Number 146
July 06
HON SEC’S JOTTINGS by John Bedford
The AGM will be held this year at the Clubroom at
8-15pm on Tuesday 31st October. Harry Child has given notice that he
will not be standing for re-election to the Committee or as DA Secretary. Harry
has been a committee member for very many years and has made an enormous
contribution to the running of the Section and DA, for which we thank him.
A warm welcome to those new riders who have recently joined
us. I hope you are enjoying the rides. If there is any aspect that you are
unhappy about please talk to me or any other member of the Committee (listed
inside the front cover). All riders must be CTC members or have completed a
disclaimer form. Application for full membership should be made no later than
the fifth ride. Membership forms are available from Beryl and myself.
Want to learn more about cycling? I am now in a position to offer
courses in cycling techniques (to the new National Standards), emergency
repairs and workshop skills. I have also put together a number of slideshow
programmes about cycletouring which may be of interest to clubs such as WI,
TWG, Rotary etc. Leaflets are available from me
100 in 10 or 12 hours. This will be held on Sunday 13th
August this year. We will be using the northern route which goes via Ashby,
Repton, Wyaston, Rocester, Sudbury and Elford. The 12 hour ride leaves
Shenstone clubroom at 8 am, and the 10 hour ride leaves at 9 am. Sandwiches to
be carried for lunch. Entry fee £1-50 to cover expenses. Entry forms available
from Val & Chris or Beryl and myself. Entries
no later than Tuesday 8th August, please.
Don’t forget that Mildenhall Rally is on the August Bank
Holiday weekend, and that the South Bucks are holding their Golden Beeches
weekend in the Chilterns from 28th – 29th October. Please
talk to Beryl or myself regarding details. Early booking is advisable for both
events. John & Mary are joining us in the Chilterns. Let’s give the
Northern a distinct presence at these weekend events.
Birmingham Clubroom has reverted to meeting on Tuesday evenings,
which unfortunately clashes with our own clubroom evening. The first of the
monthly slideshows will be held on Tuesday, 10th October. Details of
the programme are not yet available.
Nick Sutton. I recently received an email from Nick who
rode with the club in the 70s. He now lives in Kyoto, Japan. He still cycles
and would like to hear from anybody who knew him. He can be contacted at “Nick
Sutton”nixuton@yahoo.com
Meriden Weekend. What a wet weekend! Nevertheless, those that
turned up appeared to be pleased with the programme. About 150 entered the
Challenge Rides, though not all turned up to ride. I was amazed how far some
people had travelled – from the south coast, and at the other extreme,
Newcastle upon Tyne.
Thanks to
those of the Northern who helped in any way. We supported the weekend extremely
well. Harry and Sheila provided a very nice meal on the Saturday evening,
though numbers were down a little this year,
Mick Ives
gave an interesting talk which attracted about 100 people – probably the
largest crowd we’ve had for a Saturday night.
A new
venture was a full day ride on the Sunday. Whilst this attracted only a handful
of riders, I think it has potential given better weather.
Next year
this prestigious event will again be held on the 19th and 20th
May, so make a note of the date now. Any suggestions for changes or
developments would be most welcome.
Lichfield By-pass. There are plans to build a Lichfield by-pass. I
am trying to obtain details, but I understand it will cross Claypit Lane
(Aldershaw) and run along The Fosseway. We may have to campaign (yet again) for
a cyclists’ crossing. Is anybody interested in looking into this matter?
SOME SNIPPETS.
Cycling
England will get £10m a year for 3 years. The extra money will be spent on
cycling training for school children.
The cycle
proficiency scheme no longer exists. The new scheme is called ‘The National
Standard for Cycling’ – CTC had a major influence on this development.
Teachers in
England & Wales can now enjoy the same access to the ‘Cycle to Work’
bike-buying scheme as workers in other sectors. See www.bikeforall.net
for details.
At the end
of July Royal Dutch Gazelle will cease making its own frames, effectively
ending the mass-production of frames in Europe.
