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Jul 28, 2022
English Chronicles XIX
August and September 2001
Cycling Summer
It's been quite a while since I've written last, though I think work is primarily to blame for that!
Since the last time, which I think was from Italy, we had several changes in our office at work that caused the start of massive overtime. First, my supervisor was removed to perform training and was out through October. Then, with the terrorism at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, my other coworker was tasked with cop duty. That left only me in the office for quite a while. Keep in mind, that this is my first year in Budget, and this period included year-end close out of the finance books. Needless to say, it didn't take much to get on my bad side. LOL The only release I could find was on the weekends...
During this past summer, I've been out exploring the UK; mostly Wales and western England. I've had my bike with me on every trip, and took advantage of the almost perfect days.
Weekend of August 19
My friend, Joy, who I met back at Rock Island, came out for a 5-day weekend. While she was here, we went to see Stonehenge, where we also saw Tim Allen (from “Home Improvement”), and went down to London. There we saw "The King and I" musical, and toured around checking out the famous attractions, such as Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace and the St Albert Monument.
Weekend of August 25
My first big trip away took me to northern Wales, up near the Snowdonia Mountains. It was a 3-day weekend, so I wanted to take advantage of the time off. Leaving around 0900, I traveled straight across the country, leaving the farmlands of East Anglia by 1030, and started into the forest areas by 1100. My CD player had cut out on me, showing an error message that one of the CDs had jammed up. What I was really impressed with; BBC Radio 1 came in loud and clear, the whole way from Denver to Wales! Once into the Welsh realm, the mountains began to appear, and really let my car know they were there, too. You can always tell when you're in the mountains when your car drops from 70 to 50 MPH in less than 15 seconds... <grin> Finally reached the end of the motorway, and merged on to the A5, which is a nice country road through northern Wales. I never tire of the beautiful, lush green of the Welsh region, as the pictures will show!
I found a nice, out-of-the-way Youth Hostel in the center of the region, and arrived around 1300, Saturday afternoon. The caretaker at the Hostel was new, and this was her first night. Though they didn't officially open for the night until 1700, she let me take my bags in and get situated. I headed out to get acclimated to the surroundings, driving up the small roads, through the small villages. The speed limit was 60, but in most cases you couldn't (and wouldn't) drive faster than 30-40. Not only did the great scenery keep the speed down, but the hairpin turns every 5 feet assisted in this also. I found myself low on fuel, so decided to find a petrol station. Thank God for the "All Star Prepaid Fuel Coupons" from the BX, the cost of fuel out here was near $5 per gallon (87 pence [$1.28] per liter)! The prepaid coupon only ran 55 cents a liter, which is about $2.10 per gallon.
By 1730, I was back to the Hostel, and decided to go for a little hike along the local trails. The trails though, we not really trails, just wayward tracks that lead through a grazing field with sheep loose to feed. But I pressed on, thinkin' there was more than just this field, and found an awesome hillside range, which, after reaching the top, had a great view of the countryside and some of the lucky occupants' houses. I stayed out there for a little while, sitting on a rock and taking in the fresh air before heading back through the "sheep dung" trail to the Hostel. I headed out again to grab something to eat at the local pub, along with a traditional pint of Guinness. This evening was going to be short, as I wanted to get some rest for tomorrow's bike ride. So I went back to the Hostel and crashed out around 2100. There were only 3 other people in the place, so I had a whole bay to myself!
The next morning, I lazily arose and got my biking gear together. I reloaded my bike on the car and headed out for Betws-y-Coed, which is a small, valley town with mountains on either side. Before entering town, I noticed a small restaurant that served breakfast, and since I was starving, figured this'd be a good stop! The grub was good, and for the price (£3) was a good deal. The cook was the owner, and liked to sing while making up the meals. In the back of the diner, there was a waterfall that you could pay to go see, but I didn't take that opportunity. Instead, I finished my breakfast and headed out to town. I arrived at the Information Center around 1000, and got some maps of the area for biking. There was a really good trail just up the road that spanned 14 miles. I set off and biked through town, reaching the local bridge over the river and falls. I wasn't expecting it, but the first jaunt of this journey was straight uphill, on a long, steep ascent. I made it most of the way, but this was much steeper than I had been used to, and ended up walking a short distance to the top. As the path continued, the views became more and more beautiful. At one point, I found a small lake at the top of the mountains, with a breath-taking view of the mountains and trees reflecting on its surface. Though the trail was well marked most of the way, there were a couple points where it didn't lead in the correct direction, and I found myself lost. But, after regrouping and finding some signs posted, I was back on track. The hellacious climb earlier did have its rewards. Several downhill runs gave me a nice break, and was going speeds as fast as 32 MPH! But as always, the downhills are never as long as the climbs. What takes about 20 minutes to go up, only takes a couple minutes (if that) to go down!
