Re:
I am not good in this glorious sunshine we are all presently enjoying, so lunchtime or even late afternoon rides are out of the question, instead I was out again on the Cougar at just after 6.30 this morning, and very nice it was too.
Just a 30 miler, out of Weston though Wick St Lawrence, over the A370 to Puxton, across to Sandford then Winscombe, then down the back lanes to the Webbington Hotel, hop over the M5 and into the first little climb in Loxton, short and sharp and good for the circulation. Loxton down the lanes to Christon, back over the M5 (suckers) and then left and up the horrid sloping climb that leads to Banwell Hill, it's not that long or even that steep, but it really slows me down every time. Puff and pant to the bottom of Banwell Hill then hup and over. Careful going down the other side, lots of tractors, farmers and school run mum's about, then right and into Banwell where the very narrow High St is always a holler and a hoot as I white line past all the queueing traffic. I KNOW they all HATE it when a cyclist rides past, but well... you choose to drive a car / van / bus through a 13th Century village with a single lane road in the middle, so suck it up. Left off Banwell High St and down Riverside where I had my only 'interesting' moment.
Riverside is an old drovers causeway, it is more or less dead straight and has a stream running on the left where there are currently Swans and where I often see a Kingfisher. As I got onto the main drag, which is maybe 2 miles long, I heard a car approaching from behind... fast, very fast an accelerating... then rapid deceleration as they get close to me, I hopped off the road and into a gravelly boundary betwixt road, bank and river, and a grey / black Mini shot past me once again accelerating up toward hyper speed, straight towards a large white van coming the other way. There are passing places and the van was heading for one of these but ludicrous speed Mini was having none of it and kept going faster until it became blindingly obvious even to the Mini driver that she was not going to be able to drive straight though a large white van, at which point she braked hard, leant on the horn and actually turned the steering wheel to put the Mini into the other part of the passing place (think two gravel bulges either side of the central tarmac). She then rocketed off down the causeway and the van driver moved slowly off, keeping well over to his left to leave plenty of room for me, we gave each other knowing waves.
Excitement over I carried on back towards Puxton and then back into Weston by the outward route, past the crematorium, down the hill past the Primary School where for once no one tried to kill me, past the chip shop (excellent fish'n'chips) where for once no one tried to kill me and over the roundabout where for once....... Up the sharp climb to The Scaurs and what used to be Gunnings Stores, past the next primary school (I'm still alive) and up the hill to home.
Wisk St Lawrence.
Just below The Webbington Hotel