NOSTALGIA
by Brian
Langdell
Northern News Nov 1951
After 3
years as editor Sam Sylvester passed the eyeshade to Terry Kemp. At this time a
competition was in full flow for the best written holiday tour. One entry was a
detailed tour of Pembrokeshire by four ladies. They had a few problems, the
worst was following a track recommended by Ted Nevett which had mud 8” deep due
to army tanks. An intriguing entry in the log was ‘On the supper table was the
largest bowl of beetroot we’d ever seen and all of us positively wooped with
delight at the sight. The bowl was quite empty by the end of the meal ‘(?!)
Some
members seemed keen to publish a specification for their ideal touring bike;
these were published in the CTC Gazette, and here is one from the NN. It is
interesting to see what components were available at that time, and the prices.
*** MY I.T.B. ***
Recently
there was a discussion in this paper on ‘MY IDEAL TOURING BIKE.’ ‘Cyclonda’ said it should be a modified
massed-start iron and many tourists agree. ‘Gearless’, a friend of ours, has
drawn up the following specification using mostly continental parts. Why he
calls himself ‘Gearless’ we just do not know, for his bikes simply bristle with
cogs! Anyway here it is:-
ARBOS FRAME complete with
chainwheelset 13. 15. 0.
Brakes. CLB. ‘Alp’ 1. 19.
6.
PEDALS. Lyotard quill pattern 17. 6.
BEND & STEM. Frejus alloy
1. 6. 6.
(WHEELS 26 x 1 ¼ San Gorgio
rims )
(Hubs – Gnutti Specials, alloy &
chrome finish ) 4.
5. 6.
(Spokes DB stainless steel or
rustless )
TYRES Sprites x 2 1. 7.
6.
Tubes & rim tapes. Complete set
(HP)
12. 8.
SIMPLEX 5-speed 3/32 movement complete 1. 12. 6.
CAIMI EVEREST 5-speed FREEWHEEL 1. 19. 6.
BRAMPTON 3/32 FRENCH CHAIN 12. 6.
MUDGUARDS Lefol French alloy 17. 6.
TOECLIPS Christophe 6. 3.
SADDLE, must be English. BROOKS
B17N 2.
9. 0.
TRACK NUTS
3. 0.
TOTAL £32. 10.
5.
A cheapened version uses AIRONE
FRAME complete
With chainwheelset, Simplex lever
& cable 11. 11.
0.
BRAKES. CLB alloy 1.
15. 6.
BLUEMEL MUDGUARDS 15. 0.
SIMPLEX 4speed without lever or
cable 1. 0.
0.
REGINA 4speed Freewheel 1. 4. 6.
This specification saves no less
than:- £3.
18. 0.
Either bit of either specification
is obtainable from
J A WILSON, 216 ASTON ROAD,
BIRMINGHAM.
George Dale
was organizing a trip down a working coal mine, meeting at Radcliffe Place
(City Centre) at 07.45.
The new
Alternative Section had a ride to Ludlow. Eight members turned up, including
Sid with an injured finger, having put it in the chain wheel the day before.
The ride home was a struggle, in capes, and Harry Child with 8 broken spokes in
his back wheel.
Bonfire
weekends were popular; one group went to Wall under Haywood in Shropshire, and
another group to Sharpcliffe Hall YH near Ipstones. It rained most of Saturday
and Sunday, but even so good fires were managed. The YH was full, 100 beds and
60 were self-cookers, so there was quite a battle for facilities in the untidy
self-cookers kitchen. They reported ‘The idea seemed to be that the crowd on
one side of the fire threw bangers at the people on the other side. It was
surprising that there were only two casualties, one a Northerner who was caught
bending and had a hole blown in his shorts!
In 1951
cycle batteries were basic disposable, no NiCD rechargeables then. A member of
the club designed a piece of equipment to ‘re-activate’ twin cell and other dry
batteries using ex Government components, claiming up to 20 ‘re-activations’,
and would cost around fifteen shillings to make. ‘By sharing this cost between
a group of cyclists this could prove an economical proposition. Batteries cost
1 shilling and a ‘re-activation’ costs less than 1 penny in electricity.’
PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION from Simon Davies
As
mentioned in the last Northern News, we are hoping to hold a photographic
competition this summer. Entries can be anything to do with cycling: pictures
of club runs, events, the scenery that you passed on tour and on holiday,
pictures of the Tour de France or even arty pictures of bicycles or components
– whatever you feel like snapping. If we get enough interest then we are hoping
to hold a display in the clubroom at the Northern AGM in the autumn, with a
small prize for the winners. They will also be put on the club website. And if
the quality is good enough (which I am sure it will be) we may even look at
producing a club calendar for next year. I’ll put out another call for entries
at the end of the summer, but in the meantime you can send digital images to me
(simon.davies@blueyonder.co.uk) or pass on
prints to me which I will scan and return the originals to you.
