Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => Camping It Up => Topic started by: clarion on 21 April, 2011, 03:19:49 pm
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We've already camped a bit this year - three weekends, I think. For logistical reasons, we hired a car, but camped lightweight anyway.
This weekend, we're away. We were hoping to get away tonight, but we left it a bit late, and getting tickets was becoming complicated. However, Butterfly has been to the station and sorted it out. So we're cycle camping! :D :thumbsup:
I've already got tickets for the next weekend camping, and there are at least five weekends of cycle camping we have planned, and probably a short tour :D :D :D :D :D
I am, needless to say, so very excited. Every weekend's a holiday when you have a bike and a tent 8)
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Every weekend's a holiday when you have a bike and a tent 8)
Ain't that the truth :D
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I am, needless to say, so very excited. Every weekend's a holiday when you have a bike and a tent and someone wonderful to share it with 8)
I think, C, you would agree with my slight amendment :)
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Oh definitely :)
[/allshackedupandhappy]
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This reminds me, I was going to order some dry bags for protecting assorted barakta-peripherals from the elements... *wanders over to alpkit.com*
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Does Barakta need anything that we could help with? We have lots of stuff. ::-) :D
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I read that as Cycle Camping Excrement and was expecting a thread about toilet trowels.... :)
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I think we've done that thread.
And I'm not that excited ;D
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Does Barakta need anything that we could help with? We have lots of stuff. ::-) :D
Charlotte and Julian are going to to lend us the kit that we lack for this one. If the not a royal wedding camping weekend goes well, I expect we'll be investing in a 2-person lightweight tent and another mat at some point after the gratuitous act of n+1.
(we actually have a reasonable amount of not-especially-lightweight camping kit already, so it's really just those)
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I've just been lugging my tent around unpitched.
But next week..! EeeeeEEEeee! :smug:
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Next weekend I am planning to do a Royal Wedding cycle tour setting off from Leicestershire I am planning to stop at Spalding the first night, Wells Next the Sea the second night, Ely the third night and back in my own bed fourth night. 420 km in all.
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The weekend was even more fun than I anticipated. Now we're one day back at work and already getting stuff together to go off camping again.
This evening, I pitched two tents to let them finish drying, and a new fishing shelter we bought for cooking and stuff. We went out about 9pm, and put them all away in ten minutes. In the dark ;D
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My grand daughter & I are planning a weekend camping,possibly on Cannock Chase, in the not too distant future.There is also a C2C on the agenda.
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Clarion if you carry on like this the BBC will be offering you a contract to appear on programmes broadcast at the strangest times.
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is the nation ready ? ;D
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Riding over to Wing in Ruland tonight for an S24O :thumbsup:
Should have tent up and be in the Kings Arms by 9pm. ;D
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Good one. We're at home this weekend.
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Next weekend I am planning to do a Royal Wedding cycle tour setting off from Leicestershire I am planning to stop at Spalding the first night, Wells Next the Sea the second night, Ely the third night and back in my own bed fourth night. 420 km in all.
I found cycling 60-70 miles a day and doing tent up and down and cooking and associated chores quite demanding but absolutely loved it.
First night kept awake by Crowing Cockerel, second night by howling gale and third night by A10 traffic, but never felt tired.
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We spent the weekend in Somerset. Not too windy, and a bit grey, but it was at least dry for two days.
Because of logistics, we got a train saturday morning to Crewkerne, where we stopped at the most useless cafe ever. they didn't do breakfasts after 1130, OK, but had just stopped doing chips, jacket potatoes etc at lunchtime. I asked for a Ploughmans instead, but they couldn't do that either ::-)
No problem, there's a great cafe on the main street, we found - Bilby's, I think it's called. Well worth a visit, and TGL recommends the goats cheese pie. I was very fond of the West Country Rarebit, with mustard and cider.
Fuelled up, we set off up and down the hills which took us as far as the A303 crossing. Butterfly had devised a clever route which was almost entirely quiet roads, yet reasonably direct. Great ride, and we had plenty of time to pitch and natter, before having fajitas for tea.
