A Potted Summer Summary and a Little Brittany

After my farm sit above Brecon I joined Chris and Frank at a bothy work party at Moel Prysgau to reinstate barriers and fencing torn down by illegal off roaders before heading back to Sheffield from where the run down to Switzerland did indeed materialise and a very pleasant few days saw us cross from Dover to Calais, pass through northern France and a little of Germany before we passed Zurich and headed in to the mountains. Grateful that at this point Luke was driving the heavy Sprinter full of the family possessions we reached Zuoz in time to offload everything and stroll in to the village. 

Our return was a slightly more relaxed affair on a different route that passed through Luxembourg and Belgium before we returned the van to Tamworth on time after around 1600 miles. Having seen a mountain bike in the area that Mandy found ideal we picked it up, had a few adjustments made and then returned to Sheffield where the following day after my recent overhaul of major components the van flew through its MOT. 

We then headed in to Derbyshire to cycle the High Peak route starting with the steep Middleton Incline and spinning round Carsington Water before joining Pete and Nina in Dethick where she is still recuperating from their scooter crash in Spain. We took advantage of the superb comfort of their RV whilst Pete rustled up an excellent dinner.

I then headed south for the impending Bank Holiday to stay in Brecon from where I tackled a favourite mountain bike route over the Beacons to Pontsticill and back via the Gap road. Low cloud and drizzle made it something of a challenge but then things hotted up for the weekend. On a sweltering Saturday Crad and I chased around the MTB circuit at Abergorllech before enjoying a much needed beer and good food at the Black Lion before I left on the Sunday to tuck away at a favourite location above Aberystwyth. En route I returned to MP bothy on the bike and was disheartened to see our efforts of a fortnight ago had been trashed again, fortunately the bothy was in good order and appreciative comments in the book were a tonic.
Monday saw me calling in to the Elan Valley bothy which was also in good order, similarly Nant Rhys the following day which I visited after a night at the peaceful Glangwy campsite where as usual Sue kept the place as neatly as ever.

A busy week at home saw us preparing for our journey south but also included a few days up in Northumberland calling to see family in York en route and then enjoying some excellent riding on the quiet lanes and a trip across the causeway to Lindisfarne. Dunstanburgh castle looked very impressive as we cycled the coastal route before joining family at Paxton House for the weekend. 

Here Robert and Morag entertained us royally in their comfy motorhome as we caught up with the tales from his successful LEJOG ride. 
Near to the Chain Bridge we visited the eponymous honey farm and were fascinated by the explanations of the bee keepers world and the large and quirky collection of vehicles, machines and memorabilia acquired by the owner over the years.



Thus in early September we began what for me should be another lengthy trip away with a run down to Priddy on the Mendips for a good ride over to Chew, around Bristol Airport and back though Nailsea followed by an excellent meal in the cosy Queen Vic.
After a morning in Glastonbury we passed the huge construction site that is Hinckley C nuclear power station before arriving in Lynton to see friends who moved there almost two years ago. High quality workmanship was evident in the large rebuild along one side of the house and Greg and Alex have achieved much elsewhere with their shepherd's hut looking very cosy and much work on the garden.
A birthday meal at the Thai restaurant in town was delicious and required a good coastal walk the following day to walk off the excess - having had a high fasting blood glucose result a couple of weeks earlier, possibly an early indicator of diabetes but in fact more likely due to excessive sweeties the night before - a fact confirmed by a normal result a fortnight later, I have lost 8 kilos and aim to lose another 10.
We caught a train from Barnstaple to Eggesford and then cycled over to the Tarka Trail to return along the coast before moving on to Hartland Point for a couple of days walking the stunning coastline including picturesque Hartland Quay and the lighthouse. Views across to Lundy reminded me of a lovely trip there 5 years ago and I also recalled my walk through the region as part of the SW Coastal Route in the early 80's. Crackington Haven reminded me of a dramatic incident when staying there whilst living in Bristol around that time when a friend fell off the cliff path late at night. Port Isaac was busy but still an attractive location nestled along the dramatic coastline.

Down at Bodmin we spent 3 nights on a recently opened C&CC Certificated Site that allowed us to enjoy the Camel Trail down to busy Padstow and cycle through the grounds of  the Lanhydrock NT property.
We had a final day on the beach at Seaton in hot sunshine before taking the Torpoint ferry over to Plymouth for a look around the city. It was the university graduation day up on the Hoe so proud families were celebrating en masse as we dined well in the Waterfront Restaurant as our ship arrived from Roscoff.
Under a full moon we set sail later that evening and slept well in a comfy cabin having chatted to a lad George who was setting off on his first trip in a self converted Sprinter.

Within two hours of arrival we were at a riverside aire in Huelgoat and heading off to a voie verte that linked Morlaix to Carhaix. We headed north to Morlaix and enjoyed  drinks in the shade of the large viaduct before returning across country using the excellent Satmap 20 and its 1:25000 mapping of the NE of France. A few off road links were taken in its stride by the Scott Scale and we returned in time to enjoy local wine and cider (served in a china tea cup!) by the lake. The following day we took the southerly section to Carhaix and then moved on to Lac Guerdelan which sits mid way along the Nantes Brest Canal that we had enjoyed in 2017.
After a couple of rides there we moved on to St Agnan to a very peaceful aire alongside the church and followed some of the canal route which was as beautiful as we remembered.
Moving on to a campsite at La Gacilly we had a bit of a service stop with hook up for two nights and some laundry done. It turns out to be the centre of the Yves Rochers cosmetics empire and a classy boutique was offering their full range at very good prices.


 The village itself was also well worth a look and as a bonus we were there in time to enjoy the last week of a major photographic exhibition covering subjects as diverse as climate change, international boundaries, life in the far north of Russia and the invasion of Czechoslovakia.
The almost empty site had some novel forms of accommodation and at 13 euros a night was good value.
We are now at Messac-Guipry in an aire next to a marina on La Villaine a river which is navigable and has a good towpath. An early ride this morning saw us escape most of the afternoon rain and we were both hugely relieved to see via a Whatsapp video call that Mandy's brother is up and about, albeit wearing a scary neckbrace, following a cycling accident on Sunday. He faces a few months of inactivity but should make a full recovery so we will endeavour to see them in November when I return although Mandy will probably go up after her return in a fortnight.

I feel very fortunate to be back on the road again, away from the chaotic political events back home which may or may not affect my future plans but as I have learnt from the serious injuries to two very lovely people politics are rarely the architects of misfortune , sometimes life just sucks.

Additional piccies sit here.