A DAY RIDE IN ORKNEY
by Simon Davies
Well, yes,
you are right: even for one of the Northern’s “Car Assisted” rides Orkney is a
little far for a day ride! However, the university had seen fit to send me up
to the ‘frozen north’ for a couple of weeks over Easter and so I thought that I
ought to spend at least one day on a bike.
The
apartment that I was staying at in Kirkwall came complete with two mountain
bikes, but being less than seven feet tall and knowing that Orkney was an
island and thus there would be a need for working brakes to prevent one from
getting damp, I popped round the corner to Bobby’s Cycle Centre. Ten minutes
and £8 later I emerged with a Giant ‘Boulder’ MTB fitted with slick tyres and a
kick-stand. A little negotiation had also won me an only moderately smelly
helmet and a pump.
And I was
off, past the brand new Kirkwall Library in which I’d spent a proportion of the
previous week slaving over excavation reports, turn right at Kirkwall’s
supermarket, which proves that no matter where one goes in the country there’ll
never be a shortage of spotty “yoofs” sat at checkouts with a vocabulary
consisting only of different pitched grunts, and out of town into the
countryside. And into the headwind. Orkney is almost totally devoid of trees
and this lack of shelter really tells, especially
allied with
its location out in the North Sea. I had thought it odd that virtually every
other cyclist I’d seen while there had aero-bars fitted to their cycles – now I
knew why!
Less than a
quarter of a mile from the town and the kick-stand was starting to annoy. It
seemed to be taking great delight in stabbing my shin at any opportunity. So I
took its name at face value, got off the bike and stood there kicking it.
Repeatedly. After a little remanufacturing I seemed to have cured the problem
and then was left only with the tendency to dance the Can-Can while riding
along, it being the first time I’d ridden a bike with flat pedals since about
ten years old and it was very difficult not to pull up on the back stroke and
give the impression that I was practicing my karate kicks as I rode along.
On passing
the towering Wideford Hill, which I’d walked up the day before: 1 in 7
gradients but wonderful views of much of the eastern side of the island from
the top, and out along the coast road. This is the main road across Orkney but
apart from where the ferries unload there is really very little traffic on it
and what there is tends to give the cyclist a wide berth. Up the stiff climb
through Finstown and a wide vista opens up ahead. In the far distance the hills
of Hoy can be sen, dark and brooding, standing like sentinels guarding the
islands from Scotland. Now some downhill at last and a roll down into the
parish of Stennes. Here are the remains of the Stones of Stennes stone circle.
The stones, several metres tall, are clean and have a fine chiseled look to
them which contrasts greatly with the darker, more organic standing stones of
the Ring of Brodgar just across the causeway. If you ever see images of a stone
circle on Orkney on TV then it’s sure to be the ring of Brodgar. These stone
circles are surrounded on three sides by lakes and it has been suggested that
they are cosmographic representations of the islands: the lakes representing
the surrounding sea and the stones representing the surrounding hills – thus
allowing man to demonstrate his power over nature by recreating his own model
of it Also at Stennes is the Maes Howe chambered tomb. From a distance this
looks strangely similar to one of the Hobbit holes from The Lord of the rings
films, but on closer inspection one gets a better impression of its true
monumental size. It, like the stone circles, dates from the later part of the
Neolithic, between 3000 and 2000 BC. The quality of the stonework is truly
amazing, although no mortar is used to bed the stones and metal tools hadn’t
been invented when it was built, the individual stones fit together almost
perfectly, indeed better than many modern buildings. From the outside it takes
the form of a huge hillock with a ditch and small bank surrounding it. One has
to stoop to pass through the long entrance passage – here the two walls, the
floor and the roof each consist of a single stone, several metres long, which
have been worn so smooth that one might mistake them for marble. This passage
is aligned such that at the midwinter solstice the sun will shine directly down
it and illuminate the main chamber. One can easily stand up in the main chamber
with much room to spare, in fact the white washed corbelled ceiling is a modern
replacement after the original fell in before Viking times. Ah, the Vikings, or
Norse to give their correct title, we know that they were here because of the graffiti that they left in the tomb. It
consists of such profound adages as: “Haermund Hardaxe carved these runes”,
“Thorni was a woman’s name” and “Ingigerth is the most beautiful of women” I
guess some things never change!