Nice site at Muchelney. Flat, not stony, well sheltered, with hedges round generous individual pitches. Facilities are great, and include washing machines and a barn to shelter/meet/pass the time in.
Unfortunately, we are given to understand that the owner of the site has recently passed away, and his daughter has taken on the running of the site, and will honour existing bookings, but she has a full time job, and is waiting to see how business is before deciding what to do. Sad to think that such a good site might be closing soon. :(
When we arrived, there were some folk putting up a nylon mansion. We chatted, pitched, mashed a brew and noticed that they were still pitching for quite a long time after us. I couldn't bear to have a tent which took so long to put up. When I get to a site, I want my brew asap.
It was an ALC meet, and there was an excellent turnout. As well as the three of us on bikes, there were three Tricers, who arrived as a pair and a solo, but left yesterday as a convoy, Steve Oxley on his Ti bike, and, among the motor lightweighters, there were a couple of bikes brought. The Levels is, as the name suggests, not a bad place for cycling.
Last time we were down there, at a nearby site, we drove, leaving the bikes behind. We immediately regretted that, and, the first day of the week, we walked to Langport, and hired a tandem and a hybrid from the Visitor Centre. Said centre has a decent range of bikes, including several which have adaptations for people with disabilities. They also have a lot of leaflets, including one giving a range of bike rides from the basic to the one we did.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Sunday I had a short lie in, but, when Butterfly suggested a ride into Langport, I was up & sorted pretty quickly. We rode up the old railway path, which was rather stonier than might have been preferred. A firm surface, but a definite NSTN Nono. We popped into the slightly inadequate One Stop, had a look for cafes (of course), of which one (which we visited last time we were up and knew to be good, if quirky) seemed set to open at ten, and the other less likely. We waited for the incongruous Tescos to open, by riding round the car park, looking at all the people sat in their cars, and wondering if we were like them. :( No visible cycle parking onsite, and the staff didn't know of any, which was poor, but we managed. Picked up some basics, then rode back - along the road.
TGL had been up and talking to folk, which was a surprise, but had retired to his tent. We couldn't entice him with the idea of a ride, which was OK. He'd had a tough week of exams, and wanted a rest.
As we were hanging around, an old chap of indeterminate but great age turned up on a Giant electric bike. He introduced himself (sort of) as a member of the ALC who hadn't been out to a meet in a few years. It must have been a very long time, as there were some longstanding members who had never seen him. Eccentric but jolly, he was good company till he decided to get off back home, as, sadly, he wasn't able to stay.
We set off into Langport again, and headed to the cafe we knew. Yes, it had been open, but only for a couple of hours, and so we optimistically checked out the Parrett Cafe. That's not a typo - the local river is the Parrett. But the Parrot theme was throughout, including a list of parrot jokes on the back of the toilet wall. So that's two quirky cafes in one small town. The service was slow, but the veggie breakfast was excellent, and too big, which isn't always the case. Their carrot & lentil burgers were fab.
Gosh, this is getting to be a long post. I'll break it here, then come back to the rest of the weekend.
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OK, another long post coming up. I guess only Butterfly & me will read it, but it's fun to write. :)
From Langport, we decided to ride the 23 mile circuit, but the wrong way round so we would miss out the railway path, and could finish back at Muchelney. It was a good ride, heading out of town then quickly down onto the levels. The vegetation and erosion on the roads was evidence that the roads were regularly inundated. But not inundated with cars, evidently, as we rode along the green-fringed lanes almost unhindered by motor vehicles, which is such a beautiful feeling for a London resident. We saw a bunch of young girls excitedly running along the road, carrying swimming kit. Maybe off to a friend's swimming pool. The adults with them were relaxed about them heading off round the corner in the middle of the road. A taste of how life could be.
We went on, round the end of West Sedgemoor. Flat and featureless, it is a large open area, and the track that runs straight up the middle seems to head over the horizon and on forever. And, in gardens to our right, there were the remains of small pumping engines, made obsolete by the larger buildings along the way.
