Backyard adventures....(Mendips and around)

The '....' is just for Jonboy, but there's other things he will like here too.

Now I love the Mendip Hills and environs, and indeed I love the area around where I live. So close to the bright lights of Brisl' and yet so rural, so peaceful and quiet.

So today I set off with my OS map securely stowed in that bit between the clocks and the screen where I keep my pipe (slippers warming nicely on the heads ) into the deepest Mendips to have a good old adventure not more than 20 or so miles from the safety of home at any one time.

I must point out though that my camera is kaput...I can't see what I'm taking so forgive the poorly composed/ exposed / bits cut off pictures.

Now most folks will best know the Mendips for Cheddar Gorge. I rode that today but the verges were parked all the way up as the tourists trailed around. Busiest I've ever seen it. I scattered as many as I could, and found that given a particular set of circumstances it IS indeed possible to stand the GS up under braking in a bend But I was looking for more peaceful environs. And indeed once atop the hills the tourists thinned out, there was no more traffic than a normal weekend, hardly any and the only people to scatter where walkers and cavers and the like. Sorry, Im going on a bit...

Atop the mendips, view back towards Weston, which is behind the bush (must get the camera fixed )



The village of Priddy, complete with rustic 'thing'. Kind of Mendip central, still has a horse fair on the green with REAL fighting gypsies. Pubs quite rubbish, btw



I've got better pictures of Priddy, but that one's fine for you

Out of Priddy one can drop down to Wookey. The Mendip roads are a mix of long straight (Roman?) roads (with 100+mp..erm, I mean fast straights) with sweeping bends, then going into single track lanes, often rough and gravel strewn.

The road down to Wookey with its stunning views. I love this bike so much. It was made for these 'orrible roads.





But away from Cheddar, there's lots of great roads up there for those burdened with a sports bike. Look how dirty that bike is, Jonboy. Clean it...clean it with your tongue. Opps, forgot you said never say that in public. Ahem!

Here, see! an inclined sweeping bend up in Mendip forest. Just one of many. Actually you can't see the bend, but never mind it was on round a bit



But what's this? A footpath sign So I turned up there.....I didn't actually but it would have been fun.

Mendips are great for walking



Ah look! You can see a bend in that last pic. Happy now?
Anyway on with the tale.

The Mendips have some good, some bad and some interesting pubs. This one is the Hunters Lodge. A haunt of cavers and the odd biker. It must be one of Britain's least welcoming looking pubs. Run by an aged couple it is INDEED unwelcoming No, its ok. Food is limited, basic (faggots and peas and stuff) but good and cheap. And the beer is local. In the garden (well, it doesnt really have one of this pub is a huge well and I can't remember if separate or not but a huge dig where they broke through into a cave system. It was the only place you could cave in the Mendips during foot and mouth. Well I didn't...wouldn't get me down a cave..well you...oh, another story
I really am rambling on. Anyway the Hunters has a mobile phone crusher so don't use one in there

Welcome to the Hunters Lodge



So after the Hunters it was time to do some exploring. After a good ride around the lanes, many with grass in the middle and lots of gravel strewn corners it was time to nip up some tracks. No off-road here, the GS isnt an offroad bike, but its great for exploring.

This track leads up to the Univ Bristol caving club's hut up in the woods. Nice track for a GS. The tracks run on after the hut but they are Bridleways and only naughty people would ride on them.

Some nice GS tracks







Ticklish, even where concretey. You know, loose stuff over that is sometimes worse?
But pretty, out of the way and fun.

What the hell How's that train pic got in my smuggy? Back in a mo.....



That's better. I've never seen the subway one before.

I realise now I am writing this out of the real sequence. Keen observers may note that on the following pic of the A38 (it was the old A38 before the A38 was born..or maybe the A37, but who cares) my map is still with me, whereas in previous pics its gone. But here it stayed on a bumpy bit somewhere. I went back to look later but it had gone . The number of things I have lost wedged by the clocks, you'd think I learn by now.

Anna, this is the track from the Crown in Churchill to the Star on up the main road further, where those blokes told us I'd be ok but you might not. What do you think . It's actually very rocky in places for a real road ish

The old road from Bristol to Exeter (all two miles of it)



This pic was meant to show the trail backward in the mirror, but 'cos I couldnt see what I was taking is more 'le sange eh dens laps'



But pressing on, sort of out of sequence but down Burrington way, Blagdon then Rickford past the little chapel-like folly or folly-like chapel



And up to Clevedon for an Oyster Delight at the disenfranchised Clevedon branch of Forte's ice cream parlour. No pics, but here's some old codgers in Clevedon. But look! Surely not, in the flat cap....YES, ITS TIM WILKY!



Clevedon pier is fully restored and a pleasure steamer pics up passengers there. It was built by Brunel as the planned end of the GWR, you'd get off here (or at Temple Meads I guess) and board a ship for America.



It's built from spare bits of GWR. The slender legs were designed to have minimal resistance to the uber-strong tides we have here. Ask me about the tidal reach at Clevedon?

Cool pics , makes me wish I had a bike capable of going off road (on purpose).

OK, What about the tidal reach at Clevedon?

To continue, it was back the way I had came because I had forgotten something. Going through the levels of the Gordano valley (we are rich in diverse lansdcapes here, limestone ridges and flat drained levels) one passes this old wreck, The Blueflame Inn. The sign, not shown as its hidden behind ivy proudly shows a GAS FIRE. Wow! Its the best most decrepit country pub I've been in. Great beer from the cask but look at the state of the place. It's as good inside.

Ladies, choose a date with Dr Rich and you too could get taken here



It looks worse when your actually there. But its a good place to steel the nerves for the BUMPY ROAD, some of you may have read about and some have ridden. It's just faily straight with a few bends on the bumpiest bits but its on the levels so the ground is in that wave formation. It's great. Looks nothing but it's formidable....or is that 'formidable', depends I guess

THE Bumpy road, accept no substitutes





While there I had a look at the rear tyre, not much grip left there for the slippy stuff (something for Jonboy there, too).



But fortunately it was mostly dry, so no worries. Because some of my other favourite lanes are not always in the best order, but they are really pretty and have some nice pubs on the way. This is all GS-lite anyway.

Slippery when wet, between Clevedon and Clapton (en route to the Black Horse, very nice try it) Caution, this pic contains MILD PERIL.



So this is why I like the GS you see, lanes like that are fun. Ok. perfectly rideable on a sportsbike, but not as much fun. Or perhaps more fun. Depends how you get your kicks, I suppose. But the things is, traffic free and great for a slow bimble. No sweepers etc, but horses for courses. Speaking of which **** from the latter is the other big hazard round there.

But as it was dry I thought I'd go home via the great construction site that is half of where I live. Inconsiderately they have put more and more housing plots in on the huge area of earthworks that was a great illegal dirt bike playground and also had some nice big dirty tracks for me

But there's still some places to play, most fun on the GS in the dry.

Oh look, a faux fishing village complete with lighthouse



The old structure is another Brunel steamer pier. Never actually used in the end I think for steamers. The 'fishing village' is on the site of an old powerstation. The employment of the working classes replaced by apartments of the middle classes.

Theres some quite nice gravel to ride there too with little humps and ramps about 3 or 4 ft etc. How long before its rated a path I don't know. Until I do I'll risk an ASBO. Nothing to tease the dirt bike boys, but fun on a GS.


Some nice GS-able gravelly stuff (pic contains VERY MILD PERIL)



Did I say how much I love this bike?



And a beer in the sun, and home.

120 miles door to door....5 hours

Originally Posted by Law

Cool pics , makes me wish I had a bike capable of going off road (on purpose).

Not off road remember, that upsets the dirt bike guys. All of what you have seen are roads, sort of A good rider can ride a GS off road. I'm not. A road bike would be fine on all that, maybe just not as much fun. Remeber that guy that ride the R1 around the world?

Do you think you love this bike?

Originally Posted by K

OK, What about the tidal reach at Clevedon?

Second highest in the world.

Ask me where the highest is?

Originally Posted by Grinch

Do you think you love this bike?

I think I may.