[barryd]

The first week in no particular order. Cotswolds, Bath, Glastonbury. Already managed to clock up nearly 300 miles on the new bike and its going in for its first 600 mile service in Yeovil this morning. Exclusively staying on CL sites and the best one so far was four nights on a secluded basic CL about five miles east of Bath which I almost felt guilty about paying just a fiver a night for. Met some Witches in Glastonbury yesterday, Michelle climbed up the Tor then we had a ride up and down the Cheddar Gorge. Jubilee stuff going on everywhere was good and a free music festival at Midomer Norton. Off to the Dorset coast later after the bike gets serviced.

Weather has been ok but not exactly scorchio but the main gripe is the amount of traffic down here. I think two years of Covid and biking around the North York Dales and Cumbria as well as last years long trip to the Yorkshire coast, Arran and the Lake District I forgot just how busy it is down here.












td bank hours today

 

[Penquin]

Love it - those are the places of my 45 years, living in Devon, Bath is very pretty, but best visited in mid-winter when the wall to wall people is reduced.
Where are you going on to ?

 

[dghr272]

Excuse me, more importantly how is Hank doing ?

Terry

 

[jiwawa]

Yes, a sudden influx of traffic can be a shock!

 

[barryd]

I was going to say Hanks doing alright but a couple of times today he played up. Started alright this morning but I've noticed sometimes once warm it turns over a bit too long and sounds different to it used to and I thought today when leaving the the bike shop it wasn't going to start as I could feel the battery slowing down turning it over. It did though so maybe it's just a knackered battery. Hopefully. Anyway I just kept it running even when we were getting water at the next cl, parked up and disconnected the battery. I'll worry about it when we move on.

Now on the remotest and quietest cl ever. Between Bridport and Lyme Regis. Just like wild camping really and finally after a week we are at the coast. Still too busy for my liking though.



post images

 

[Penquin]

I was going to say Hanks doing alright but a couple of times today he played up. Started alright this morning but I've noticed sometimes once warm it turns over a bit too long and sounds different to it used to and I thought today when leaving the the bike shop it wasn't going to start as I could feel the battery slowing down turning it over. It did though so maybe it's just a knackered battery. Hopefully. Anyway I just kept it running even when we were getting water at the next cl, parked up and disconnected the battery. I'll worry about it when we move on.

Now on the remotest and quietest cl ever. Between Bridport and Lyme Regis. Just like wild camping really and finally after a week we are at the coast. Still too busy for my liking though.


post images

Are you looking for fossils ?

I suspect that sentence may invite some comments, but I actually mean of the Trilobite type.

There is a new museum in Lyme Regis about Mary Anning - the woman who first realised the importance of fossils in the Lyme Regis - Charmouth area.

 

[barryd]

Are you looking for fossils ?

I suspect that sentence may invite some comments, but I actually mean of the Trilobite type.

There is a new museum in Lyme Regis about Mary Anning - the woman who first realised the importance of fossils in the Lyme Regis - Charmouth area.

No but I have read it's the place to be for them. Charmouth is just a few miles from here and I read it's the best place in the world for them. I would like to find a T Rex.

Had a ride to Bridport and west bay. Bit of a dump to be honest. I hope Lyme Regis is an improvement tomorrow but some spectacular cliffs here which Michelle may walk.

 

[GMJ]

Is that Arlington Row in Bibury in your OP Barry? The 6th one down?

We got married in The Swan Hotel in Bibury. We lived in Cirencester for a number of years and in north Wilts before that. The Cotswolds is a lovely part of the world.

 

[barryd]

No I don't think so. Can't remember now. Ill ask Michelle.

 

[Penquin]

No but I have read it's the place to be for them. Charmouth is just a few miles from here and I read it's the best place in the world for them. I would like to find a T Rex.

Had a ride to Bridport and west bay. Bit of a dump to be honest. I hope Lyme Regis is an improvement tomorrow but some spectacular cliffs here which Michelle may walk.

Be very careful if searching for fossils, check the tide before venturing onto the beach, it is high tide at around lunchtime today and it is very easy toget cut off if you venture too far. The RNLI rescue people frequently from exactly that scenario.

Also be VERY careful not to get too close to the cliffs (it is impossible to safe how close is too close) as cliff falls occur without warning and literally, thousands of tonnes of rock may fall in the space of a few seconds.

instead of hoping to find a T. Rex, try looking for a small fossil as a momento, carrying an entire T Rex would be hard on the scooter without pushing Michelle off the back (not to be considered as you would not get fed for a very long time).

Good luck, have fun, you will need a hammer, but I am sure you have such a device for use on Hank when there is a problem.

Tide times available here;

Lyme Regis Tide Times | Tide Times

Lyme Regis Tide Times - free 7 day tide predictions for Lyme Regis with historic high and low tides, sunrise, sunset and phases of the moon

www.tidetimes.org.uk

 

[barryd]

Don't think I'll be venturing on the beach or cliffs Dave. Knees are bad and a touch of gout. I'll warn michelle about the cliffs though

Bloody weather. It's now chucking it down.

 

[Pudsey_Bear]

Before Liz I went out with a lass from down there, Street, but she had a place in the centre of Glastonbury, she was a Pagan Goddess, a really nice woman, but it was doomed because she couldn't leave and I didn't want to move, shame, still in touch.

 

[Glandwr]

You are giving me itchy feet Barry haven't seriously been out in the van for over 4 years now. Previous to that it was touring Europe and Maroc for 5 months every winter for 7 years. Thanks for the jolt.

