This was day 5 of our ride and after a night of good rest I felt quite good despite looking at the surrounding mountains at Cheddar which needed to be crossed....another day of steep climbs loomed!
We were all quite surprised that the Cheddar Gorge was relatively easy with about 5kms of climbing at about 5% with 2 short 12% climbs to warm up the legs. The gorge was good to see as the photo's attest.
Thereafter the ride proceeded along country lanes and roads with a lot of downhills which despite being better than climbs, still provide a real test of the brakes with cars. trucks and farm tractors likely to appear at any time.
We passed through some very pretty towns such as Winford, Failand, Portbury and Easton-in Gordano on the way to the outskirts of Bristol. We had some lunch at the pub (Kings Arms) at Easton-in-Gordano. Lunch was a ham and cheese sandwich with a cappuccino. Quite good with the bread being made by the publican.
The next part of our ride was to cross the Avon River on the Avonmouth Bridge by navigating the Avon Cycleway....this proved to be relatively easy compared to the later route finding for the Severn Bridge!
Between the Avon Bridge and Severn Bridge the countryside was flat and with the wind behind us we were travelling at speeds near 30kph for most of the time.
BUT....navigating the Severn Bridge had its challenges....we crossed on the wrong side of the bridge which really mucked up navigation to the final ride in to Chepstow where we were staying for the night....anyway after seeking help from locals with mixed success we met with a few of our fellow riders who had GPS navigation on their Garmin to help.
Accommodation at Castle View Hotel is very comfortable.
A good day of riding with perfect temp of about 22deg and the winds behind us for most of the day.
My legs are starting to feel better and am coping with the hills now quite well
FYI....The group we have has some very interesting people who have embraced significant challenges in the past. We have one lady who has sailed across the Atlantic from UK to US 3 times solo, we have another lady who is going in the NY marathon in November after this ride. Both ladies are in mid to late 60's and are very humble at what they have done and will do...Quite remarkable really.
Also one of our leaders, John, tells us he was a senior technician in the RAF and was assigned to the Royal Flight Corps and regularly flew with the Royal Family on various trips in the UK and the rest of the world..all very interesting.
Now for the photo's....
Climbing the Cheddar Gorge...see the wild goats!
Here is Chris Climbing the Gorge!!!
Our roadway is in the foreground
More Country Lanes...note the Hedge Trimming about halfway up!
Roads were quite generally but you need to watch for cars. If they meet head on it gets interesting
Will we go in for lunch at the Kings Arms???
Yes...of course it looks good and was!!!
On top of the Avonmouth Bridge...
....With a view of the Avon River
On top of the Severn Bridge.
With a view of the Severn River
...another bridge in the distance...not sure of its name
Yours truly on top of the Severn Bridge with Bike
Home for the night at the Castle View Hotel
Very pleasant
With a view of the Castle of course!
Great work Dad. Posts and photos are great. Looks like you are having a great time.
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