Next day, I was back on the Strawberry Line. I think I was passing through the Somerset Levels, and various Moors were metioned on the map - whatever, it was flat cycling.
The land is crisscrossed with waterways called 'rhynes' - all covered in green and reeds. But I passed several rivers - including the Tone, but further up the road was a River Creech (iirc) - stopped there so Mabs could perhaps get wet (she didn't) and a guy in an orange VW van stopped to say hello. He told me about the 'Little Eden campsite' he and his wife were starting up on land he'd inherited from his Gran - I could have stayed there for free, if I had wanted! I told him about warmshowers. I think he was quite religious from the occasional 'God' dropping into the conversation, but also a counsellor/listener. I agreed to 'like' his campsite on FB as he seemed pleasant enough.
I passed a station with a tide mark plaque WAY above my head - at least 18 feet above my head! Just past this waterpumping station was a bridge, and I could see a couple people splashing around in the river with a dog. Ah, a perfect place for Mabs to cool off. The couple had a staffie called Blue, who was totally deaf - he was a good swimmer, though maybe not as good as Mabli. The woman was throwing rocks to make the dogs swim this way and that - Mabli very nearly didn't want to come with me - I had to call her from the bridge before she came racing over.
Further up the road, I came up behind another cyclist and we got chatting - she was called Rachel, now retired, but had worked with brain injured people at one time. We had an interesting chat whilst cycling along and the time flew. She showed me to 'The Purple Spoon' cafe (attached to the YMCA) on the canal path - I had reached Bridgwater and the start of the Bridgwater/Taunton canal path.
This canal I I remember as being the cause of a painful bike crash 10yrs ago - where I cycled through a couple of path narrowing metal bars and forgot that panniers make the bicycle wider - the bike stopped and I didn't. Duh. But I didn't encounter any of THOSE today - just a few gates to slow progress. The cafe allowed me to charge my battery, which is just as well, as I eventually did 47.44miles to Buckland Farm campsite - an eco green camping site for which I had to pay membership to the 'Green campsite club' (membership lasts a year - will have to look for others to make it worth my while!).
By the time I reached Taunton, I was hot and bothered - all my clothes stuck to me! Then I noticed my bike rack had completely snapped by the saddle - and my panniers were hanging loose in a dangerous fashion. Urk. I did a quick bodge job with a bungee and googled bike shops. There were several in the vicinity so I chose the nearest. I got there about 20mins before closing and asked them to fit a new sturdier bike rack - please! (They must hate people like me turning up at just before closing time!). They fixed Groucho - bike rack a huge improvement over the old one - but for a princely sum. I was suitably grateful (but no haggling over giving them more, like I had done with Sam at the Bike Shop in Thurso).
When I got to the campsite - I discovered the nearest pub was back downhill - about 1 1/2 miles. Sigh. But I had a good, if expensive supper out.
AT 4 in the morning, I had to get up for a pee (like one does at our age). It was just spotting with rain, but soon turned into a downpour. Mabli had gone out with me and didn't want to come straight back to bed. Half an hour later a very soggy dog wanted to join me - up at the pillow end of the tent. Much tutting and I had to move my mat down to make room because she wasn't going to shift. Dogs? Who'd have 'em?
The land is crisscrossed with waterways called 'rhynes' - all covered in green and reeds. But I passed several rivers - including the Tone, but further up the road was a River Creech (iirc) - stopped there so Mabs could perhaps get wet (she didn't) and a guy in an orange VW van stopped to say hello. He told me about the 'Little Eden campsite' he and his wife were starting up on land he'd inherited from his Gran - I could have stayed there for free, if I had wanted! I told him about warmshowers. I think he was quite religious from the occasional 'God' dropping into the conversation, but also a counsellor/listener. I agreed to 'like' his campsite on FB as he seemed pleasant enough.
I passed a station with a tide mark plaque WAY above my head - at least 18 feet above my head! Just past this waterpumping station was a bridge, and I could see a couple people splashing around in the river with a dog. Ah, a perfect place for Mabs to cool off. The couple had a staffie called Blue, who was totally deaf - he was a good swimmer, though maybe not as good as Mabli. The woman was throwing rocks to make the dogs swim this way and that - Mabli very nearly didn't want to come with me - I had to call her from the bridge before she came racing over.
Further up the road, I came up behind another cyclist and we got chatting - she was called Rachel, now retired, but had worked with brain injured people at one time. We had an interesting chat whilst cycling along and the time flew. She showed me to 'The Purple Spoon' cafe (attached to the YMCA) on the canal path - I had reached Bridgwater and the start of the Bridgwater/Taunton canal path.
This canal I I remember as being the cause of a painful bike crash 10yrs ago - where I cycled through a couple of path narrowing metal bars and forgot that panniers make the bicycle wider - the bike stopped and I didn't. Duh. But I didn't encounter any of THOSE today - just a few gates to slow progress. The cafe allowed me to charge my battery, which is just as well, as I eventually did 47.44miles to Buckland Farm campsite - an eco green camping site for which I had to pay membership to the 'Green campsite club' (membership lasts a year - will have to look for others to make it worth my while!).
By the time I reached Taunton, I was hot and bothered - all my clothes stuck to me! Then I noticed my bike rack had completely snapped by the saddle - and my panniers were hanging loose in a dangerous fashion. Urk. I did a quick bodge job with a bungee and googled bike shops. There were several in the vicinity so I chose the nearest. I got there about 20mins before closing and asked them to fit a new sturdier bike rack - please! (They must hate people like me turning up at just before closing time!). They fixed Groucho - bike rack a huge improvement over the old one - but for a princely sum. I was suitably grateful (but no haggling over giving them more, like I had done with Sam at the Bike Shop in Thurso).
When I got to the campsite - I discovered the nearest pub was back downhill - about 1 1/2 miles. Sigh. But I had a good, if expensive supper out.
AT 4 in the morning, I had to get up for a pee (like one does at our age). It was just spotting with rain, but soon turned into a downpour. Mabli had gone out with me and didn't want to come straight back to bed. Half an hour later a very soggy dog wanted to join me - up at the pillow end of the tent. Much tutting and I had to move my mat down to make room because she wasn't going to shift. Dogs? Who'd have 'em?
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