Northern News

Number 130                                                                                 Aug 04

               

HON SEC’S JOTTINGS                                        by John Bedford

 

Contributions are welcome now by email, to parkcycles@yahoo.co.uk

This will save me a lot of time typing up the contributions. For those who are regular contributors, many thanks. To the others, I’m sure that you really have some interesting cycling tale that you would like to share with your companions. Please think about it and put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard!)

Club Jerseys. Val is now taking orders for Club Jerseys. There is a subsidy from club funds for each one purchased. Please see Val as soon as possible for further details.

A Supplementary Ride will take place on 12th September to the transport museums at Wythall and Aston, approx 50 miles. Some of the route will be by canal towpath but there will be main roads. About 40 mins will be spent at each site. The ride will start at Sutton Town Hall at 9.15, and will be a full day’s ride. Just turn up on the day or phone Dave Frost for further details on 321 2142.

Portrait Accolade. Jean Bolton has given me a press cutting showing a picture of Maurice Purser and a portrait called The Jamaican that he has painted. This portrait was entered into a national competition for over-60s. 100 were selected, including Maurice’s, from an entry of 2,000, and hung at the Business Design Centre in central London. Well done, Maurice

The DA Winter Clubroom starts again in October. Whilst the dates clash with  our own clubroom at Shenstone, it is hoped that members will support this, meet friends from other sections, and have an enjoyable evening out.

Second Tuesday of the month at 7.30pm. Carrs Lane Church Centre, Central Birmingham. Admission £1-50

October 12th      Roger Thorpe      4C’s     Castles, Coasts, Canals and 

                                                      Cyclists.

November 9th    Rob Bishop         Slovenia/Croatia

December 14th   John Bedford      ‘Six of the Best’ European Cycle

                                                      Tours

Section Annual Slideshow and Presentation. Make a note of the date now, Saturday 27th November at Erdington. I will be showing slides of winter touring in California, and summer touring in Northern Portugal.

Looking For Accommodation? I have just discovered what appears to be an excellent international website for hotels, B&Bs etc. Try www.smoothhound.co.uk.

DA Inter-Section Ride, hosted by the Western Section, is to be held on Sunday 26th September. The ride will leave Norton Scout Hut at

9.30 am. Further details to follow.

The Golden Beeches Weekend will be held at Kingshill, near High Wycombe on the 30th -31st October. Should be a very good weekend knowing the resourcefulness of the South Bucks DA. Beryl and I can give you some details, or send a stamped addressed envelope to:

Mac & Jane Crombie, 26 The Greenway, Penn, High Wycombe, Bucks HP10 8BX

100. Thanks to Val & Chris for planning & organizing, and to Harry & Sheila for providing refreshments after the event. Thanks to all who participated (29) and congratulations to all who achieved their first 100.

Coventry Slide Show. 9th October at the Friends Meeting House. Subject ‘Tibet’. Watch this space for further details.

THE SECTION AGM will be held on Tuesday 2nd November at Shenstone at 8.15pm

 

LETTER

Dear Friends,

I would like to thank everyone for their good wishes, cards and phone calls, brought about by my hasty visit to Good Hope Hospital. I am now recovering and I hope it won’t be too long before I can dust the bike down.     Sheila Child

 

 

 

HAVE YOU READ THE ‘CODE OF CONDUCT’ RECENTLY?

 

 

Davenport lives                                                 by   Terry Forks

This small snippet from our recent end to end is absolutely true and also very nearly verbatim.   I feel sure that we met Davenport and perhaps Arthur can recognise him from the following description.

He locked on to us as soon as we walked in, which wasn’t surprising, since our pink and blue Lycra stood out just a tad amongst the hair shirted bracer toting clientele in this rather dingy shopping market café, reserved, it seemed, for rubbernecked delivery men waiting for the cabaret to start.  In his sixties, a couple of stone overweight, red faced with a bleary but unnerving stare.  He sat back in his chair to make room for his corpulent paunch getting himself comfortable for the task in hand.

“Cyclists eh!” he mused loudly, the grey diminutive figure sitting opposite him looked up from her reverie, raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips as though the Queen he had just dropped in, then realising her error returned to her contemplative mug of tea.  Mmm I breathed amiably “used to do a bit myself” he said. Here it comes, the ‘I once went to Rhyl and back in 3 hours on a margarine sandwich’ routine, but no we were in for something completely different. “Nearly got disqualified from the Milk Race”.   Really.  I said, taken by surprise, I tried to catch the word as it came out but too late the catalyst had been supplied,  “yes, I welded a five speed derailleur onto a Sturmey Archer hub”.  Very innovative I interjected.  “I’d got 3 speeds at every cog” he beamed.  I made a quick calculation and was able to confirm this with a nod   “Yes, and I never had any punctures”.  That’s something, I exclaimed, (there was no going back now). “I filled the tyres with this expanded polystyrene, new in those days y’now”.  You certainly were ahead of your time I tendered.  “And that’s not all, I carried a spare wheel”.  Very wise I grunted. “Not a front one mind” he said knowingly.  He paused to give me time to consider the options but I wasn’t quick enough.  “A back one” he over emphasised, again he paused for me to ponder the significance but he could see that I wasn’t going to get this either “‘cos you can use the back in the front but not the other way round”. Ahh I said, in a penny dropping way.  I was now on the edge of my seat waiting to hear how he got it to roll up or fold to fit in his back pocket but, disappointingly, I’m afraid that that was all folks.

I watched them do a little bit of synchronised tea supping and then “Got to go” and they made for the door but as they did she turned and gave me a smile, very brief but long enough to bring the words send, wind and up to mind.  I hadn’t been ‘ad had I? 

 

THE ULTIMATE DETERRENT                             by John Bedford

 

Recently I had a ‘Jeep Commanche Classic’ kid’s full-suspension bike in for repair. You know the sort, designed in the USA and made in Taiwan. I was surprised to find the attached label on it:-

“CAUTION. Never ride a bike at night without lights. Never ride a bike when it is wet outside.”

Now I can understand about the lights, but what chance have we of getting kids riding if they’re discouraged from riding in the rain, particularly in this country!

 

26th Triennial Veterans' Ride, Chester Area               by Mary Evans

Sunday, 4th July 2004

 

"Is Mary There?

 

With some trepidation on my part, we left High Kinnerton Scouts Hut promptly at 8.51 a.m, the groups setting off at approximately l0 minute intervals.  With ll in our Group 9 and Joan Hughes leading, we set off at a very brisk pace indeed: 15 - 16 m.p.h. accelerating to 18 m.p.h. at times along undulating countryside.  This pace was kept up for most of the l00 miles.  It was a wonderful feeling knowing I was being looked after by so many caring people, who made sure I kept in the middle of the bunch.  Joan kept the group together brilliantly and made sure I was "up front" by calling out at intervals "Is Mary there?".  "I'm here" came the frequent reply, falling off the back only 2/3 times.  I felt very

special indeed - poor John, he felt a little left out at times!  We were still doing 14/15 m.p.h. on the last 5/6 miles, the pace hardly altered at all !

 

The weather was set fair; warm, sunny and somewhat breezy but no rain! Perfect cycling weather.  We cycled through pretty, unspoilt villages in Cheshire, Flintshire and Shropshire with the Welsh Mountains as the perfect backdrop.

 

The routes and mileage

 

Kinnerton - Overton (Coffee stop)   23 miles

Overton - Llanmynech  (lunch)          21 miles

Llanmynech - Overton (tea break)    32 miles

Overton - Kinnerton     (home)          25 miles

 

As a diversion on the afternoon run, we stopped at Melverley Church, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Severn and Vyrnwy.  The church has stood there for nearly 600 years and housed many interesting and historic church furniture, including a Saxon font and an ancient oak door; a 400 years old Jacobean altar; a 1727 chain bible (so precious it was chained to the lectern so that anyone could read it); a Jacobean pulpit and 18th century seating. The river(s) flooded in l998 and a stone marked the height of the flood which nearly reached to the top of the bank near the church door. A worthwhile stop.

 

The event was extremely well organised and efficiently run.  Food and refreshments were excellent and a cup of tea has never tasted so good!  The hard work done by the Chester and N. Wales D.A. was much appreciated by all the cyclists.

 

After Ride Get Together and Presentation

 

Each cyclist was awarded a badge and certificate presented by the famous cartoonist, Johnny Helms.  Many thanks were given to the organisers and helpers.

 

Those who took part from the Northern Section were:- Val and Chris Jones, Brian Hailing, Jean Bolton and John and Mary Evans.

 

It is a worthwhile event in which to take part and anybody over 50 can take part.  And yes………………

                                   I DID IT………….!!!!!!!!!!

WELSH CYCLING FESTIVAL                                by Mary Evans

23 - 26Th JULY 2004

 

The Festival was based near the lake shore at Bala Rugby Club where there was camping with toilet and hot showers.

