I wince and grimace every time I pass this... Makes my teeth itch it does... 'Meter' is bad enough in a country where we have 'Metres' (I'd prefer feet and inches personally, I know where I am with them...) but 'whellchair' really tugs my beard.
It has been a glorious winter's day here at Bimble Towers, not a breath of wind, just golden sunshine and blue skies. Flipping chilly mind you, but that's par for the course with winter sunshine. This is ideal weather for some quality bike pottering but unfortunately I've been confined to barracks for nearly a week now with my back which is giving me considerable grief after a short bus trip into town last Monday. I always have a stiff and painful back after bouncy bus rides and walking around town, but usually it'll ease after a day or two. For some reason this time it has refused to go away and has kept me off the bikes.
Right now though I'm even more desperate than normal to shift the pain and get in the saddle because we have an interesting weather forecast for tomorrow and into Wednesday as the local paper's web site notes:
And here's the forecast on the Met Office site:
The last time we had snow in my part of the world was the third of February 2015, and that was just a light dusting that only lasted a few hours, but I made the most of it alright, eagerly setting out on the old clattermonger Carrera and machine gunning photos all over the place.
Even a minor bit of unplanned break dancing on the slippery descent out of the village couldn't stop me enjoying the small amount of snow we had that morning.
So the feeling of excitement in the air here is palpable, well, in my living room it is anyway, other folk maybe less enthusiastic about snow, but knickers to 'em. Fingers crossed then that we get some, but knowing the weather forecasts we could anything from a mini ice age to a heat wave.
What else? Well while having been grounded this last week or so has been rather less than fun, I have had my nose into a really good book.
By crikey I'm crap at product photography...
I've recently started to really appreciate the work of James Ravilious who recorded daily life in rural North Devon in the 1970s. Looking at some of his work you'd swear the images belonged to a much earlier period, but this was a part of Devon that modernity was slow to reach and the images portray an at times idyllic way of life, but also an extremely harsh one.
The book is written by James' wife Robin, and although I'm only half way through at the moment, it is an utterly enjoyable read. Illustrated throughout, the book beautifully describes their individual early lives, their meeting, life in London and subsequent move to Devon, the countryside, characters and lifestyle. Ravilious was mostly contributing photos for the Beaford Archive who since his death in 1999 now hold the copyright to his images.
A book of Ravilious' photos The Recent Past was also released late last year and is on my shopping list for when funds are a little flusher. In the meantime many of his images can be found online and are well worth searching for.
So have I had any rides to report? Well yes, on Sunday the 28th of January actually, the day before I knackered my back, when I went for a boot to Metha Bridge.
Woo hold up... is that... yes that's the mighty Marin, my 'best' bike being wheeled out for its first ride of the year.
As I mentioned in a previous post I'd told myself I really needed to ride the Marin more often, as it is a bit daft keeping it indoors just because I don't like getting it dirty. So I (very bravely I think...) wheeled the Pine Mountain out intent on having a good ride (and avoiding mud and puddles at all costs).
The bells were ringing summoning the faithful to the village church, but I was safe here from religious conversion as this is the Methodist's Church and they like a lie in of a Sunday morning, not having their service until a more agreeable 11 am.
The above two shots were taken on the Bridleway up to Carland Cross which back in the day, was actually the A39, hence being a rather well appointed Bridleway what with it having tarmac and Cat's Eyes n'all. The 'new' A39 is just over the hedge on the right and under that bridge top left in the lower photo.
These two also show what a grizzly looking day it was out, flat grey and gloomy, damp from previous rain but with no rain forecast (and none appeared either).
The Marin really is a superb bike to ride, after my other bikes it feels light and agile, itching to be slapped from side to side by an out of the saddle rider, but that's a bit beyond me unfortunately, but it does accelerate well and steers beautifully, really carving and holding a line to millimetre (oops, thousandths of an inch...) perfection. I find it supremely comfortable too, and have not yet felt any bum or back/shoulder/neck/wrist aches when riding it.
It wasn't just the weather that was bleak, the fixtures and fittings in some of the lanes were a little tired too, adding to the rather sullen feel to proceedings.
This (Metha Bridge) counts I suppose as the target for the day's ride, but really I was just riding a lane that I've only ridden once before, and hasn't really got a lot of interest on it, but still, a ride is a ride and all that.
