Round 5: Yuletide Ramble

Seaton Delaval to Ings

I wake not wanting to look out of the window, so I go downstairs at 9am to find Chris and ballistic already ship shape and feet up watching Saturday kitchen.

The house guests are treated to a hearty breakfast. Note to self: Must stop here more often :D

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only one egg,sack the chief :D
 
2 sausage,2 bacon,2 hash brown,2 black pud and thats the light option :fnikefork
 
Ah .... the Waterside Inn :thumb

Great micro brewery round the back .... carry on Rob :JB

:beerjug:
 
Holiday on Ice

Greetings one and all, compliments of the season to you and yours..

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We had a decent enough night last night and turned in relatively early after a stroll, or should I say slide around the block. Scary out there :eek

There's been a light dusting of snow overnight. These little beauties won't be turning a wheel today, I'm afraid.

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Time for a hearty breakfast to see us right..

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Better grip than a Tourance..

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We'll be taking one of these 230hp beauties today.

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We're treated to some terrific views on the hour or so trip up to Keswick, sat on the top deck, at the front..

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Great. A panoramic view of the place.. :thumb

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We hit Keswick and have a good wander round, having a look in the various mountain shops and stopping in the pubs. Then its back to Ambleside for a few more ales.

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How about a nice oversized Scotch Egg?

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The past 48 hours have seen the following fed into the Rambletron:

Windemere Lager (Watermill)
Golden Retriever (Watermill)
Timmermans Framboise
Tom & Berry (Robinson's)
Dizzy Blonde (Robinson's)
Cumbria Way (Hartleys)
XB (Hartleys)
Dark Matters (Robinson's)
Old Peculier (Theakston)
Timmermans Peche
Dog'th Vader (Watermill)

And the winner is Tom & Berry.. Wow.

Anyone got any Rennies?
 
Shame you didn't get out on the bikes today, but that breakfast, a trip on the top deck of a double decker, followed by all that ale certainly makes up for it:thumb:D
 
Shame you didn't get out on the bikes today, but that breakfast, a trip on the top deck of a double decker, followed by all that ale certainly makes up for it:thumb:D

Quite. It was a superb little day off of the bikes. In all fairness we could have ridden, but it just wasn't all that enjoyable, so we opted for something a little bit different. :thumb

couple of slices of bread will make that lot a right nice Sanger :D

then move on to the main course:D:D:D

You must be my size mate :D
 
Ings to Southport

Again, we're kind of inhibited by the weather, but this time its of the rain variety, which is actually quite welcome, because it just means that it isn't snow.

Brian is down and packed early and has discovered the brewer working away in the back of the pub's premises. He's gone for some chat and free samples :) :beer:

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"Please take your friend away.. He is drinking everything.."

Can't you see that.. the desperation in his eyes? I know I can :D

The brewery van..

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.. With an amusing twist on the plumbers and electricians tools notice..

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Nice place, the Watermill. I'll be back.

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We're a bit stumped about where to go. Scotland remains out, as are the dales; they are similarly frozen. According to BBC weather the only part of the country that has a temperature above freezing is the West Coast, kind of leaving us limited options.

We quickly nip in to Windermere. Brian has an appointment with a butcher to obtain a suspension adjusting quantity of black pudding.

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We settle on Southport as a destination for today. Brian has some friends there he hasn't seen for a while, plus we know a good pub there and a hotel bar that does very good ale. On the way it rains. It rains and rains and rains.

I'm sure to have packed the essential accessories for such conditions..

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The riding is bitty and fairly boring.

The evening provides top ale, though, and we stay at the Scarisbrick Hotel, offering a tatty but adequate twin room at the princely sum of £25 including breakfast.

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Besides, when you've been supping Old Peculier you don't tend to notice much about your surroundings.

Following that I take a day to out to do not so much. Update some report drivel here, pay some bills there. I get a chance to catch up with some e-mail correspondence. Mr Nyejiowanaika Ogogo has contacted me with the most generous offer that I should assist him in repatriating USD 25million from the Bank of Africa. Just fancy that.

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Southport to Colne

Not much to feature. A dull, direct ride. Rain, then cold, then a touch icy.

Note to self: Do not attempt to move bike around on icy surfaces.

Evening is a meet up with an old pal for drinks. Starting off with a couple of glasses of the old Veuve Cliquot, then out up hill, down hill to sample the delights of Timothy Taylor's Landlord and a beer called Titanic (can't remember who brews it), which is like hitting your own personal little iceberg.

Result: An expensive souvenir hangover.

No pictures I'd care to share. Sorry. :D
 
Colne to Shipston on Stour

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I've lost my glasses :( Good job I have a spare pair.

Well, the weather is much better today… probably as good as we've had yet on this trip.

