Colne to Shipston on Stour
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
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.
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..
.. and get a few more nice souvenir piccies.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
Next port of call: The Black Horse Inn for dinner. Terrible place, that.. I mean.. Look..
..where most excellent Thai meal is served
Double bonus!
And then Ash takes the wheel of the wagon to deliver us back to base
Back to Toad's HQ..
I do like a nice bit o' cheese, Gromit.
Best not to ask for more details on the complaints policy
A wee nightcap..
What a terrific evening
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
I'm thankful for those little luminous ear-plug thingies...