Cycle ride Southsea - Exeter 29th May - 2nd June
Percy, Duncan, Beddy and Myself
Day one Southsea - Langton Matravers (64 miles)
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Waking up early on the Saturday morning, Duncan and i loaded up the final bits onto our bikes, woke the rest of the house up by being noisy, ate breakfast and glugged our tea whilst watching and family of cute foxes (mum and four cubs) rip up the newly planted flowers and shrubs and dig holes in the green thing that we loosely term 'our lawn'. It wasn't long before Beddy arrived and the three of us met Percy at Portsmouth and Southsea train station to catch the7:15a.m. 'cat' to the IOW. One grey and cold crossing later we were at the start of our adventure.
A dodgy geezer called 'Jackie' took our starting off picture - there was concern he was going to run off with the cameras...and then it was off, up and away. Riding through Ryde isn't the most sulobrious of starts but it is not long before the hilly, tired seaside town is lost replaced by field, trees ....... and rain. Part of the ride to Yarmouth was familiar but the majority wasn’t which is testament to using ‘Sustrans’ routes and the GPS alongside an extensive OS mapping system. The benefit of this is that you generally avoid major roads, where possible and take the most scenic route as possible which may not be as direct. We had no complaints as we cycled alongside the sea from Cowes to Gurnard, for example, and then through the back lanes enroute to Yarmouth. A good taster to what road conditions we would encounter along our journey, unfortunately it coincided with the rain starting and gradually getting worse and by the time we reached Yarmouth we were soaked through and freezing cold – nearly June and we were all shivering, waiting for the ferry. One dry ferry journey later, perpetuated with warm food, hot coffees and a prolonged use of the hand dryer, clothes dry – step off ferry and it started pouring with rain again!
The merry band of travellers waving!
We headed through Lymington to Pennington Marshes where I had hoped to do some bike birding. By the time we reached the marshes and the sea wall the only thing I could hope to do was cycle very slowly with a 40mph side wind trying to push me into one of the lagoons desperately trying to stay on bike. No birds and one could hardly blame them! After nearly falling into a gorse bush at a gate at the time when we actually came upon someone we headed away from Keyhaven and along to Milford and barton-on-Sea, a little taster for a future school visit (more of this later). Not fantastic landscape but looking back through the grey, gloom one could see The Needles back on the island.
The ride along the cliff tops and into an uninspiring Christchurch was a little dull with the only excitement being us cycling the wrong way up a one way street. By the time we reached Boscombe pier the rain had stopped. We needed a break and a cuppa. The enormity of the first day’s length was beginning to dawn on us. For me especially 60 odd miles with hills, strong head winds and the additional bike weight wasn’t something I had experienced enough in my all too little training.
A bit of a surreal moment sheltering from the wind, surfers one side in the sea the other side a horse and carriage with a happily wedded couple....us in between resting with a brew!
The next part should have been fun but for me it was purgatory. Boscombe – Bournemouth – Poole, all along the seafront. Good on the local authorities for letting bikes along this very scenic seafront route – shame they laid on atrongwinds and not tailwinds. I couldn’t get above 6mph! I should have enjoyed it but it was a slog and it drained me. By the time we got to the ferry at Sandbanks I was good for nothing! The crossing (my fourth ferry crossing of the day) was a much needed breather.
Ferry four for me and five for Percy!
The next bit was special as no sooner had we got past the toll booth at Studland than did I hear a familiar yet unfamiliar birdsong. I remembered hearing it everyday around our campsite in France and delighting in the canary-like wonders of the serin but to hear it in Blighty is a rarity. And there it was. I had to stop even though the others would be cycling well ahead (Duncan did stop as well although probably didn’t get much from the view, especially as it was in silhouetted profile due to the poor light as, I did) because it was my first in this country and it was also such a bright thing on a bit of a grey slog of a day.
By this time we were in the 50 miles covered zone and the last thing we really needed were hills but hills we got, Dean Hill up to Ulwell and then a final slog up to Langton Matravers (the start of the hills on the ‘Isle of Purbeck’) and then TOM’S FIELD CAMPSITE!!. Worthy of capital letters as it was such a welcome sight. Pitched tents, had a shower and another ride to an amazing pub at Worthy Matravers called the ‘Square and Compass’. An amazing pub that had no seating room inside (due to it being a gem of a pub and very popular) meaning we had to sit on Stonehenge type slab seats outside. The pub had a shepherds hut outside where an amazingly side-burned Dorset country bumpkin yokel was serving up cheese to go with cider. One pie and a beer later and I had to leave the guys and head back to the tent to sleep (with a tailwind meaning I got back with joyous ease, especially as most of the trip was down hill. The others stayed later, journeying back in different groups, with differing levels of booze inside them and very little in the way of bike lights. And they loved it! An early night I needed, deserved and got.
