The unsatisfactory first effort at refurbishing the van roof was much improved by sanding everything back and adding another coat with fresh rollers that still fell apart all too soon as the paint thickened.
Thus I left Lower Chapel heading for Priddy on Mendip but stopped en route in the Clydach Gorge to explore the two railway tunnels seen previously.
The field at Priddy was empty as usual and I spent a couple of superb days enjoying some warm sunshine and experimenting with the rigging up of a basic awning for future hot spells.
John the hedgehog rescuer came up from Crediton for the day on his Royal Enfield and met Mark who used to live on site but now has a house in Wells - we discussed the forthcoming volunteering week over at Shepton Mallett - and later I rode over to the Priddy campsite for a few items from the shop which is also used by the village.
Unfortunately on a ride the following day I got caught out by torrential rain which drenched me and even infiltrated my original and 7 years old SatMap rendering it kaput. A quick look on Ebay saw two second hand units available so I placed bids of £150 having recently bought a second unit with the platinum GB card for £340.
Friday saw me packing up and doing a quick shop before heading over to Shepton Mallett where I was planning to join a week's work party helping create part of the Somerset Circle Bike Route. The Greenways and Cycleroutes Charity is building on and adding to the remarkable work achieved by Sustrans in creating the National Cycle Route and indeed the driving force behind much of Sustrans early work is now a hugely motivating and inspiring giant with this new body. John Grimshaw has a wealth of experience in the construction and engineering professions which he applies to these ambitious projects with the enthusiasm and energy of someone half his age.
Following the excellent pre arrival instructions I pulled in to Rock Farm and was directed down to the old limestone quarry by Gavin who had generously made his home available for the volunteers to use as a base camp. Passing a remarkable collection of old Land Rovers and other vehicles I parked near to the large marquee that would be our mess tent with a venerable campervan supplementing a camp kitchen in an old railway goods waggon. I met Chris, Claire and Wendy who were on catering duty, a variety of other volunteers and then Caroline Levett who is another dynamic force behind Greenways.
We were given an overview of the plans for the week with work centred on two external sites and Gavin's sheds and workspaces given over to the construction of shuttering for reinforced concrete structures, wooden benches for seating at the cemetery, preparation of over 100 steel sections for the planned pergola and a multitude of other tasks. The following is an article written to thank all those involved and summarises what was most definitely......
An Unforgettable Week
When a friend from my caving days suggested the prospect of joining a volunteer week on a cycle path building project in Somerset I thought it would be worth turning up to see what’s what and contacted Caroline from the Greenways and Cycleroutes Charity.
Her prompt reply with meticulous details of the work proposed, accommodation and catering arrangements should have given me an inkling of what lay ahead and I arrived at ‘base camp’ in Shepton Mallett full of anticipation.
The old quarry at Gavin’s remarkable property provided flat ground for a number of tents, camper vans and the all-important catering tent complete with large camp kitchen augmented by Chris and Claire’s venerable camper van. Portaloos and a shower were available plus a variety of working environments including an articulated trailer body and across at the farm a range of sheds and open spaces which over the next week would see various teams of skilled and enthusiastic volunteers construct reinforced concrete abutments for a proposed bridge replacement, create sturdy benches from timbers repurposed from a Dutch harbour, assemble gabion cages for filling at both sites and cut and drill the steel bars and tubes for a planned pergola that would form part of a link up to the cycle path for locals.
Thus my first couple of days were spent preparing the metalwork for Charlotte the welder to assemble with the working days followed by excellent meals created and served by Chris, Claire and the ever reliable Wendy who regularly shot off on her bike to deliver snacks, hot drinks and sandwiches to the two off site teams.
Socialising in the marquee at the end of a long day created a host of memories and new friendships and I became deeply impressed by the commitment and goodwill offered to this and other allied projects around the country from a cohort of people from all walks of life with many years of experience across a wide range of careers and hobbies.
John amused us with his bicycle based steam locomotive complete with sound track, Charles’ cargo ebike looked fit to transport all materials for future projects, David sported a new bandage most days and in the background Caroline was constantly orchestrating a hundred and one tasks to keep the project running from her lair: cunningly disguised as a shepherd’s hut
Once the steels were ready I transferred my energies to the cemetery site where mindful of the sensitivities of the location a team were creating a new pathway around the perimeter using the gabions for support and adding hand crafted wooden benches and steel planters to enhance the already peaceful surroundings. Malcolm’s skill on the digger supplemented the physically demanding work by numerous folk who barrowed stone for the gabions and new walls up a slope that after the regular sharp showers became ever more arduous. Each evening tired, muddy but happy workers returned to base camp for yet more exceptional catering and the donated cider before retiring to tents for well-earned rests. As the wet weather moved away temperatures dropped and frosty mornings were followed by drier working conditions.
Various contacts from the local and national bodies behind schemes such as this from across the country joined us midweek to actually get hands on and one evening enjoy a retrospective slide show given by the true giant behind this and many other projects – John Grimshaw.
As the final profile of the path was reached we were able to install the complex but meticulously measured pergola and stainless steel wires that will one day create a green tunnel for the cyclists thus preserving the privacy of cemetery visitors who will also benefit from five new benches. Visitors were greeted respectfully and encouraged to comment on our work and our efforts seemed to be very much appreciated.