At the bottom again, in the town, I returned to the car, and locked up my bike. Then set off for the town to see what it had to offer. I made a quick stop for ice cream (I think I deserved it!) and went to some of the art stores and outdoor rec stores. I also went to take a closer look at the river and falls, which seemed to be a huge attraction, as there were tons of people on the bridge and down by the water. By 1630 though, I was ready to head out, and made my way back to the Hostel, then off to the pub for some dinner and beer. At the "Loggerhead" there was a path across the road leading to a park area. I found a nice hiking path into the mountains, so decided to take a short stroll. It turned out to be really short, since the sun was setting faster than I figured, and I headed back to the pub for the food I originally made this trip for. <grin> I ordered some Fish & Chips and pint o Guinness to wash it down, and had my meal outside by another river.
After dinner, I headed back to catch some sleep, so I could try out another trail from the cycling book. Back at the Hostel, a family had arrived from South Africa. We all talked for a while before I excused myself to hit the sack. In the morning, I was up before the caretaker, so I decided to warm up the car before waking her up to ask for my bike from the shed. As the car warmed, I planned to take a couple photos of the hostel, and get my gear loaded up. Plans changed when I realized that I left my keys in the car and the doors had locked! Explaining my situation to the caretaker, I asked her for a hanger to try to open the locks. She also phoned AA to see if they could come out to help. Since my car was running, they put me on high priority. The father from South Africa helped me try to open my lock, but neither of us could get it to work. The caretaker brought me some tea as I continued to work at, and 20 minutes later, the AA truck arrived. I was thinkin' "cool, he's got one of those high tech slimjims or something that will make it easy to get the door open!" Nope, he only had an industrial strength hanger! 🤣 ... but, still, he was able to get the lock open, and boy, was it nice and toasty in the car! After thanking the AA man, I went back upstairs to thank the caretaker and the folks from South Africa, where I had another cup of tea waiting for me. We sat back down and had another conversation, before I had to go.
Weekend of September 3
It was Saturday, and I was home in the morning for about 3 hours, before deciding it was time to go "somewhere". I opened up the map and found Yorkshire had a nice forest park and cycle route, so that was going to be the destination. As I was throwing stuff in the car, Darren stopped by to see what I was up to. I told him I was heading to York and asked if he wanted to go. As I turned to hear his answer, he was already running home to ask if he could head out! We got the bikes on the car and were on the road by noon. Having replaced the CD Changer, we were able to jam on the way up, stopping only once for fuel and to grab a bite to eat. By 1900, we were in the area, and found the hostel shortly after. This area was renown for its waterfalls, so we went down to check some out. There was a cool park, and the large river had many falls along it. Darren and I even walked across the river on some rocks that were protruding out. Got some great photos from here – check 'em out! After, we headed up to the pub for dinner, then back to the hostel to catch some sleep for the day’s bike ride ahead.
Darren had his mobile alarm set for 0700. After loading up the backpacks and fillin' up the camelpacks, we rode out to the start point in Hawes. The route was 20+ miles, and we had some challenging climbs along the way. But we also had some great downhills that brought our speed up to 34.6 MPH! We past a large lake, and visited the tallest falls in England, the Hardrove Force. It started to rain as we ate our MREs by the falls. We made our way back to the small village, and went into the pub for a nice, hot cup of tea. The end leg of the journey was a welcomed flat one, and we arrived back in Hawes by 1500. Talk about your all-day bike rides! <grin>
We then loaded up the car, got changed in the hostel, then drove back, making a pit stop in Nottingham to visit Hooters! Our waitress, Nikki, was HOT, and she liked talking to the crazy American. And she found it funny that the game of cricket, that was on the telly, had really confused me. 🤣 Anyway, 30 spicy buffalo wings and a pint o Guinness later, we were back on the road for home, and finally arrived around 2230... time for a good night’s rest before work in the morning... fun fun!
Weekend of September 8
I've been getting really pissed off with people at work lately, and really needed this weekend to relax a bit. I didn't invite anyone to go, just went solo, and immediately after work on Friday. I drove home, changed real quick, called up the Youth Hostel near Southern Wales (in the Forest of Dean), packed up the car and was out the door by quarter past 5. Of course, being a Friday, the roads were a bit packed. It took me over an hour to get out of the rural roads! Not a big deal though, I had my music blarin', and was ready to chill, so I was in "That" mode. The lady at the Youth Hostel said I had to be in before 1030, which was final call for check in. I wasn't sure if I'd make it that late, so she said just to give a call if I was going to be late. cool! I was starvin' most of the ride over, and finally spotted a Mcy Ds at one of the roundabouts, so stopped in for a bite to eat, and filled up the gas tank with one of the coupons I got from the base. I finally reached the Hostel about quarter til 10, and saw that the "St Briavels" Hostel was actually an old 12th century castle! They had a small shed where I could safely store my bike for the night, and roomed me up on the third story tower, which was quite eerie, mainly cause of the age of the place. But if ya know me, I'm into that kinda thing! <grin> When I brought my stuff up to the room, there was one other guy there, sleeping? No, he was awake, and said it was cool to turn the lights on. I apologized for wakin' him, but he said he just laid down, so no harm done. He was actually over in the UK from Germany on a working summer break, and on the weekends likes to travel out to see the country-side. Sven, a Ford worker from Cologne (Köln), and I talked for a bit before I finally got the overwhelming tiredness feeling, and realized I had just worked a full day and driven a good half a day, and that SLEEP was probably a good thing.