 

The surrounding spectacular countryside was ideal for cycling whether you were a novice, a returning cyclist or a long distance expert. Families with children were not forgotten with shortish, flatish routes available on quiet lanes.

 

On Saturday there were two Audax rides:  The Festival 100 and The Festival 200.  On Sunday the "Festival Grimpeur" (Hilly) and the "Horseshoe Hundred" was organised for those who love the speed and hills!

 

John and I elected to do our own thing and on Saturday we took the high road to Lake Vrynwy, climbing up through the mountain pass before dropping down into Lake Vrynwy.  What beautiful scenery and so quiet and peaceful, the only sounds to be heard was the constant babbling of the rivers and streams, the baa-ing of the sheep and the skylarks singing when we reached the top of the pass on the moorland. 

 

The Lake was created by the City of Liverpool during the 19th century because so many Liverpudlians were falling sick and dying because of the lack of fresh water.  The village was flooded but before this was done, the church was demolished and stone by stone, brick by brick, was transported to the other end of the valley and reconstructed together with new houses for the villagers.

 

We lingered for sometime around the lake and found what we thought was the same pass back to Bala but we didn’t realise that there were two passes back and chose the wrong one!  We seemed to climb forever through and over the most beautiful scenery until we reached some crossroads with a signpost pointing one way to Dinas Mawddwyy and the other to Bala.

 

It didn’t matter for we descended  for about seven miles reaching the other end of Lake Bala and had a great run home on the flat.  We cycled about 40 miles which was good considering the mountainous terrain.

 

On Sunday, it rained and it rained all day.  There was a family ride to Lake Celyn but we couldn’t wait until the l0.30 am start so proceeded to cycle on our own.  It was a long climb all the way there in the pouring rain and wind.  We persevered and eventually reached the top, saw the lake and came down soaking wet. The descent was great,taking a different route back to a sodden campsite. I reminded John that it was our wedding anniversary that day and I had always wanted to spend it on top of a Welsh mountain in the pouring rain and mist with sheep for company!! 

36 miles

 

We stayed in a brilliant B& B, one mile from Bala. It was a very old mill, parts of which dated back to the l3th century and which had Roman remains in the foundations.  The garden was so beautiful and it was a great pleasure to sit in it surrounded by the summer flowers, ponds and trickling water.

 

We attended the talk and slide show presented by Chris who last August/September went with Peter Crofts, a CTC tour leader to Northern India, reaching the Kashmir Border and travelling along the Indus Valley.  It was the best talk and slide show we have ever been to and what adventures they had and it was interesting how they pulled together as a group when disaster struck which was on many occasions i.e. no roads existing when landslides occurred in front of them.  Bikes smashed because the bus driver had forgotten he had bikes on his roof when he came to and through overhangs!

 

It was the second time Chris had been in the area and he had slides from his previous visit which he showed to compare and contrast.  It was interesting to see how villages had changed and what had remained.  Fascinating!  Needless to say he is going again.

 

John and I enjoyed the weekend very much and although the cycling was arduous we felt very pleased with ourselves and vowed we would return to Wales again very soon.

Also it was refreshing to meet different people and we soon made acquaintance with many friendly people.  

           

SOUTH OF ENGLAND RALLY                                 by Dave Frost

 

In answer to an advertisement in a CTC magazine I decided to go down and investigate the South of England Rally held at Fort Purbrook on a hill overlooking Portsmouth during the recent May Bank Holiday weekend. The Fort is part of an imposing chain of brick buildings constructed by the then Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, in the mid 19th century to protect the naval dockyards of Pompey against an inland invasion by the French.

 

I went down by train with a change at Winchester for a mere £52 (probably cheaper to fly to Dublin). For those of you that have never taken their bikes by Virgin, there are many problems to overcome. Firstly you must book in advance but you no longer have to pay a fee. You do have to search the train for the bike compartment that can be at either end, and it is no good asking the sleepy train attendant. When you locate the apartment it is a sharp right hand turn and then you suspend your bike from the ceiling with some hooks. I have never been asked to show my ticket, and on occasions when the compartment is full the train guard has never asked me to remove my bike. Southwest trains, on the other hand, operate a system similar to Central Trains – nobody cares, though there is a special area/compartment for bikes. I eventually arrived at Havant and proceeded uphill to the fort and my campsite.

