Training ride to Street

We have just completed a two day ride from Bristol to Street and back, a distance of around 95 miles. We decided we should practice hills when laden, so we piled things into our panniers. Mick took his laptop and SLR camera (neither of which he used once), I carried my sleeping bag and thermarest, camera, random carabiners, a spare pair of shoes, complete change of clothes, pyjamas, shampoo and conditioner etc. I did at least use the pyjamas and the shampoo. The widsom of this loaded up policy escaped me somewhat when we climbed up the Mendip ridge from Chew Valley Lake though.

We were cheered however by the rather wonderful clock at East Harptree

I especially liked the message "Time Flies Don't Delay", which was, at the time, probably an exhortation to get back to the fields and get working, but from which I took the meaning that our time here is short and we should do the things we want to do in life......but it was half past eleven and time to get on. .









After a hearty bowl of chilli and a couple of pints of Potholer at The Hunter's Inn at Priddy (known to cavers as the Centre of the Universe), we took a detour onto Priddy Green to look at the new plaque depicting a map of Swildon's Hole cave superimposed on a map of the village, taken from Alison Moody's map in the recently published book by members of Wessex Cave Club. Swildons is one of my favourite caves. I am sure that many visitors to Priddy will be surprised to learn how extensive the system extends under the village.





Me on the "Twenty" in Swildons and going through the Mud Sump (not on this ride obviously, we did not get that lost!)

Down on the levels the cycling was pleasant not least of course because it was very flat. The rain, which had been coming down all day was easing off as we pulled into Glastonbury for a cuppa before heading onto Street. We passed Clarks shoe factory. Cyrus Clark, a local Quaker, set up his factory in Street in 1825. Sadly the shoe production is now entirely in China, and the building now houses only the company offices and a museum. Employment in Street now is either in retail at the famous Clarks Village retail park, or at the huge and ugly distribution centre on the edge of the town, for goods coming in from.....China.

The hostel was originally built in 1914 for Clarks employees who needed recuperation after illness. As such it was thought a good idea to place it out of town at the top of the hill, a fact which now generated much complaining at the end of a long days slog. It became a youth hostel in 1931, the first in the South West. Once we had recovered from the climb up the hill, we decided we liked it very much. One small mis-hap though - I popped the bacon and milk we had bought for breakfast into the smallest fridge ready for the morning - the next day I realised the "fridge" was in fact a table top freezer and both milk and bacon were frozen solid.

On the way home we cycled around the levels, passing the Peat Moors Centre which was not yet open for the season. Being wetland, the area around Wedmore is a major centre for peat supplies, although Somerset has nothing on Finland which apparently is over 25% peat. North of Shapwick, we stopped at Sweet's Peat and Science Museum which unfortunately was also closed. The cafe, although it looked unprepossessing from the outside, was excellent and I heartily recommend it if you are down that way. Ray Sweet, a local peat worker, discovered the "Sweet Track", one of the oldest engineered roads known in the world, dating from 3807/3806 BC, and a site of world renown.

We cycled to Cheddar and after refuelling with a fine cheddar ploughmans we cycled up the gorge, managing to get to the top without getting off. From there the going was easier, back around Chew Valley lake. A fairly typical discussion ensued, ie. I suggest a route, Mick refuses to follow it. The debate was whether to go straight up over Dundry which was more direct or the longer route round the left of the hill. Mick won and I later conceded he was right to insist on the flatter option of left through Winford and joining the A38 to coast back into Bristol.

A bit weary but taking into account the Mendip hills I was fairly pleased with our performance. Not sure whether I could do it again tomorrow though, and the next day, and the next day....