Eventually, we turned, and headed down the other side of the Moor, and past the Willow & Wetlands Centre. I recall that, about twenty years ago, I came here for a weekend with my then partner and a load of gay boys and girls from Brixton, and we stayed in a pretty old house near the WWC. Sadly, I couldn't identify the exact cottage, but it brought back many lovely memories - travelling down to Lyme Regis just so that one of the boys could go stand on the Cobb a la Streep. Actually, it was not Streep out there in the film, but a lighting technician, butLyme Regis has its own way of taking away the magic, being a boring town. Then there was the trip to Glastonbury Tor, and enjoying the magnificent views. The hilarously camp murder mystery game. And, of course, the walk around the fields when - horror! - all those white Levis suddenly became less than white. :o
More to come...
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Rising off the Levels looked like it was going to be a bit tough, but Rock Hill, though steep, was short, and we rolled down the other side of the ridge.
We took a diversion to see Curry Mallet, because we can't resist a silly placename. It's a pretty enough village, but nothing particularly special. And we got very confused about a junction that looked very different from the map.
But we were soon back on track to Isle Brewers, then round to the back of Muchelney, and back to site past the Abbey.
The birdsong en route was fabulous, and there were an amazing number of species evident in the hedgerows. And a big hairy caterpillar in the middle of the road which Butterfly helped to the verge. Must get to the identification books on all of those. Wonderful.
Yesterday morning was a bit grim, and the drizzle just went on and on :(
I wasn't minded to get up, but we did, and got stuff packed as far as we could. Bringing the cheap fishermans shelter was worthwhile, as it gave me somewhere to toast breakfast and mash a brew. :)
But eventually we needed to pack that too, and we took the shelter and our tent over to the barn to dry for a bit before packing (not that it made much difference).
The Tricers and Mr Oxley headed off to their respective next sites, and I hope they managed to dry off their tents before sleeping in them last night :-\
For us, though, it was still a wet pack, which didn't matter too much for us. And, once TGL was moving, we got on the road back to Crewkerne.
The rain didn't stop, but it was a good ride nonetheless. Sadly, the cafes were all closed at Crewkerne, but the Coop had butties, which we could eat on the train.
That train was busy, but at least it didn't break down. Ah, I hadn't mentioned that the train to Crewkerne had broken down, and so we'd had a rather confusing change at Salisbury, with panniers on & off bikes...
Anyway, back into London, and the same drizzle seems so much greyer within the M25. Just a short hop to Victoria before getting a train home, though, rather than riding the extra 20km.
Then unpacking, laundry, washing up, airing & drying things. And this morning, before heading out to work, I got to pitch both tents and the shelter in the sunshine on the damp grass of the garden, and it made me feel like I was away camping again.
A great weekend in beautiful countryside and good company. What it's all about :)
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Sounds like a nice trip :thumbsup:
Do you need to book a pitch when tent camping, or just turn up?
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Ah, we were on an Association of Lightweight Campers meet, so it was booked as a rally. So no, but I don't know what the policy of the site is, especially given current changes. Worth ringing if you want to go, I think.
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After camping with the Grampian CTC at Arbroath over the weekend avec voiture due to time contraints, I am going camping this weekend with everything on the bike. It will be an overnighter from Aberdeen to Tarland on Saturday and back on Sunday. It is only about 30 miles each way but it will be the first time I have carried camping gear on the bike. My previous tour was all B&B and hostels. I am using this as a shake down for my Way of the Roses ride at the end of June. The camp site is a C&CC site but they wont take a booking for one night over the weekend. I will be an "offroader" apparently. For the uninitiated, including me, that is someone who just turns up on spec looking for a pitch overnight. I hope they have a spare one. However, there is another site about six miles away at Aboyne or there is always the wild camping solution.
Wish me luck
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The camp site is a C&CC site but they wont take a booking for one night over the weekend. I will be an "offroader" apparently. For the uninitiated, including me, that is someone who just turns up on spec looking for a pitch overnight. I hope they have a spare one.
the C&CC have a club policy of "finding somewhere" for a backpacker or cyclist(ie:- non-motorised) overnighter.