There are actually two bridges at Metha Bridge, one over a stream, t'other over a railway line. No prizes for guessing which one this is though...
The line in question used to be the Chacewater to Newquay branch line, a slightly unorthodox routing even for a branch line, and the mostly rural nature of the land it passed through saw a decline in passenger numbers as road traffic grew and the line closed in February 1963.
But, as you can see, trains run beneath this bridge once more as the route is now part of the Lappa Valley Railway, a 15 inch gauge tourist attraction jobbie and I'm afraid, not really my cup of tea. (I was quite the rail buff back in my teens, and my disdain for what I unfairly perceive as 'toy trains' has yet to diminish...).
Not a shot taken in a field or anything, but on the bridge at Metha Bridge.
The Marin now leaning against the parapet of the second bridge, as seen from the first, the rail bridge.
Hanging one's nose over the parapet (and taking care not to tread in the unfeasibly large dog poo - I don't know what sort of dog left that huge steaming pile, but it certainly had a good breakfast) one is greeted by this view of the stream below. The colour of the water could be the result of the recent rain running off the fields or metal contamination from nearby mine workings. Indeed, not a hundred yards away there is a capped mine shaft in the woods, so either, or both, is likely.
Oh hello, just up from the two bridges is this footpath... don't mind if I do...
I hadn't planned a mooch along this footpath, so just had myself a quick nosey to see what was what, and it is definitely one to revisit at a later (less muddy) date. As it is, I walked most of the path due to it being nearly all off camber and slippery as a well greased Weasel. I took this photo at the only flat bit I found on my brief sortie.
After the short footpath mooch, it was back on tarmac and in two shakes of a Lamb's tail I was in downtown St Newlyn East (that's the retail district pictured there - the local Butcher's shop.)
St Newlyn East isn't an easy village to get good photos of, frustratingly. There's a gert big pointy church smack in the middle of the place, but try getting an uncluttered view of it. Also this was a Sunday, and the place was rammed with parked cars, the above street only escaping by virtue of its narrowness.
Anyway, rather than go through the village and out the other side, heading towards the evil A30 at Zelah, I opted to head back towards Mitchell, thus making a bit of a loop. Instead of just taking the direct route though I did swerve off onto a single track lane but other than a random Campion there wasn't much there of photoworthy note either.
Campion on the back lane off Halt Road.
So I rode back into Mitchell (not photographed - too many parked cars) and back up the hill I'd flown down earlier, and thence hung a right and a nifty left onto the lane twixt Carland Cross and Boswiddle.
A 'Lanescape' on the lane between Carland Cross and Boswiddle. I've just made 'Lanescape' up, and I'm feeling smugly pleased with myself 'cos it is a term that doesn't appear to have been invented yet for photos of country lanes. So I'm bagging it - claiming first dibs on it. You saw it here first!
A common sight on this lane, rather flattened frogs (or Toads) in the road.
I can't pass water... no that doesn't sound right at all. I can't ride a bicycle past or over water without stopping to take in the atmosphere, and this bridge over an unnamed stream is no exception. A tranquil place to lurk for a few minutes.
Boswiddle is a place you'll see me mention a lot on here, but I haven't yet taken any photos of the actual hamlet itself. There isn't a lot there to be honest, just a farm, a cottage or two, a junction in the road and about a mile towards Ladock, the ford. But I must get some shots one day.
Having turned right in Boswiddle, climbed the hill up to Five Turnings, and turned right again I found the lane still flooded near Pengelly.
It had been a very enjoyable ride - the Marin, as said, is a great bike to ride, and the lanes were peaceful and most importantly, free of rampaging wind and flesh stripping hail showers!
Crappy mappage of the ride. Metha Bridge is at point 6, the bridge where I can't pass water (ahem) at point 12.
The full gory details of the ride can be found HERE
Ah... well you didn't really think I'd not wash my best bike once I'd got home did you?
Right, that's the latest, fingers, toes and all sorts are crossed for a bit of snow tomorrow bet it rains no... must be positive... hopefully it'll snow and my back is fit enough for me to get out on Fatso (I'm nearly out of Paracetamol so have held some back especially for the morning...) - Snow is a Fatbike's raison d'etre after all!
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