Chester to Chepstow

John Davies

Description

A land of magnificent mountains, verdant valleys, beautiful beaches and towering castles. All this, the travel brochures tell you, is crammed into the tiny country of Wales - and it's true. A marvellous place to visit then, and what better way to see it than on a bicycle? Starting just across the border in Chester, this book charts the course of a cycle ride which roughly follows the coastline of Wales. The sights seen are vividly described with many references to their historical significance. Wales has a rich cultural heritage and the book is enlivened by the many interesting and humorous conversations with local people. Read about the naked lady lying at the bottom of the stairs and the bandit from Bolivia. A Welsh International rugby player and a company director are two of the people who gave exclusive interviews. This is essential reading for cyclists and couch-potato pedallers as well.Book reviews online @ www.publishedbestsellers.com

Sujets

• Inglaterra
• Cycling
• England

Informations

• Publié par: Pneuma Springs Publishing
• Date de parution: 31 août 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781782281290
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Chester to
Chepstow

Journal of a Bike Journey






JOHN DAVIES
Copyright
First Published 2007 Published by Pneuma Springs Publishing
Chester to Chepstow Copyright © 2007 John Davies
Kindle eISBN: 9781907728549 ePub eISBN 9781782281290 PDF eBook eISBN 9781782280385 Paperback ISBN: 9781905809257
Pneuma Springs Publishing E: [e-mail] W: www.pneumasprings.co.uk
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Published in the United Kingdom. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. Contents and/or cover may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the publisher.
Appreciations
Thanks to:
Ad, my understanding wife.
Ian, my son who set me on the path.
And in time-honoured alphabetical order:-
Geraint Davies, Hefin Elis, Geraint Griffiths, Dafydd James, Euros Lewis, Sian Orrells, Frank Watkins and all the people I spoke to on my journey.
The Journey
January 2006
There was an old man from Glamorgan
Who could not play a tune on the organ
So he got on his bike
And round Wales did hike
Till he returned once again to Glamorgan