 

On arrival I was given a briefing on the campsite, shown the amenities

and where to put up my tent. As it was dark I did as instructed and then went to the pub. Next day, in daylight, I moved my tent closer to the other intrepid campers! Rooms were available for those who had no faith in the Bank Holiday weather, and of course there were pitches for mobile homes. Meals and packed lunches were available but had to be prebooked. There was also a kitchen for the real ruffy-tuffies amongst us. I don’t know how many or what the rooms or kitchen were like, so don’t ask.

 

Tea, coffee and squash were laid on after the rides, although if you had been adventurous and gone on a long one there was a distinct lack of milk.

 

I haven’t the faintest idea how many rides were available (led or otherwise) but I am certain there were enough from A rides to Family Rides. Being brave I opted for a long run on Saturday with the destination earmarked as a railway station on the Bluebell Line near Winchester. To the groups horror when we arrived the café was closed (bit of bad planning on the leader’s side). Anyway, there was a picnic area and a pub nearby. Also the leader had the habit of deviating from the routesheet without any regard for those behind him, thus splitting the group up. Luckily there was a backmarker who kept us together. On one occasion I was in the fast group and I got split up not knowing where we were heading. With the aid of my map I was able to backtrack to my last known position. Despite a bit of bad leading I lived to tell the tale. Anyway, after that I stuck like glue to some cyclists from Reading who possessed some local knowledge.

 

In the evening there was a line dancing thing going on…. I went to the pub!

 

On Sunday I coerced the Reading people into letting me go with them to the annual Isle of Wight Randonnee (even though it meant getting up before the sparrows). Next year it will be held on the same Bank Holiday weekend, if you are interested. I was told that about a thousand people do it each year, the ferry was certainly full of cycles going across and returning. The Randonnee followed the normal audax patternin that it was just over 100kms, had 7 checkpoint from which you could also start. We commenced at a place called Havenstreet because it was nearest to Ryde and the ferry. The route was clearly marked with fixed metallic signs. It was quite hilly – I was expecting something flatter. At each checkpoint free squash was available, and at two of the control points (schools) tea, buns and other drinks could be purchased.

 

That evening for entertainment there was a slide show…. I went to the pub!

 

As Monday was the last day only shorter rides were available. I opted for a led ride to Chichester. There were about 35 on the ride, which was probably too many. There seemed to be a lot of stopping, waiting and starting. On the way back we never stopped at Fishbourne for coffee because the heavens opened up and the weather outlook wasn’t much better.

 

There was a final tea after this ride, but I was on a deadline for my train, and as I don’t find conversation easy I packed my tent and left quickly with the silver.

 

On balance (forgetting the moans) I had a good time and met some great people. The campsite was well provided with fixed toilets and hot showers. Those people that had packed  lunches said they were plentiful and ok, and I can vouch that both the breakfast and evening meal were good.

 

Two stalls provided us with cycling equipment – our own Park Cycles with spares, and a second one with cut-price clothing.

 

If there is a rally next year it would be good to see the Northern and our affiliated neighbours represented. You don’t have to mix with us, and you may come away with new cycling routes and holiday plans/ideas.

 

After that excursion my next holiday was the KM 164 at Dumfries, the virtues of which I have previously extolled. Finally there was the bike bus to Italy in June….

 

{This was about our seventh South of England Rally, and the second at Purbrook. Beryl and I can thoroughly recommend such events for meeting new people and coming away with touring ideas}

BLESSED ARE THEY WHO PEDAL                 by Arthur McHugh

 

It’s not every day you see an Archbishop on his bike; but the opportunity arose one balmy afternoon last month, July 20th to be precise. The place was St Mary’s College, Oscott, and how it happened was as follows:

 

The Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham was the man involved. It should be said first that this title is a misnomer, since his far-flung empire extends from Stoke-on-Trent to Oxfordshire, and includes the whole of the West Midlands. (Read on, all this is relevant.) Anyway, despite a recent hip operation, this intrepid fellow decided to do a week-long 235-mile charity ride from Aston-by-Stone to Henley-on Thames – not exactly a dawdle by anyone’s standard.

 

Oscott was scheduled as an overnight stop on the route, and people began to arrive there early in the afternoon, although the archbishop was not due till about 4. By prior arrangement, scores of children came with their bikes and passed the waiting time cycling the college’s perimeter road, a beautiful, safe track shaded by high trees and edged with leafy glades. Barbecue food and a bouncy castle were also available, the atmosphere being that of a summer fete minus the stalls.

 

The backdrop to all this was the college itself, a cluster of attractive buildings in the Tudor style, not unlike Aston Hall, but bigger. St Mary’s, however, dates from the first year of Queen Victoria’s reign, and has been a Catholic seminary since then.

