YACF Not The Coronation Camping Weekend Etherley Farm 5-8May 2023

[andrewc]

Anyone up for a bike ride to Cranleigh ? We might be able to gate crash….


https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/may/07/more-than-67000-celebration-lunches-planned-for-coronation-weekend-in-uk


“Members of the royal family are getting involved on Sunday with the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh attending a Big Lunch at Cranleigh in Surrey,”

[andrewc]

People are stirring. Tea & a couple of bacon rolls have been etted.

[cycleman]

I'm afraid that the velo raptor was a case of wet disc brake pads 😳. I just have had a fall in the toilet block, my stick slipped on the wet floor 😳. No harm done though thankfully 😅.
I have heard the woodpecker this morning but no wol last night. Now I'm eating breakfast 😋

[Wowbagger]

Anyone up for a bike ride to Cranleigh ? We might be able to gate crash….


https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/may/07/more-than-67000-celebration-lunches-planned-for-coronation-weekend-in-uk


“Members of the royal family are getting involved on Sunday with the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh attending a Big Lunch at Cranleigh in Surrey,”

Andrew has just been arrested...

[Kim]

Drama! as Kim & Baratka go shopping in their car, the first leg being behind the tractor which was towing it out of the mud.

When the rain started in the morning I did wonder if I should get up and move the car before the field got properly wet, but I was in a warm dry sleeping bag, and couldn't be arsed.   

A BMW was, unsurprisingly, similarly afflicted.

The div award goes to the driver of a small VW who drove onto the field with the intention to provide a tow to the bogged-in BMW, and then immediately got stuck.

Partial div award to the driver of some SUVish thing (read: oversized modern car) who managed to get going on account of a downhill start from higher ground, and nearly stopped for a chat at the boggy bit until we all shouted at her to keep moving.

Smug points to the owner of a slightly more capable SUV (which had sensibly shaped road tyres and actual ground clearance) who made it look easy.

[andrewc]

The rest of the YACF posse departed.  I went for a brief ride to the shops.  When I got back a chap had pitched about 20m from my tent.  He cooked something on a disposable barbecue, made some loud phone calls then struck camp & drove off.


It’s currently tiddling down & shows no sign of stopping. 

[Cudzoziemiec]

Anyone up for a bike ride to Cranleigh ? We might be able to gate crash….


https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/may/07/more-than-67000-celebration-lunches-planned-for-coronation-weekend-in-uk


“Members of the royal family are getting involved on Sunday with the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh attending a Big Lunch at Cranleigh in Surrey,”

Andrew has just been arrested...

Seeing as the old Duke of Edinburgh died, who on earth is the new one?* Or is this a case of zombie picnic attacks?

*Don't answer. I don't know and don't really want to know.

[Cudzoziemiec]

JBB and I wussed out made an executive decision with a lift from her Grate Frend Penny, who turned out to be the very best sort of old skool club cyclist; tales of 100-mile tandem time trials in the early '60s on what are now busy dual carriageways, "We turned here by the trees. And on that road I did 100 in 8 when I was 16."

I then hopped on one of GWR's finest,* whose 2 bike spaces were occupied by 6 bikes by the time we reached Temple Meads. I then drank all the tea in the teapot, ate all the food in the cupboard, washed all the muddy socks in the washing machine, etc.

There doesn't appear to have been much enthusiasm for the coronation here, but there was a rather fun and pagan Jack in the Green celebration yesterday.

*But did not see any examples of this fine piece of coro-tat:

[Cudzoziemiec]

Was good to see all the people, ride all the miles, dodge all the potholes and shelter from all most of the rain.

[cycleman]

On Sunday me and apollo pottered down to Horsham. I had my gps set on mixed routing and was soon directed onto what appeared to be a good bridleway. After about a mile it became a boggy mess. I gave susi the stupid sat nav a major talking to and now set for road only she behaves herself. Horsham provided Morris dancers  ,
Live bands and a subway for our lunch. The  return was mainly uneventful apart from apollo going ahead and not waiting for me at the junction as told so I had to make phone calls to confirm that he had returned the the campsite  . Then I discovered that apollos money that was put a envelope which had of course disintegrated in the rain had fallen out somewhere on the ride back from Horsham. I set out and retraced our route and was very surprised to find the remains of the  envelope and the receipts but the money was gone. Boldwin pig maybe  . When I got back to the campsite apollo wanted to ride to the parrot to  join the rest of  his team. We were bought a drink each, many thanks for that..we returned to the tent and 😴

[cycleman]

In the morning the weather was dire and I requested to be picked with apollo and return home by car. Apollos care home sent a estate car to pick us up. I  really didn't think that my trike  trailer, apollos bike and all the camping equipment would fit as well as us but with the help of Julia, Cudzoziemiec the driver got everything and us in. Overall we were a little unlucky with the weather so some of the pretty lanes in the area remained unvisited but it was great to see you all 
Roll on the next trip 

[Canardly]

Your return journey Ok Andrew?

[andrewc]

I was very lazy & got a train from Ockley to Victoria.  A gentle stroll through London pushing the bike got me to Euston where I killed some time drinking BEER & reading Wodehouse outside the Euston Tap.   


I've still got to finish tidying the camping kit away.

[Regulator]

Just had the second duck breast I bought from Etherley Farm shop. Could easily feed two (the first one did).  If you are a carnivore I can recommend their duck breasts (much nicer than a certain supermarket brand) and their mutton.