West Pennard to Butterleigh
Distance: 50 miles
Time (hours): 4:34
Average Speed: 11.1 mph
Ascent: 2,943 ft
Glorious
Today’s ride – through the beautiful countryside of Somerset – was glorious. This was helped by the fact we had a fantastic ‘Love & Hope’ gig last night in West Pennard. The audience there was attentive, engaged and keen to join in. The room’s acoustic was good and our dear friend Marick did a great job with the PA.
Our route today was mostly along quiet lanes, rudely interrupted by a grim encounter with Taunton. The only association either of us had with this town was county cricket. So, it was amusing to pass a road sign – a few miles later – to Red BalI. We speculated there must surely be, nearby, a White Ball and – possibly – a Pink Ball. Incidentally, ‘red ball’ was a fair comment after 30-odd miles in the saddle.
Joys of Nature
Nearing Tiverton, the route took us along narrow lanes that were strewn with grass. This made for nervous riding, as it didn’t invite hasty braking and obscured the crumbling road surface. “Where’s that come from?” asked Rob. At which point a huge tractor (pulling a huge-er trailer) appeared, coming the opposite way. The sun was shining… evidently, the local farmers were making hay.
Later, a buzzard appeared, just ahead of us – as though leading the way. “Look at that!” exclaimed Brian, thinking of the lyric “Buzzard soaring high/ Is that my spirit guide?”. “What was it? A dragonfly?” asked Rob, who’d simultaneously been distracted by a smaller – but no less beautiful – flyer. Ahhh – the joys of nature.
Friendly & Courteous
As previously observed, driver behaviour around the south-western reaches of rural Somerset was friendly and courteous. Whereas in Taunton it was every man for himself (pretty sure all the dicks were men). So, we were relieved to put that abomination behind us.
Earlier, we’d taken a break at a cyclist-infested café by the river in Langport. Here, they served a decent veggie quiche and engendered bonhomie among Lycra-clad clientele.
In the afternoon, we encountered a cider farm where – as well as hosting a wedding – they were using every means available to extract profit from passersby. Guests trundled round in a makeshift, tractor-pulled trailer, complete with be-microphoned tour guide. We wondered whether Eddie Grundy was the entertainments manager.
Peaceful
Later, we stopped to rest in a peaceful meadow, with views over the surrounding hills. Which was far more to our taste. Ahhh – the joys of nature.