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i always read your reports clarion and butterfly so please keep writing them.another meet i could not afford to go to :( . i am hoping to get to watlington and maybe milldenhall this year :-\. i always read the trip reports on this forum and it leaves me wanting to get out and tour again :thumbsup:
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+1
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The camp site is a C&CC site but they wont take a booking for one night over the weekend. I will be an "offroader" apparently. For the uninitiated, including me, that is someone who just turns up on spec looking for a pitch overnight. I hope they have a spare one.
the C&CC have a club policy of "finding somewhere" for a backpacker or cyclist(ie:- non-motorised) overnighter.
Absolutely. I hope that the site remembers. If not, let us know, and the ALC will have a word ;)
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i always read your reports clarion and butterfly so please keep writing them.another meet i could not afford to go to :( . i am hoping to get to watlington and maybe milldenhall this year :-\. i always read the trip reports on this forum and it leaves me wanting to get out and tour again :thumbsup:
Well, we should be at both of those :thumbsup:
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When we arrived, there were some folk putting up a nylon mansion. We chatted, pitched, mashed a brew and noticed that they were still pitching for quite a long time after us. I couldn't bear to have a tent which took so long to put up. When I get to a site, I want my brew asap.
On Saturday afternoon, as MFWHTBAB and I relaxed in our trikes beside our tents, a couple arrived and started putting up a large tent - the sort you can stand up in. It seemed to take ages, and when I said, an hour later, "Blimey they haven't finished yet!", MFWHTBAB said "Oh, I expect they are still painting the second bathroom..."
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The camp site is a C&CC site but they wont take a booking for one night over the weekend. I will be an "offroader" apparently. For the uninitiated, including me, that is someone who just turns up on spec looking for a pitch overnight. I hope they have a spare one.
the C&CC have a club policy of "finding somewhere" for a backpacker or cyclist(ie:- non-motorised) overnighter.
But that policy doesn't extend to booking in advance. A month or so ago I tried to book 7 cycle campers (6 tents) into the C&CC Woodhall Spa site (I'm a C&CC member) and they weren't willing to relax their two night minimum stay policy. >:( They also wanted to know the exact dimensions of every tent. ::-)
We camped somewhere else.
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i always read your reports clarion and butterfly so please keep writing them.another meet i could not afford to go to :( . i am hoping to get to watlington and maybe milldenhall this year :-\. i always read the trip reports on this forum and it leaves me wanting to get out and tour again :thumbsup:
Well, we should be at both of those :thumbsup:
Yes, a really nice ride report. Somerset in the spring is just bliss, you evoked some happy memories :) :)
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Cue the Bryan Ferry bit... "I'm just a jealous Guy!"
Sounds like a great time and I look forward to maybe doing a few trips myself in the next year or so. Nice write up.
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Looking forward to seeing you in a field somewher, 'Dog! :thumbsup:
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OK, another long post coming up. I guess only Butterfly & me will read it, but it's fun to write. :)
I've also managed to read it, though it's taking me a while to catch up with everything on the forum!
I left with Dennis and Jim because I'm lazy and didn't have to work out a route for the next section of the trip. ;)
We headed for the C&CC site at Priddy. Given that I hadn't found the kitchen sink (definitely a Belfast) which someone had hidden in my trailer, I was very glad that we went via Wells and didn't have to tackle the road up through Wookey.
The weather stayed a bit damp over the next couple of days and it even hailed that night. Not the sort of thing I expect in late May.
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i thought you attracted moisture ;D.are you going to put a trip report up of your last few weeks adventures ?. i something more to read :thumbsup:.
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Just a quick report on the C&CC site at Tarland in Aberdeenshire. Got a pitch no bother and at backpacker rate since I was under my own steam. Cost £8.40. Showers and toilets were clean, pitch was flat and the site was quiet. Full marks in my limited experience. Also has a laundry and Wi-Fi.
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:thumbsup: