Not A Royal Wedding camping trip

[Jules]

We're home too. Stopped off in Tintern to check out the abbey and spend a hour in a nice antiquarian bookshop. Declined an offer to buy a first edition of Peter Rabbit for £19k as we'd already read it..

Managed 40mph across the Severn Bridge without too many problems.

Big thanks to Mal Volio and the lovely Sue for being absolutely perfect hosts in every way.

Apologies to anyone who suffered unwanted attention from Luca

[TimO]

Managed 40mph across the Severn Bridge without too many problems.

Using an engine is cheating.

[Notsototalnewbie]

We're back. Thanks so much to Mal Volio and Mrs Mal Volio for their hospitality; we were fed and watered very well and must have used copious amounts of hot water! They are both lovely people and it was a pleasure to be with them.

It was great to meet new people as well as old friends...apologies that I probably wasn't the bestest company, I am knackered/stressed from trying to get to grips with a new job that started last week and that wasn't the best state to tackle Welsh hills in (I am only a soft Londoner after all) but my general mardiness/sleepiness at times was nothing personal...

Slight drama with the trains on way back  but I'm going to pretend that didn't happen. Suffice to say a very nice man in Newport helped me with my bike and luggage when we all had to do a panicky dash after a last-minute platform change, so that was ever so good of him, and the brilliant Jane also helped out by grabbing panniers etc (seeing as she had sensibly packed so light). So it worked out ok eventually.

[Chris S]

Apologies to anyone who suffered unwanted attention from Luca

Don't be daft - he was brill  .

[clarion]

Just brilliant.

Great welcome, good people, good food, good riding, and stunning scenery.

Thanks to everyone who was part of it, and, most especially, thanks to Mal Volio and the wonderful Sue for their extremely generous and unfailing hospitality right to the end.

I hope they are enjoying the peace and quiet now we have all buggered off.

Couldn't be better.

[Vernon]

I'd just like to say thanks for a brilliant weekend. I can't think of a better way to recover from a flight from China than to spend time in the company of a lovely bunch of people in idyllic surroundings with occasional forays to the pub.

Hats off to Mr and Mrs MV for being such brilliant hosts - I'm not sure I could remain so affable as my house was being overrun by strangers from the internet.

I do think every house should have a spare kitchen, though 

[Salvatore]

What everyone else has said - a superb weekend and many thanks to MV & Sue.

I've just got home. I didn't fancy doing the whole trip home (190km) in one day so stopped at a campsite near Calne. A good decision as the headwind didn't let up, and hauling a trailer doesn't make things any easier, but it was a very pleasant ride back. I stopped for a while to watch the Mayday celebrations at Iron Acton on Monday, and today was Tutti Day in Hungerford. You can read all about it in the front of the menu in the Tutti Pole, but the only evidence of it I saw were the six wenches* in identical blue dresses and white shawls who were taking a break from selling nosegays. Later I stopped for a bite to eat and a snooze in the sun on Greenham Common.

* described as such in the menu.

[TimO]

What was the trailer like on the Severn Crossing Salvatore?  I think my panniers helped weigh me down, and kept me on the bridge, but they didn't half create some additional drag in that wind, so I didn't get close to the 15mph limit!

[Salvatore]

What was the trailer like on the Severn Crossing Salvatore?  I think my panniers helped weigh me down, and kept me on the bridge, but they didn't half create some additional drag in that wind, so I didn't get close to the 15mph limit!

I took it very carefully indeed. At one point when a motorbike came the other way leaning into the wind, I stopped and pulled in to the side to let him past. I was on the NE path. I did wonder if there would have been more shelter on the other (downwind) side.

[Tom B]

Got home 10pm last night. 50 miles on Monday afternoon, camped in an orchard near Weobley, then 40 miles to Church Stretton where took train to MCR. Tired, red-faced and knee is giving twinges but otherwise feel a great sense of well being.

Thanks to MV and Mrs MV for for being such generous and thoughtful hosts. Thanks to everyone whose company or support made things warm and nice.
Sian thought you were all great!
Luca reminded me of my nice 6-year-old nephew 

[border-rider]

We have in our possession:

• One pair pale blue socks (clean )
• One tatty cloth YHA badge (looks like it fell off a saddlebag)
• One long purple plastic camping spoon
• One short yellow bungee

If the owners would care to contact me by PM, I'll post them

[rogerzilla]

No soiled yellow thongs?

[border-rider]

Good thing it wasn't this weekend

We've had the most amazing prolonged thundery cloudburst this morning, and everything is absolutely sodden.  Sun's out again now though

[Wowbagger]

We have in our possession:

• One pair pale blue socks (clean )
• One tatty cloth YHA badge (looks like it fell off a saddlebag)
• One long purple plastic camping spoon
• One short yellow bungee

If the owners would care to contact me by PM, I'll post them

I've checked with Mrs. Wow, who is the proud owner of pale blue socks. Apparently all hers are present and correct.

[Andrij]

Sorry this is a bit late...

That was an absolutely lovely weekend and exactly the sort of break I needed (will ignore the lumpy terrain for now).  I was already familiar with the lovely scenery in Wales, but never expected to have a whole weekend of dry, warm and sunny weather in which to enjoy it.  Back in the office on Tuesday  co-workers took a look at my tanned face and refused to believe I had spent the weekend in Wales.  

A huge thanks to Phil and Sue for hosting (and putting up with) us for the weekend.

Right behind them come TimO and Speshact for saving me from a motorised rescue.  Let me explain... around 7 miles from Newport, as we cycled along a lovely road shadowing the A449 I spotted what appeared to be an aeroplane atop a hill across the valley and decided to stop to take a picture.  I slowly came to a complete stop.  As forward momentum ceased and I got both feet on the ground I suddenly realised the left side of my handlebars were not attached to the right!  The timing was fortunate, as only a few seconds down the road it cut under the A449, going left while dropping down then right and back up.  I dread to think what would have happened if I hadn't stopped when I did.  Anyway, as we left Newport we noticed an open bike shop (it is in Newport, not Caerleon, as I reported last weekend).  We found the phone number, confirmed they had bars in stock and convinced the proprietor to stay open for a bit.  (When asked how long he'd be open, he replied "I don't know, maybe an hour, maybe two, not sure...")  I removed the two halves of my bars, TimO and Speshact removed their baggage, and with my broken bars rode back to the bike shop to pick up a replacement for me.  A replacement was procured, installed, and we were on our way.  As for the new bars, they're a wee bit wider than the ones which snapped.  Their size was the source of much jocularity during the weekend.  

I can heartily recommend the Greyhound Hotel & Inn, Llantrisant, where we stopped both Friday and Monday.  This hostelry is welcoming to both cyclists and ramblers, meeting criteria set by the Wales Tourist Board.  Good prices, pints and food, except for the cheese board, which was a serious disappointment (quality and quantity).

I did feel a tad guilty about not doing any cycling on Saturday and Sunday, but really appreciated two days of doing NOTHING.  Also, it ensured my legs were still functioning for the journey home!

Again, thanks to our hosts, my rescuers, and everyone who was there for a lovely weekend.

Photos are now off the camera and on my computer – hope to have them online and linked before tomorrow evening posted in the relevant thread.
 

[αdαmsκι]

• One tatty cloth YHA badge (looks like it fell off a saddlebag)

Guilt. It can go in the bin.

Pippa wonders if you found a small screw thingamabob for her Hope light. It's somewhere in the field .

[Jules]

You should have reminded us as I'd have sent the kids up there and promised the one that found it a quid.

We ensured that we'd removed all our tent pegs from MV's lawn by paying them 10p a pop for any they found - Luckily they found one each so there was no arguing and it wasn't too expensive for me.

[TimO]

My Ti tent pegs cost about £1 each, so I try really hard to not loose them!  (I don't think I've lost any yet).

[Basil]

Hmmm.  *Makes note to nick as many of Juesh's tent pegs as possible on the next meet, to hand in for bounty*

[peliroja]

 

[border-rider]

My word

A couple of boxes turned up today with "thank you for a lovely weekend from YACF" on them

We're really very touched by the kindness of you all.  Thank you  

[clarion]

Our kindness is as nothing compared to that shown by you two.  You deserve that and more.