Day 6 – 10th April 2007
It dawned on me today for the first time that minor roads are invariably more hilly, and therefore lead to slower cycling, than do A-roads. This is quite a shameful admission for the oft-times winner of the King Edward VI Grammar School John Motson prize for the Bleedin’ Obvious. A-roads became A-roads precisely because they were the most popular routes between two places. And why were the most popular? Because people get there quicker!
So it was on leaving Chepstow that we took a left turn at St. Arvans and then did lots of climbing as we travelled over the Devauden Road. It’s not just the slower cycling that slows you down (if you do half your journey at 4mph and the other half at the speed of light you still only average 8mph) but also the need for more frequent rests, and the non-existent, or, worse still, unclear road signs. So it was that the 16 mile journey into Monmouth took us about 3 hours.
It was a very enjoyable 3 hours. Again, the scenery was breathtaking and the Brecon Beacons beckoned from the west. We saw several buzzards and watched one as it soared above us for quite some minutes, displaying the wonderful patterns on the underside of the wings; and another, gliding in stealth mode in woodland before alighting in a nearby tree. Jan took some photos of the wildflowers in the steep bank and as she did I noticed a vole scurrying around above her.
We had coffee and then started the long grind up the A466 towards Hereford. “Light vehicles only” said the road sign, so we half-expected to be turned back by the police. However, we travailed and were rewarded by the rather grisly sight of a squashed polecat, very close to the English border. This was the first I had ever seen, dead or alive.
There seemed to be a distinct pub dearth in this route, so we dived into a village shop in St. Weonards (where do these saints get their names?) and cleaned him out of flapjack. Suitably refreshed, we carried on.
Several times along the way I thought I detected some unevenness from the rear wheel. I checked the spokes – all OK. The brakes were working perfectly so the rims must be fine. Yet the nagging doubt remained that not all was right.
We joined the A49 for the last 5 miles into Hereford. It is a horrid road, but on this particular stretch it is virtually all downhill so we managed as many miles in 15 minutes as had taken us at least an hour earlier in the day.
On leaving Hereford we found some pleasant, and mostly flattish, minor roads through Sutton St. Nicholas and Bodenham. We then spent about 3 miles on the A417, which was OK, but the point at which it joined the A 489 the traffic was nightmarish We ended up pushing the tandem along the grass verge, but it was less than half a mile before we turned left into Leominster.
Our stops were becoming more frequent as Jan was suffering from saddle-sore and was also suffering from cramp in her right calf. As she was indulging in a little relieving yoga, I inspected the rear wheel again as it was still worrying me. The problem was immediately obvious: a tear in the wall of a brand-new Panaracer Pasela tyre, no doubt as a result of cycling on the dreadful sustrans route just north of Bristol.
The remainder of the journey was slow and uneventful and when we arrived at the digs at around 7.45 our host immediately gave me access to the garage for fettling purposes It was at this point that I realised that I had never actually removed the rear wheel from this bike. It was all pretty straightforward and within 20 minutes or so I was test-driving the tandem. A quick shower later and we were foraging for a pub that still served food at 8.50pm.
The first pub we tried sent me somewhere else and the second was no better, at least, from the food aspect. However, they did serve Black Sheep and Timothy Taylor landlord, as well as a bitter called Hobson’s. With a choice like that we had to stay for a drink and we were soon chatting to two very pleasant ladies about the best place to eat in Ludlow.
Now I’m not normally that adept at chatting up strange women in bars, particularly in my wife’s company, but in the end we joined Sharon and Jane (for that is who they were) for a second Indian meal on successive nights, and a very convivial evening it was! So, thanks, ladies, for your company and if you are ever unfortunate enough to stray Southend then please be our guests!