Next morning ... (I'm writing this now, several months later, so please excuse me as I try to remember) I arose early and had breakfast with the entire youth hostel of people. I met a good group of folks, some from Birmingham, others from southwest England. But my mind was on biking. Shortly following breakfast, I had my bike on the car and, with map in hand, found the start of the next trail. This was not one of the longer rides in the book at 17 miles, though it traveled through some great territory. It started with an uphill on the main road, followed by a NICE long downhill to a turn off point, with an optional sidetrack in the woods. Of course, enjoying mountain biking, I was all over that! Part of the way through the smaller single tracks, I ran over a small bridge. Only problem was, my back tire didn't follow suit, and ended up in the water over the edge. I tried my best to keep my balance, but it was useless, and I ended up in the water too... also in the water were stinging nettles! And what a joy they are! My whole left side of my body was stung, and although it was annoying, wasn't too painful. The only thing that bothered me was the sting on my nose!
Defeated by the trail, I wound up finding my way outta the area and into the local national park. I stopped in to check out the maps and see what the park had to offer. I rode up the trails and into the statue trail. Passing some nice wooden carvings and stained glass artwork, I ended up coming out on the road. Across the street, some people were dressed up in some traditional garb, singing and dancing ... in the STREET! Bizarre, but interesting. I watched this display for a couple tunes before continuing on my original path. With all the extra "optional" tracks I went on, my bike route ended up being over 34 miles! Over double the normal paths intended mileage! And it was nearly 5PM by the time I finished. Packing up the car, I decided to check out what the rest of the "Forest of Dean" had to offer.
Driving up the dual carriage way, I found signs leading to Symmon's Yat. Not knowing exactly what that was stirred a curiosity nerve, and I followed the signs to their destination. This "Yat" place turned out to be an excellent lookout point over the mountains and the rivers below. I took some awesome pictures before finding a walking path that lead down the riverfront, way down at the bottom of the mountainside. Keeping in mind that I had just ridden over 34 miles, my legs informed me to take it easy on them as we (my legs and I) made our way down the hill. At the bottom, I found a small town which obviously thrived on us visitors. The river was flowing heavy westward and there were kayakers in the water. I took several photos and walked upstream to see what else was down here. I discovered a school for kayaking, which is something I've wanted to do for some time. But alas... I was 5 minutes late and the store had just closed. Perhaps tomorrow. Walking back up the hill was my first argument with my legs. They hated me, though I couldn't blame them. 😂 Finally weaving my way back to the car, I started 'er up and headed back to the hostel for the evening's planned dinner.
Over the night's tea, I started talking more with some of the other occupants that were here from the Birmingham area. They asked about my bike ride and asked about their adventures. Most were here in a hikers group, the "Sandwell Ramblers". That evening, they invited me along to one of the two local pubs to shoot some pool and of course, have some Guinness. How could I argue?! The grandkids of one of the hikers and I became instant friends as we played pool and listed to the music from the juke box. As the night dragged on, I met a couple of the ladies from the group (cute I might add), and we talked for a bit through the night. Finally, as always, closing time was upon us, so we all made our way out and back to the Hostel. We were warned ahead of time that the hostel closed it's doors at 1030. We arrived back just after 1100, and we had to try to remember the combo. We all remembered the numbers, but the sequence was never accurate. We figured it out and were in the main sitting room, continuing our conversation we all started in the bar, along with some old, bad jokes, before I was challenged to a game of chess. It was a tough game (though Matt, you woulda been proud of me!), and it lasted a good hour or so. After some time of sweating as I knew a couple pieces were doomed, I eventually found an opening that led to a tremendous victory for the Yank from Mildenhall! All the while in playing the game, I continued to talk to Sue and her sister, thinking that things were going quite well! But, now that it was after 1AM, and with another bike ride planned for the morning, we all broke "camp" and headed to our respected cubby holes.
The room I shared the previous night with Sven had suddenly been overcome with mass amounts of people. One in fact, stole my bed! Not wanting to create a scene though, I kindly walked over, picked up my bag and headed downstairs to wash up. I met several of the folks from the evening, and they invited me to crash in their room, where it was just the 3 of them with 6 beds. The math worked for me, and it was on a couple floors lower. Great! A good nights sleep again... ahhhh...
In the morning, my legs really let me know that I punished them too much on the bike yesterday, as I somewhat limped to the breakfast room. Knowing I was going to be useless on the bike, I thought in my mind what the new plan would be. As I was contemplating this, the "Ramblers" talked about their last hike over in the national park. Since I had made some friends here, I figured it couldn't hurt to ask if I could tag along. There was no problem with this request at all, as they all said "sure!".
To be continued
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