After
exploring the side chambers of the tomb it’s back out into the sunshine and a
short walk to Barnhouse. Here are found the remains of a Neolithic village in
the form of floors and wall bases of the stone houses. Orkney and the northern
isles are fairly unique in Britain as they have some of the earliest domestic
buildings in the country, dating back 5000 years or so. It was thought by
archaeologists, up until quite recently, villages of this date and made of
wood, would be found all over the UK, however this seems now not to be the case
as so few timber structures have come to light on the mainland, so it would
seem that something special was happening on Orkney and that it was, in fact,
the dawn of urban living in Britain.
Back on the
bike and once again into the head winds. The sky suddenly turns a funny colour,
Orkney is somewhat like New Zealand in that if you don’t like the weather then
just wait five minutes. We found this out several days earlier when we had
taken the ferry to one of the northern most isles. It had been calm and
peaceful when we set off on the three and a half hour journey, but as soon as
Kirkwall disappeared from view Poseidon did rage and the ship tossed and reeled
like a cow on ice-skates as the passengers’ faces turned greener and greener.
The return journey was worse.
But at
least my bicycle was stable as I rode on. Past Unstan tomb which sits on the
water’s edge looking like an oversize mushroom and which later gave its name to
a tradition of early Neolithic pottery. And onwards towards Skara Brae, perhaps
the most famous ancient site on Orkney. Here we find another Neolithic village
but this time the houses have their walls and furniture in them, missing only
their roofs. As one approaches the village from the nice modern visitor centre
there is a time-line laid out next to the path. The Skara Brae village marker
is passed at the start of the time-line and one walks forward to the present
day. It demonstrates well just how old Skara Brae is as it takes some time to
reach the better known wonders of the ancient world such as the great pyramids
and Stone Henge. The houses themselves are right on the shore of a beautiful
bay with sparkling aqua-marine water and golden sand. They appear to be sunken
in the ground, but in fact, the ground was raised up around them for
insulation. One says “ground”, actually the insulating material was the
householder’s midden heap! Inside the houses are stone “dressing tables” where
the inhabitants would have stored their possessions, some of which, such as
flint tools and strangely carved stone balls, were still en-situ when the
village was excavated. Each house also had a central hearth and several
bedchambers built into the walls. Possibly most astounding is what is thought
to be one of the first indoor toilets in the world (I kid thee not).
A quick
look around in the drizzle while valiantly trying to fight off the tour guide
who was keen to tell me everything she knew about the village and then
upsetting her by constantly correcting her – well, I am writing a thesis on
early Neolithic houses, and a swift
retirement to the visitor centre for coffee while a squall of rain blew over.
And then
the slow crawl home – the headwinds on the way out had, of course, turned
around to be headwinds on the way back. Twice I stopped to don and remove wet
weather gear but gave up in the end as it changed between bright sunshine and
heavy showers faster than I could unzip my coat. I returned the bike at the
shop, the assistant not seeming at all worried about the strange angle that the
kickstand was projecting at; I think they must be used to it. And back to the
digs for a hot shower and a plate of Orkney’s finest curry!
I’ve only
touched on a mere morsel of the things to see and do on the Orkney isles in
this account – the number of historical (and prehistorical) sites per acre must
surely be one of the highest in the country. Furthermore, any wildlife
enthusiast would find themselves in heaven with the rich diversity of bird
life, not to mention seal and whale spotting. For cycling it’s great – very
quiet roads, great views and island hopping on the ferries is really cheap. Most of all though, the people there
are extremely friendly and never fail to drop what they are doing to stand and
have a chat by the road side.
And if you
ever ride a Lands End to John O’Groats make sure that you continue onto Orkney
if you can – you won’t regret it!
SO WHERE’S ELMDON THEN?
by Brian Hailing
Tootling
home from Whittington recently we were joined by a young chap on a hybrid as we
were approaching Lynn. “I’d like to get back to Solihull.” he said, “Do you
mind if I join you?”