The last work day saw the path finished, the boxes planted up by Lucy, Jane and Debbie whilst the two Petes, David, Tim, Jane and others trued up the steel work before a final tidy up of the site leaving just a stone wall to be finished by Geoff before a final curved bench is installed.
Gavin employed a number of his remarkable collection of vehicles, machines and trailers to supply tools, equipment and materials to the various sites whilst juggling family and working life and kindly donated firewood for the evenings which took the edge off the chill and displaced the midges
People began to head home after a hard week, those heading to York and Cumbria having long journeys and those who had cycled over from Wellington, the Forest of Dean and elsewhere looking to exercise a different set of muscles whilst the final group broke camp on the Sunday.
I departed after a truly memorable week and would just like to record my thanks to all those involved for providing such a rewarding (and exhausting) experience and would encourage anyone to get involved in future stages of this remarkable effort. I only visited the bridge site today so will have missed out much of that team’s efforts but their turn will come in mid-October when a new overbridge is installed on the preparatory work they have undertaken.
I returned to Priddy on the Sunday and passing the Hunters decided to pitch up and cycle back for two very enjoyable pints of farmhouse cider and quite possibly a ham and mushroom pasta dish that set me up well for a doze in the afternoon, unfortunately I missed the deadline for the first Ebay auction!
Monday was spent easing aching bones, pulled muscles and blistered hands before on Tuesday with the van cleaned and the domestics serviced I headed in to Bristol to get some new trainers from GoOutdoors and drop a spare MTB tyre in to Dale who had been kind enough to help us out on the Saturday. He gave me a quick tour of the printers he works at - a remarkable array of highly sophisticated machines and equipment were churning out 2025 calendars, posters, leaflets and books.
I took my spare alternator in for testing to an auto-electricians that I had last used almost 40 years ago whilst living nearby and was told contrary to the opinion of a place in Sheffield that it was in perfect working order leading me to suspect that that place had planned to rip me off with a non existent rebuild....Finally I called at Machine Mart for their largest breaker bar and a replacement 19mm socket as I had sheared one in the quarry whilst trying to free off the rear NS wheel bolts that had defeated a garage in Ireland.
As planned I collected Mandy on time from Bristol Parkway and we stopped briefly at Aust services to walk the bridge before arriving in Lower Chapel where Jan produced a good pork supper and we refreshed our knowledge of the various animal routines. A short break near Abergavenny had secured the second Ebay SatMap for £140 including the all GB 1:50,000 SD card : happy days.
I later discovered we had picked up a nail so I took the tyre back in to Brecon where ATS fitted one of the set of five due to be fitted next week rather than repair a puncture. Penylan's water supply had been off since arrival so we filled up at the Morrison's garage - thanks guys - and then returned to see Jan and Ian off on their trip to Devon. A quick whizz out to Sennybridge garage to get my post work party laundry done gave me a chance to get acquainted with Ian's luxurious and powerful Range Rover before I set to on releasing the wheel bolts that had been a nagging worry for the last few weeks. I'd borrowed a powerful blow torch from Crad and this plus the new bar eventually saw the first of five bolts give way. None had rusty threads as I had greased them all on reassembly a year ago following my annual strip down so I can only assume the shoulders had become tight on the steel rims. Much relieved I then removed all four wheels, checked the pad wear and condition of the calipers and reassembled everything having meticulously cleaned all 20 threads and torqued up the bolts.
I'd used the quarry facilities to cut and drill a replacement steel support bar for the waste tank after that had taken a knock in Ireland so fitted it and then gave the van interior a good clean and sorted out all my tools and equipment following the work party. Finally I used the hand held steam cleaner to refresh the cooker, sink, bathroom, blinds and other surfaces of the van before turning my attention to the engine bay.
On the Friday we nipped over to Crad and Dawn's to get instructions re their chickens and horses before a birthday meal in the Shoemakers and a return to LC during a dramatic thunderstorm.
We were up and away early yesterday for the stunning drive over the Epynnt to Garth, past Beulah and up to Abergwesyn and then over the Devil's Staircase to Tregaron with the van performing well on the steep and twisting roads. Our purpose was to attend the AGM of the Elenydd Wilderness Hostels who have run two former YHA simple hostels for the last couple of decades. Y Talbot Inn provided a comfortable function room for the meeting which also involved members attending by Zoom and we enjoyed learning more about the history, work and issues affecting the charity. Many of their concerns echo those of the Mountain Bothies Association with the ever increasing burden of regulations suited to urban housing being imposed on simple shelters - Fire Regs, Building Control, H&S, Waste Management, Safeguarding and the like all making the work of volunteers and trustees so much harder and removing the simplicity of life that so many visitors to these alternative shelters seek, if only temporarily.
After the meeting we all relocated to one of the hostels - Dolgoch - for a buffet lunch and a chance to have a good look round. I committed to returning in November for a work party weekend but will be unlikely to volunteer as a warden any time soon as their training sessions take place in April when I am usually away.
The return to Sennybridge to check on the animals took us round the superb Llyn Brianne reservoir with Mandy taking the wheel on a mystical evening. All was well at both farms and we have returned to the Sennybridge location for the week with a mixed forecast but plenty of things to do round and about.
That's it for now...
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