We're all off to Toad's Christmas Curry shindig, so it's time to put all of this clean living on the back burner and party it up a little :D The options had been to leave the bike with ballistic to get a lift with Mr K as he passes through in Amanda Panda, or make my own way out to the Cotswolds.

A breakfast helps, but who eats vegetarian sausages for heavens sake? They should be made illegal. 'What do you think of the sausages' I'm asked. 'Rubbish' I reply, without really thinking to be a little more tactful. 'Oh, they're vegetarian, you know' I'm told. That figures. The things we do to accommodate the other special people in our lives. Egg, tomato, mushroom and toast and Anadin extra make up today's early start power combo.

The Google Maps little weather overlay shows promising things: A toasty 3 degrees in Shrewsbury (ooooh), and untypically tropical 4 degrees in Worcester (aaaahhh).

So given I'm travelling North to South, and will be heading to the left of our cosy little island, who could resist a trip down the roads of the Welsh Borders? To satisfy that craving for Craven Arms…. to rendezvous with your old chum Leo Minster…

Gritty work is done to get over towards the A49.

I've never been to Oulton Park so I decide to go and see what I can see. The main gate is half open so I bimble in for a little look round. Looks quite nice there, actually. I'll have to go to a meet there one day.

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There seems to be no one around at all so I tootle on in to the Paddock area.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the winner of the inaugural Winter Ramble Rubber Duck Rallye Challenge..

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.. and get a few more nice souvenir piccies.

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There's not a soul around aside from an older gent reading a paper behind the wheel of his Nissan Canyonero truck. He looks over the top of his glasses at the trespasser oik. I'm not sure he approves.

Out we go. There's a nice little run to join up with the main drag, too. Splendid stuff. Time for a stop in Tiverton at the Lock Gate Café where I have a Bacon Sandwich. That's better. The wrongs of the morning are righted and all is well with the world.

The roads are very wet, lots of standing water but I'm lucky and have missed the rain. The riding is engaging and fun and the going good along the border roads. I'm moving along well and passing little pockets of traffic, unlocking and making my way through them like I'm cracking little puzzles. It makes me appreciate the qualities of the GS, how tractable it is, and since the remap how more willing it is to roll on in 5th.. Oh and the small matter of just how good the Conti trail attacks work in the wet weather :thumb

Later in the afternoon I get the message 'Low Battery' from the Zumo. Eh? Blummin flip, it's in the cradle! I stop and have a quick clean but don't seem to be able to get it to power up from the bike. Luckily I've got USB power, so I take it off and stick it on there for a while to put a little more back in to it. Hope it will do the trick as I can't says I know where I'm going tonight.. Oops.

Worcester way now and darkness has descended. I stop at a filling station to see if I can get any more life out of the Zumo mount.

A strong gust of wind comes from nowhere and blows my Caberg lid off of the seat on to the deck, splat. :blast An apologetic looking lad scoops it, ad the visor that's come off and hands back to me. Feckity feck. Well that's that then. Double blast. :blast :blast

Fortunately the USB charge had given the GPS just enough juice. I navigate around Evesham and the lanes that take me across the Shipston.

I arrive at Toad hall just before six and there's already a quorum of tosserfolk. We have in the roll call Mr and Mrs Toad of course, joined by Mr and Mrs Dave78, Sgt Bilco, Ash, Womble, Mr K, ballistic and Rasher and it's not long before we're strolling in to town and to the pub (who'd have thought?).

A warm up lager followed by a tasty HPA at the Horseshoe :beer:

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And then it's the long haul to The White Bear (must be all of fifty yards).

There's a Victorian Market thing going on outside in the main street of Shipton. We know, because we can see it out there through the window of the pub :) We do eventually venture outside where a kind lady takes our picture and gives us cakes.

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Next port of call: The Black Horse Inn for dinner. Terrible place, that.. I mean.. Look.. :D

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..where most excellent Thai meal is served :thumb Double bonus!

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And then Ash takes the wheel of the wagon to deliver us back to base :thumb

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:)

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Back to Toad's HQ..

I do like a nice bit o' cheese, Gromit.

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Best not to ask for more details on the complaints policy ;)

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A wee nightcap..

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What a terrific evening :clap

:beerjug:

Four of us camp out overnight in the living room. Yer man Womble is asleep I think before his head hits the pillow. Snore-a-rama.. like being by the speaker stack when The Who played at Charlton Athletic's ground :D

I'm thankful for those little luminous ear-plug thingies...
 
feckin brave man getting in anything with Ash behind the wheel:eek:eek


Stop ! ............................................................................ Carry on !!!:beerjug:
 
feckin brave man getting in anything with Ash behind the wheel:eek:eek


Stop ! ............................................................................ Carry on !!!:beerjug:

:tears :tears :tears
VERY HARSH................
 


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