 

You wouldn’t expect an archbishop to cycle about the countryside on his own; but it was something of a surprise when he arrived with no less than 78 other cyclists who had accompanied him that day from Burton-on-Trent, with a lunch stop at Walsall. The group included priests, nuns and assorted members of the laity, all of them helmeted and colourfully clad in normal cycling gear. Needless to say, this ecclesiastical peleton created quite a stir on the Chester Road. And as they rode the final stretch up the college drive, the waiting throng lined up on both sides and applauded in the true Tour de France tradition.

Easter 2004 with the Rough Stuff Fellowship          by Albert Taylor

 

Once again Frank and I spent Easter with the Rough Stuff Fellowship (RSF) for the annual meet. This year the venue was Cbyro just across the river from Hay on Wye. We had the usual mix of weather – some spring-like sunshine, some Welsh rain and intervals of keen winds.

 

The RSF base was the Baskerville Hall Hotel, an imposing building created for the Baskerville family in the late 19th century. It seems that Arthur Conan Doyle was a fairly regular visitor and he did some of his literary work there. He used the impressive house in his Sherlock Holmes mystery The Hound of the Baskervilles, but to enhance the drama he moved the location to the edge of Dartmoor.

 

The gathering of members on Friday was as ever friendly and informative, not many from the Midlands, but our members from the north were in good strength. In the slide competition presented on the night Roger Thorp, Frank and I did well.

 

There is of course plenty of ‘rough stuff’ in the area and the lanes make good cycling too, being mostly quiet. Daffodils were abundant providing a fine splash of colour, but the humbler celandine were attractive too in the verges and hedgerows. On the brighter days the mountains made a splendid backcloth to the scene, but in dull moments they merged into the mist.

 

Saturday evening was the AGM, which was rather quiet, whilst Sunday was the Annual Dinner. This was a very pleasant event with 75 present. The hotel served us well for meals etcetera, and we felt most welcome.

All in all a good Easter meet.

 

 

SCOTLAND BY COACH                                     by Maurice Purser

 

So you’re off on tour, are you? Well now, you wouldn’t be reading the Northern News if you didn’t intend going by bike. That’s for sure, and all very well; but may we make a plea, on bended knees if necessary – DO NOT GO ON A COACH TOUR.

 

We were recently cajoled into signing up for a long-distance Coach Tour – you know the sort of blurb put out by various advertising bods – ‘Executive Coach’ (Meaning one more inch of room for your legs); service of a courier (Some poor lass who hasn’t got a clue); Evening Entertainment (Disco). Delightful scenery (see below). And so on.

 

Anyway, here are a few of the hilarious incidents we met with. The ‘Conducted Tour of the Beauties of Scotland’ started from Cannock, and we hadn’t got clear of the suburbs before one gent stood up in the gangway, faced us all and suggested we all clap our hands over our heads and sang ‘We Are H-A-P-P-Y’. Well that was just the start.

 

At some Godforsaken dump not far from Knutsford we were ordered to dismount and file into a glorified shed to sit at rows of benches and trestle tables – for lunch. It appeared that one coachful after another is put through this drill hour after hour 7 days a week.

 

Some time after, we rolled across Rannoch Moor and started to descend the wild Pass of Glencoe, but here the courier pulled down the blinds and launched into the delights of Bingo. Then while traversing the Trossachs she insisted that each one of the passengers stood and sang a comic song – all we could think of was ‘I’m Henery (sic) the 8th I am’ which received a very cool response.

 

Whilst all this was going on, a middle-aged couple decided that the back row of seats was just the very place for a spot of lovemaking – went on non-stop it did.

 

At each of the six overnight stops in various places from Glasgow to John-O-Groats the evening meal main course was stew. Yes, every night. It was darkly rumoured that in the bowels of the coach was a tin bath full of stew. This was ladled out just as much as was necessary to keep us alive.

 

So stick to your bikes, lads – stick to your bike

.

All this is a bit tongue in cheek of course – but if one can’t see the funny side of things, then why go at all?

 

 

FOR SALE

Raleigh Record Ace. 531c Frame & Forks. 25” frame, 12 speed. £120

Mr. Clarke.  Great Barr.    Tel: 358 1862

FOR SALE.  23”Raleigh Roadster which requires some TLC.

21” ParkesTourer, 4speed SA. Stainless steel wheels. Resprayed. In excellent condition. Both probably 1950s.  Prices negotiable.

John, 353 5136