This ride has been months in the planning, when a South Bucks. CTC member got in touch with me last winter asking if he could join us for a ride during a short family visit to Calstock he was planning in August. We liaised via email several times in the interim and came up with a plan! I had emailed Michael the route ahead of his travel to Calstock. As well as Michael from Amersham, I had another guest, one of my dance partners from my Ceroc class which I have started recently, another Mike. He is not a cyclist, but has a mountain bike which he has dusted off after 10 years standing in the garage. He says my enthusiasm for cycling has rubbed off on him!
The start was from the Bridge, Michael speeding 14 miles down the main road to meet us. We encountered a brief heavy shower on the way to the start, enough to wet us! But then for the rest of the day we had some lovely sunny spells and managed to avoid any more cloudbursts. So George, Graham B and Michael set off with me from the Bridge, and the plan was to pick Mike up from the hamlet of South Sillaton (not far from the Maize) around about 10 a.m. The plan worked quite well and we made towards Pensilva for tea-break. However, Mike was feeling a little shakey by then, but valiantly carried on from there as it was a mostly downhill route towards Metherell, and somehow he had to get back to his car!!
Having reccied the route last week, I discovered the pub Michael had remembered fondly and thought we could use as a lunch stop had closed down. So my revised plan was to go to the Who'd Have Thought It Inn in St Dominick. But as time was now slipping by I didn't think we would make it there by the 2p.m so we plumped for a lunch stop at The Engine House in Kelly Bray instead. From there we carried on our route passing through St Dominick about 3.30p.m. but the pub was closed for the afternoon, and we were now heading back to the main road where Michael would go his own sweet way back to Calstock and Mike wanted us to leave him there so he could make his way back at his own pace to his car nearby. George quipped that we didn't like to leave people at the side of the road in case they were captured and put into Cornish Pasties! We said our farewells, our guests were very appreciative of the wonderful ride we'd had and all that had gone into it. I had ridden 46 miles, George and Graham not much different, Michael more than all of us probably about 55, and then Mike our novice the least, I would estimate about 30 but for a first ride he did very well. I was reminded of how I felt when I started with the group 5 years ago, and was coaxed along many times by George!
Many thanks from me to my very supportive team on the day for helping to look after our guests.
The start was from the Bridge, Michael speeding 14 miles down the main road to meet us. We encountered a brief heavy shower on the way to the start, enough to wet us! But then for the rest of the day we had some lovely sunny spells and managed to avoid any more cloudbursts. So George, Graham B and Michael set off with me from the Bridge, and the plan was to pick Mike up from the hamlet of South Sillaton (not far from the Maize) around about 10 a.m. The plan worked quite well and we made towards Pensilva for tea-break. However, Mike was feeling a little shakey by then, but valiantly carried on from there as it was a mostly downhill route towards Metherell, and somehow he had to get back to his car!!
Having reccied the route last week, I discovered the pub Michael had remembered fondly and thought we could use as a lunch stop had closed down. So my revised plan was to go to the Who'd Have Thought It Inn in St Dominick. But as time was now slipping by I didn't think we would make it there by the 2p.m so we plumped for a lunch stop at The Engine House in Kelly Bray instead. From there we carried on our route passing through St Dominick about 3.30p.m. but the pub was closed for the afternoon, and we were now heading back to the main road where Michael would go his own sweet way back to Calstock and Mike wanted us to leave him there so he could make his way back at his own pace to his car nearby. George quipped that we didn't like to leave people at the side of the road in case they were captured and put into Cornish Pasties! We said our farewells, our guests were very appreciative of the wonderful ride we'd had and all that had gone into it. I had ridden 46 miles, George and Graham not much different, Michael more than all of us probably about 55, and then Mike our novice the least, I would estimate about 30 but for a first ride he did very well. I was reminded of how I felt when I started with the group 5 years ago, and was coaxed along many times by George!
Many thanks from me to my very supportive team on the day for helping to look after our guests.
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