Q uite unexpectedly on a dreary January day my son, Ian, said to me, “Hey Dad, what about that bike ride you’ve been talking about? When are you going to do that?” Good question, when am I going to do it?
It’s something I’d thought about for many years, but other things kept getting in the way. It lodged in my mind though, so after a few days gestation I decided to start planning for it straight away. After all, at 57 years of age with the old knees playing up, if I left it any longer I’d probably never do it.
The journey was initially a vague notion of getting to somewhere in North Wales by public transport, then somehow cycling back home to Port Talbot. After a bit more thought I decided to cycle from Chester to Chepstow. Not the direct north-south route, but roughly following the Welsh coastline along the north coast through Anglesey, Llyn, Cardigan Bay, Pembrokeshire and eastward across the south coast.
I worked for BP Chemicals in Baglan Bay for more than 30 years. For the last 16 of those years I cycled to work come rain or shine. The bikes I owned at this time were a Raleigh mountain bike and a GT lightweight road racer. Neither of them were suitable for the trip I’d planned, so this meant buying a new one specifically designed for touring.
I’m not an expert on bicycles, I just enjoy riding them. I had no experience of touring at all, that was why I contacted my old friend Geraint Griffiths. He is a Veteran of many cycling trips to Ireland, amongst other places, and was able to offer me some good advice.
I first met Geraint back in 1960 when we both attended Glanafan Grammar School in Port Talbot. Our mutual interest in music and cycling brought us together. We rode many miles together and in 1965 joined a short-lived rock band where Geraint first displayed his considerable talent as a singer and guitar player. We couldn’t decide on a name for the band so we became ‘The Undecided’. My budding career as a rock star ended with the demise of the band. Geraint went on to become a much-respected star of Welsh language music, television and radio.
February
I drove to Carmarthen where Geraint enlightened me on the difference between touring and everyday cycling. He gave me a guided tour of his custom made bike which cost more than £1,000 back in 1995 and also a comprehensive list of what I’d need for my trip.
Happy with my new-found knowledge, the following morning I dusted down my old mountain bike, wrapped up well against a temperature of only 2 o C and began training for my bike journey around Wales. That first day I cycled only eight miles because of the cold weather, but it was a start.
I’m fairly fit for my age because I run every day, unless I’m ill or injured. It was merely a question of getting bike fit again. I’ve been a member of Port Talbot Harriers since 1983 and still enjoy competing in a variety of events from cross country to throwing the javelin. I particularly enjoy the veteran competitions because of the strong sense of comradeship as we get older and slower together. My motivation to keep fit is what got me started, the fact that it’s become a habit is what keeps me going.
It was obvious that I needed a proper touring bike. An internet search on Google threw up a bewildering array of sites for bikes, so I settled for the names I knew like Raleigh and Dawes. The local shops didn’t have much stock in as they claimed it was too early in the season. Surfing the net, though, did give me a feel for the prices and what was available.
At this stage I realized that I was intending to leave home on my own for perhaps a couple of weeks. Adrianne, my long-suffering wife of 34 years, had quietly accepted the fact that a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. In fairness I did offer to buy a tandem so she could come too. That offer was declined, so the search was on again for a standard one man bike. It’s easy to find grounds for divorce. The trick is to find grounds for staying together. In fact, I don‘t know how Ad has put up with me for so long.
The internet revealed some basic touring bikes for about £300. Then there were some high spec models costing thousands. I was aiming for reasonable quality at a reasonable price. Next, I checked the e-bay auction site where you can buy practically anything under the sun. I saw, over the space of a week or so, old bikes being sold for £70-£80 and also some newish bikes for £200-£300.
One bike in particular caught my eye. It was an 18 month old Orbit Ventura in pretty good condition with a quality specification. Bidding had already reached £300 with a couple of days left to the end of the auction. I kept track of this bike and at the last moment put in a bid of £450. It wasn’t good enough, the bike sold for £477.
Ok, back to the drawing board. Surfed the net again and came across the Evans Cycles website. They were offering a Dawes Galaxy touring bike for £600 post free. The normal retail price was £750 and I’d seen this bike offered for £700 elsewhere. This was an offer I couldn’t refuse. Without having seen or ridden the bike, on Sunday 11 th February, in a celebratory mood after watching the Wales rugby team defeat Scotland 28 points to 18, I bought a brand new touring bike.
Most people tend to take for granted the many wonderful inventions that are part of our daily lives. My first bike was given to me as a Christmas present a few months after my 9 th birthday. It’s only recently, though, that I began to wonder about the origins of the bicycle and who invented it.
Leonardo Da Vinci has become famous for his code recently. Some papers of his from the 1490s show sketches of what can only be a bicycle. There is no evidence to show that it was ever made though.
Comte Mede de Sivrac made a wooden scooter-like contraption called a celerifere in France around 1790. The German, Baron von Drais went one better putting handlebars on a similar invention, the Draisiennes, which he exhibited in 1818. Neither had pedals and this type of vehicle was generally known as a velocipede (fast foot) or sometimes the boneshaker.
A Scottish blacksmith, Kirkpatrick MacMillan, made a bike with foot pedals in 1839. It never caught on for some reason.
Around 1870 James Starley, at his Coventry Sewing Machine company, built a bike with a large front wheel and small back wheel - the penny farthing. He also made a tricycle called the Rover which was developed into a two wheeler with a chain. The Rover company later went on to make motorbikes and cars.
H. J. Lawson made the first chain driven bike in Brighton in 1874. It was called the Brighton Dwarf because the wheels had a diameter of only 23 inches. The Birmingham Small Arms company acquired his idea and BSA bikes became very popular in Britain in the early 20 th century. Many years ago, my next door neighbour, Bryn, had a BSA bike. I was naïve enough to ask him what the initials stood for. He said, “Bloody Sore Arse”.
Evans Cycles promised a delivery time of 5 to 7 days and true to their word my Dawes Galaxy touring bike arrived on February 15 th . Unable to contain my excitement, I assembled the bike straight away. A couple of laps up and down the street was enough to convince me that I had bought a bike which was more than adequate for the journey I had planned. It felt light and responsive yet solidly built.
Here, those with a technical mind will relish a chance to read the bike specification. For the rest of you this is the boring bit. The bike has a 53 cm traditional frame with Reynolds 531 tubing. The gears are 27 speed Shimano Deore with bar end shifters. The wheels are made by Shimano with Alivio hubs and stainless steel spokes. Tyres are Continental Country Ride. Stopping power is provided by Tektro Oryx cantilever brakes. The final and most important detail I’ll leave to my dear wife who said, “Ooh, it’s a nice shade of green, isn’t it?”
The following day I proudly rode my new bike down through Cornelly to show it off on the promenade at Porthcawl. This trip was only 13 miles because my running experience has taught me that steady progress is safer than jumping straight in at the deep end. It was also very cold.
With the mode of transport snuggled up safely in the garage it was time to set about planning the route. Originally, I’d thought of taking a train to Chester. When Ian heard this he said, “Don’t take the train, Dad, I’ll drive you there.” The first stage would be accomplished with ease.
I reckoned on taking about 11 or 12 days at about 50 miles per day. After first consulting my athletics fixture list, I settled for the month of June when the days would be at their longest and accommodation would hopefully be easier to book with the kids still in school.
I had thought of taking a tent at one time. You can stop practicall