. I had limited exposure to such people when I was in Foreign Affairs. However, it would appear that on the whole most of these people do excellent jobs. They are supported by the government of the day, irrespective of which side of politics made the original appointment. It would appear the most have the skills and experience for the role. In many respects they are far more qualified for the top jobs than the career diplomats.
I arrived back in London on Wednesday morning. This time I left my bike at the airport and made my way to South West London by the Tube. This may seem to be an irrelevant piece of information. The reason I make note of this is that last year my plan was to ride from LHR to SW18. I unpacked my bike and donned by ride gear. When I emerged from the arrivals area I was greeted by hosted doubled up in fits of laughter. He found it extremely amusing to see me coming off the plan in such a state. He dined out on that story for many months- in fact he is still talking about it.
Best Croissants
I arrived in SW18 and headed straight to the French Patisserie near the station to buy three croissants – one for me and two for my hosts. I am serious creature of habit. It is great shop. The staff insist on speaking in French. Most of their customers oblige. My conversation with them is very limited. I have say however, that their pastries are sensational. If they were to move to Balmain, Adriano Zumbo would have serious competition.
Hosts Briefed on Preventing Overstays
I then descended on my hosts. They have been well briefed by my Canberra host, who in turned has been advised by my Balmain host, as to my propensity to stay longer than planned. They seem not to have got the message, having refurbished the guest bathroom just in time for my arrival. It has made to place even more desirable.
Watching the State of Origin
After a quick shower, I was off the Slug in Wimbeldon to watch the State of Origin (SoS) game being broadcast from the Olympic Stadium in Sydney. To my horror, they were not showing the game. Apparently, Sky (i.e. Murdoch) charges pubs exorbitant fees to show live sport. My host later advised me that this part of their cunning plan to force people to subscribe to pay TV. Bad move Rupert- big games like the SoS and Rugby Test Matches are best watched in pubs. As an Australian (albeit lapsed) you should know that.
The game was being shown at the Slug in Fulham. I made it there to see the start of the second half with NSW leading 14-0. The other customers were mainly Queensland supporters all decked out in maroon jerseys. Why is that they are so keen on advertising their allegiance? Two years ago when I was in Hong Kong at the time of game three, I was confronted with the same spectacle – about 50/50 NSW and Queensland supporters, but 90% of the ‘cane toads’ in maroon.
It was so good to see NSW win.
South Kensington
After the game I took the tube to South Kensington. This is special place for me. At this stage all I will say is that it is an excellent example as why London is such a great city. That area is all medium high rise – 4 to 6 story terrace houses. A good example is Sumner Place. The buildings are used for many purposes. In the same street you will find: a hotel with say 20 rooms, five large flats, up to 10 one bed room flats, all using the same basic structure. You will also the see occasional terrace that is owned and occupied by on family – all five levels. These houses are worth several million. The key point is that all these dwellings are close. The various people that live in the different dwellings socialize to some extent. They do not live miles apart as similar people do in other cities. The physical infrastructure in streets like Sumner Place encourages social cohesion. It is not perfect but it works.
I walked from Sth Ken to Knightsbridge and walked through Harrods. I once heard the actor, Richard Burton say that you see the most beautiful women in the world in Hans Crescent which is on the eastern side of Harrods. Dick you are so right – wherever you are.
Centre of the World?
I then made my way up to Piccadilly Circus – possibly still the centre of the world.
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