Adventure Bike Rider Festival - June 2021

The ABR Festival 2021 at Ragley Hall was very good.  The weather was not too bad.  We stayed at Tewksbury's Hunters Inn campsite on the Thursday night and we rode over to the event of the Friday morning.    There was a lot to see and do, and I managed to buy just one book.   I have just booked up for 2022 assuming that I am not travelling elsewhere else.   I was kinda hoping to be in the USA during May - July 2022.   

I forgot to take pictures again and on the 2nd day, the lens of my camera jammed.   I really must get some pictures of me.....

Ragley Hall

Colin and David with Ragley Hall in the background

Colin and David trying to fit yet another gadget to Colin's bike

 

19 May 2020 - Home

Dear Reader,

Yesterday was wonderful - sitting in the sunshine eating beef casserole, gently poured over pasta whilst sipping the rest of a bottle of vino collapso. This was the preparation for a early night… bugger-all else to do, so as the sun slowly disappeared over the hills I crawled into my sleeping bag.

The morning brought rain and the threat of high winds - bugger. So up early, packed up in the rain and rode off into the morning gloom. There was no way that I was going to ride over either of the R.Severn bridges - so it was the long way round via Hereford, Gloucester, Swindon and Salisbury.

Oh how I hate riding in high winds… I know people will say that this is nothing compared to the winds in Patagonia but that does not help at all..

I battled through but I had to stop at Cholderton Farm shop for a loverly cuppa as I could feel a cramp starting in my leg.

Arrived home knackered, my wife had already put on the heating, so I hung up the tent etc to dry and then sat in a hot bath with another cup of tea ….

Good trip - got to get out and about with the tent. 

19 May 2020 - The Brecons

Another quiet but chilly night.  

On the road a about 8:30 - I scrapped the plan route for today and headed North to the lake at Bala then a loop over towards Snowdonia and the  back to my start point for a tea and toasted sandwich .  Then headed over to the west coast and down but got bored with that so I headed inland to Devils Bridge and then south to Llandovery and onto the camp site.   

Arrived here about 4pm

The weather was kind to me today but I believe tomorrow will be a bit wet and windy - I hate cross winds so I will avoid riding over either bridge and head for Gloucestershire and then go south…

18 May 2020 - Snowdonia

Had breakfast at Bronyllis - David was not feeling so good with his back - so he decided to call it a day and ride home. I travelled North in heavy, continual rain until just outside Dolgellau - had a cuppa in the local Cafe. Now set up on campsite - all dry so far - but clouds are coming in….. some fabulous views on the way up but a shame that it was raining…. Beef stew on the menu tonight and maybe finish off that bottle of vino collapso… its just a sleeping aid……!!!

May 2022 - Nearly Wales

After a leisurely start, I met up with David at Salisbury and then rode to South Wales via Devises and windy Severn Bridge. They had closed the A466 to Tintern, so we took to the twisty roads to Usk and the to the campsite near Lowntown in the shade of the Black Mountains…. We only got a little wet on the M4.

It's now 5:30pm and the sun is warm - nearly wine-o'clock …

Tomorrow is a run up to Snowdonia.

31 March 2021 - Lock-down V3

I have now received the drawing of my bike by #drawnstudio and I have found a place for it in my study.

Soon it will be returned to the artist in order that it can be photographed and prints produced for sale..

Did some more deliveries ( Easter eggs ) for #mytimeyoungcarers of Dorset.
It looks like Wales will be open for UK visitors ( camping ) from mid May...  I will let the rush pass and will then try to go for a 4 day mini tour...

BTW - had an accident with the beard trimmer and had to shave it off and start again !!!  Bugger...

19 March 2021 - A Drawing by the DrawnStudio....

I will be collecting the finished Artwork tomorrow . Then I will get it framed if anywhere is available. Such detail on MY bike... wow

6 March 2021 - Scrubs deliveries

Dear reader,

 
A sunny but cool day. Firstly: a Scrubs collection from the Southampton Scrub Hub at Warsash and delivering to a Nurse in Winchester. Secondly: I was the 4th rider in a relay to deliver scrubs material from Denbyshire to Wimborne - meeting the 3rd Rider at Winchester before delivering to Ellie at Wimborne.

It's good to get out on the bike and doing something useful... enjoyed each of the 120 miles....

19 Jan 2021

Its been a busy couple of weeks so I thought I had better update the Blog.  

Last week was the first ‘Scrubs’ run for sometime and another Laptop collection for the MyTimeYoungCarers of Dorset.  So I rode to Warsash to collect some scrubs materiel, then off to Farnborough to collect a laptop, then back to Southampton to deliver the materiel to the Sewers.  The laptop was not available so there was no need to ride down to Poole.

Yesterday (18th Jan) saw a quick ride up to Newbury to pick up some more Scrubs and deliver one package to Basingstoke and a second package to Fareham.  This run was Leg 3 of a long relay from Derbyshire to Hampshire organised by Volunteer Riders UK (VRUK).

Today was another Laptop distribution run for the MyTimeYoungCarers of Dorset.  I collected 6 Laptops that had been donated to the group and set off to various destination throughout Dorset with some wonderful sounding names (Weymouth, Sturminster Marshal, Corfe Castle, Milton Abbas, Bovington and Cattistoke).  It was a quick shortcut down to the Sandbanks Ferry.  

        

                 

It was not the nicest of days, with lots of drizzly rain, spray off the road surface, and of course, my nemesis; blustery winds.  Thank goodness for the high hedgerows in Dorset, although they were few and far between on the A35, A37 and that very exposed road to Weymouth the A354.. but all the laptops got delivered without incident.  

I met with (at a distance) some lovely and very grateful people, especially one family out in the sticks, who all came to the window to wave at me when I left - maybe the kids though I was Santa Claus on a bike…….

Then a  quick dash along the A31 to home and a wonderful hot bath and a cup of tea.

Tomorrow I am off the pick up the completed Scrubs from the sewers and take them back to the Scrub Hub in Warsash.   Thursday and Friday are free at this time but I have to hose the salt off the bike etc and fix some fence panels at home.

December 2020 - Legacy 85 - Commissioned Art

 

A visit to Legacy85 this morning saw Lou hard at work on my commissioned artwork.

https://www.legacy85.co.uk

I just can't imagine the number of hours it must take to produce this fabulous artwork drawn entirely by hand;  in pencil...   

Take a visit to her website for some more great artwork. 

  https://thedrawn.studio

You can also purchase original pieces or prints.   You could even purchase a print on my bike once its finished..

December 2020

A couple of busy days delivering for the MyTimeYoungCarers of Dorset. I spent Thursday delivering in the Weymouth area, and on Friday I was joined by two other riders from the Bike Shed Community Volunteers. I did a long round trip to Shaftesbury, Gillingham, Sherborne and Salisbury. I believe I may be out and about again on Monday or Tuesday.

Another landmark is the mileage will soon to reach 00000 KMs - I will then have to get out the white marker.

September 2020 - Tenting in North Devon

Sound on. !!!!

 

Sep 2020 - The Overland Event - Oxford

Another brilliant event despite the COVID19 problems.  I met with some great friends and had a great time even with social distancing.   There were some excellent presentation and the music/bands in the evenings were fabulous.  The nights were a bit cold so I must remember to take the thermals next time.