As his
story unfolded it turned out that he was new to the area and had decided that
he would like to visit Lichfield. It turned out to be much further than he had
calculated and, as he wanted to get home in the light, he thought it best to
ask for help.
He came
along with us to Streetly, and then Bill Hewitt took him to Spaghetti Junction
and pointed him towards Brum, sending him on his way.
The punch
line came later when we discovered that he was an airline pilot, newly
operating from Brum.
So just
ensure that when you go off on your holiday that there is enough fuel on
board!!!
LEICESTERSHIRE & RUTLAND
by John Montgomery
I have just
done a ride round Rutland Water. It is around 65 miles to get there and is a
nice ride for mid-week. I don’t recommend it on a weekend because the track
would be full of riders wobbling about a bit, probably on hired bikes. I took
my own and started from the carpark (£2 all day) off the south east shore going
around anticlockwise. That way is the flattest start. The surfaces vary quite a
lot. As you go around there are pricey cafes and butterfly places etc to go so
there are things for non-cycling companions to do. There is a central
peninsular but this is quite hilly. The last part of the circuit is also toughish.
There is only one town within striking distance, this being Oakham on the west
side. It is a nice town ideal for a halfway stop, but don’t use the car as it
is in trouble with traffic jams and a by-pass is under construction.
Leicestershire
DA hold a rally over the Whit holiday weekend. It has now been running for four
years. It is still in its infancy and so not over-crowded. This I know appeals
to some people. This year I tried it for myself. It is held in the grounds of
Beaumanor Hall, just south of Loughborough. The Hall is run by Leicester
Council for all sorts of things, mainly introductions to outdoor life for
children, so the wash facilities are very good.
Each day
there were two runs to chose from, either 60 or 30 miles in length. I did one
of each. The hills in the area were a surprise to me. They all seemed to be
stiff, then steeper towards the top. This, coupled with the on-off rain made it
quite an exercise. As a consequence I did the easy ride after Saturday’s
efforts. This ride, together with Monday’s ride, made a lot of use of cycle
tracks and bridleways. The leaders certainly knew their area.
The cost
was good as well. One car, one tent and one person came to £15 for the 3
nights. Bradgate Park and Charnwood Forest were right on my door/tent step. I
actually used my car because I was trying a few things out, but this location
is easily within cycle reach, and is, of course, very inexpensive.
A DAY OUT
by Maurice Purser
A brief
glance at the Ordnance Survey map of the Staffordshire/ Derbyshire Moorland
shows a footpath of no more than five miles running from Chatsworth House, over
to the town of Bakewell. The path holds out the promise of a fairly gentle
afternoon ramble, and we’d allowed at least four hours, which should be well
within the reach of any walker fit enough to tackle it.
But man
proposes does he not, and disaster strikes even before we’ve put feet to the
ground. The motor vehicle which has carried us from home developed a mechanical
fault near Ashbourne and this results in a delay of at least an hour. Nothing
terrible in that you may say, but it means that the ‘gentle ramble’ of four
hours is now reduced in time to rather less than three. So come on – let’s get
going.
We leave
Chatsworth House, and that naughty motor vehicle well behind, to cross the
River Derwent over a stunningly beautiful stone bridge, and right ahead lies
the first hundred yards or so of the public footpath running due west, across a
very minor road, to meet the village of Edensor. Two ladies, obviously locals,
assure us that not only are we in the right direction for the ‘gentle’ footpath
over to Bakewell, but also that the correct pronunciation of their home is
‘Ensor’ – just one of those idiosyncrasies of England, no doubt.
Our
‘gentle’ footpath now starts to climb in the strangest sort of way. Before
we’ve left Ensor (sorry – Edensor of course) well behind it loses all that ‘gentleness’
and develops into what is without doubt no more than a sort of deep ditch,
rutted and full of great limestone obstacles – great challenge to feet and
ankles more accustomed to better-behaved paths. Not satisfied with offering
this rough going, it starts rearing its head and begins to climb steeply.
The contour
lines on that map have certainly warned us that we can expect a rather stiffish
climb, but what it has overlooked, and forgotten to tell us, is the raising of
the altitude to this extent. And of course we must remind ourselves that the
time factor –three hours or less, has to be borne in mind, so no dawdling
please – just get on with it and watch out for those limestone boulders in the
path.