I know what you mean though about it being busy. If you want to get away from the crowds visit Mid Wales on your way back up north. Powys one of the largest counties in England and Wales has a population density of 26 people/per sq kilometer, (Cumbria 76/ sq kilometer, Yorkshire 376/sq kilometer.)

Mind you a hell of a lot of sheep. Give you EHU for a night or 2 if you want to chance our lane in Hank. Best do a reccy on the scooter.

 

[Penquin]

Don't think I'll be venturing on the beach or cliffs Dave. Knees are bad and a touch of gout. I'll warn michelle about the cliffs though

Bloody weather. It's now chucking it down.

Have you encountered “Double Devon Drizzle” yet in your travels ?

Really fine rain that is difficult to see, but that has the ability to penetrate any andALL supposedly waterproof clothing. Once encountered, never forgotten.

It was the bane of many walks with school children on Dartmoor and Exmoor - they inevitably ended up wet to the skin even without falling into the Dartmoor streams which can be raging torrents…..

 

[barryd]

You are giving me itchy feet Barry haven't seriously been out in the van for over 4 years now. Previous to that it was touring Europe and Maroc for 5 months every winter for 7 years. Thanks for the jolt.

I know what you mean though about it being busy. If you want to get away from the crowds visit Mid Wales on your way back up north. Powys one of the largest counties in England and Wales has a population density of 26 people/per sq kilometer, (Cumbria 76/ sq kilometer, Yorkshire 376/sq kilometer.)

Mind you a hell of a lot of sheep. Give you EHU for a night or 2 if you want to chance our lane in Hank. Best do a reccy on the scooter.

Thanks for the offer but I suspect we will find enough to occupy us in the southwest for a while yet. As for the narrow lanes I don't think it would be possible to get the van down anything narrower than the lane to this place we are at now. There was foliage stuck in both wing mirrors when we parked up. See last pic. No wonder we have it to ourselves. It's such a lovely spot we have decided to stay on until Monday now and just branch out further afield from here on the bike. Michelle managed to walk from Seatown to West Bay yesterday over two huge cliffs. She's not done any walking for a while but it was no problem for her. Went to Lyme Regis which was a vast improvement on Bridport. Nice place. Weather not so great today but not too bad a forecast for the next few days.

No Drizzle yet Dave but plenty of showers. Bright sunshine one minute, raining the next.

Posting on my phone but I'll see if I can post some more pics in a mo.

 

[barryd]

Swapped to laptop. Few more pics Seatown and Lyme Regis

 

[barryd]

Streetview of lane to CL. Not for shiny new vans.

 

[GMJ]

Mrs GMJ is a big fan of Lyme Regis. We are off to Charmouth in a few weeks time so will have at least 1 day trip there. We go by bus though as Mrs GMJ wouldn't be comfortable driving nor being a passenger on a scooter unfortunately.

 

[barryd]

Mrs GMJ is a big fan of Lyme Regis. We are off to Charmouth in a few weeks time so will have at least 1 day trip there. We go by bus though as Mrs GMJ wouldn't be comfortable driving nor being a passenger on a scooter unfortunately.

Probably wise down here. Driving and more importantly parking a motorhome won't be that easy. A lot of the back roads are almost as bad as that one pictured above. Sadly the main roads are horribly busy. Off to Axminster this afternoon down the goat tracks then back to Lyme Regis and Charmouth. Donkey sanctuary, Sidmouth, Beer and Branscombe tomorrow but on the bike from here. Better forecast after today. Bit dull now.

 

[Penquin]

Probably wise down here. Driving and more importantly parking a motorhome won't be that easy. A lot of the back roads are almost as bad as that one pictured above. Sadly the main roads are horribly busy. Off to Axminster this afternoon down the goat tracks then back to Lyme Regis and Charmouth. Donkey sanctuary, Sidmouth, Beer and Branscombe tomorrow but on the bike from here. Better forecast after today. Bit dull now.

If you are a model railway fan, do visit the Pecorama centre at Beer, absolutely stunning model railway layouts.

Branscombe is a great place to go diving, but you are probably not up (or down) for that - it was the site for my first sea dive using an aqualung, reefs parallel to the shore about every 20 m, covered with edible mussels. Good place for sole and plaice too (no pun intended). It was also where the cargo from the MSC Napoli came ashore (2007) after its journey from South of Brest under tow, the French would not allow it near the coast, it broke free off Torbay (from memory), grounded 1 mile off Branscombe and broke in half. The containers washed ashore and the contents “acquired” by Brits, including 17 brand new BMW R1200RT Motorcycles with full paperwork of manufacture. Funnily enough, none of them were recovered… Loads of other materials were scavenged,nthe Devon and Cornwall Police could not enforce the laws as it is legal to take stuff, as long as it is declared to the Receiver of Wreck within one year and a day…l. The ship was successfully salvaged and removed, mainly by using explosives and cutting it up. The anchor was presented to East Devon Council and is at Branscombe Mouth - good pub and pub food there !

Donkey Sanctuary a real must see - bit more restrictions than there used to be but worth visiting.

Beer Quarry Caves also worth the guided tour - source of the stone for Exeter Cathedral, it is a massive series of caves, only some can be visited.

Location - Beer Quarry Caves

BEER QUARRY CAVES Location Information Beer is situated between Lyme Regis and Sidmouth near the A3052. Beer Quarry Caves are located about 1 mile due West from the Bus Stop on the Branscombe road. Post Code EX12 3AT. (Use EX12 3AS if your sat nav doesn’t have 3AT) From Sidmouth and Exeter turn...

www.beerquarrycaves.co.uk

used to take Yr 7 children there after walking from Sidmouth - great trip but South West Coastal footpath has suffered from coastal erosion and much has had to be moved inland to safety.