But after
all this is a perfect June (or is it July?) day. Sky is cloudless apart from
one or two cloudlets which seem motionless. Of course it is hot – very- but who
would have it otherwise. As we lifted higher the wide moorland takes us with
great sweeps all around; and far behind we can just see Chatsworth deep in its
snug valley, and, beyond, the dark woods stretching right up to meet the sky.
What a
perfect day, just right to settle on this patch of warm needle grass and open
this packed lunch and listen to the silence – yes, listen to it, and start to
dream.
Dream?
Strewth, we’ve forgotten about the passing of time. Already more than half of
our allotted three hours or so have gone and ahead lies goodness knows what, so
ease these old bones into action and push on – not only ‘on’ but also upwards
and still upwards.
At last
that difficult path seems to reach its climax and starts to flatten itself out
for a hundred yards or so before starting (Oh What A Relief) to descend even
more steeply. But it has a few more tricks up its sleeve yet, don’t you know –
it continues its pranks by plunging down and down through a thick forest where
the surface is not only stony and rutted, but a maze of tree roots which have
lifted up above where they should have been, lying there in wait for any
unsuspecting traveller, to trip us up (we go flying our full length on the
ground more than a few times) before allowing us to reach the valley floor.
There’s a
furlong or so of the local golf course to negotiate now, with a strange
contraption of a gong suspended from a post with a great lump of metal hanging
on its chain – this is designed to warn any golfer of our passing, and to pause
before sending one of those funny little balls flying across our rightful path.
But here we
are now on ground level so to speak; to turn our backs on those moorland
heights and enter Bakewell and make our rendezvous with that coach and its full
load of friends. We’ve made it; but with less than ten minutes to spare.
CLUB JERSEYS
IT IS NOW TIME TO PLACE ANOTHER ORDER WITH OUR
SUPPLIER. WE HAVE TO ORDER AT LEAST 10 JERSEYS.
WE SUBSIDISE EACH JERSEY BY £20 FROM CLUB
FUNDS!
Short
sleeve jerseys are £22 each*
Long sleeve
jerseys are £28 each*
Please see
Val as soon as possible with your order.
We have in
stock just two jerseys, one Large short sleeve at £22 and one Medium long
sleeve at £28, for instant sale.
*subject to
any price rise from the supplier.
THE ULTIMATE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE by John Bedford
A Tour in the Rockies
From our
recent tour and the one we did last year I have put together the best parts to
form one challenging tour of two weeks. The highlight is a route which takes
‘the highest continuous paved road in the
world’, rising to 12,183 ft. There are higher roads in the world but
these either return from a mountain summit by the same route, or they may be
rough tracks. The starting point for the tour is Denver Airport which can be
reached by direct flight from Heathrow. Denver is 5000 ft above sea level, and
is known as the mile high city.
Day 1, Denver. Stay at motels near airport. 10
miles
Day 2, Through Denver to Castle Rock. 50 miles
Day 3, Manitou Springs & Pikes Peak railway,
14,000ft 45 miles
Day 4, Canon City 60 miles
Day 5,
Salida, following the Arkansas River 60 miles
Day 6, Buena Vista, Leadville 50 miles
Day 7, Rest Day
Day 8, Fremont Pass, Copper Mountain, Frisco. 35
miles
Day 9, Kremmling 45
miles
Day 10,
Grand Lake 48 miles
Day 11,
Trail Ridge Road, 12,183 ft to Estes Park 52 miles
Day 12,
Rest Day
Day 13,
Lyons, Boulder 40 miles
Day 14,
Airport for evening flight 50 miles
Day 15,
Land Heathrow. Home
Total approx 545 miles
This route
is not for the faint hearted, and particularly not for anyone susceptible to
altitude sickness!
STOP PRESS
Brian Hailing. Unfortunately Brian is unable to ride with us
at present, and is currently waiting for an appointment at the Royal Orthopedic
Hospital. We all hope he gets sorted very soon.
Majorca Trip, 16-17th March for 14 days, staying
at two different venues. A few vacancies available. Contact John Evans for
details on 308 1306
NEXT COPY DATE – TUESDAY 15th AUGUST