Purse Caundle and Refurbished Bike

Date:             29th April 2021

Destination: Purse Caundle  and Milborne Port

Distance:     15.24 Miles

Duration:     3 hours 19 minutes

Weather:     11 degrees daily sunny clouded over for last hour

Date:         29th April

With a new rear derailleur, bike chain, front sprockets and rear sprockets, I was back on my own bike for our ride to Purse Caundle this week.  Thanks must go to DK who spent some considerable time sorting it all out for me.  I was advised though that there was still some fine tuning to do, but that my bike would be okay for our journey today.

Replaced bike parts.

Setting off south along Templecombe High Street I noticed my rear tyre was a little flat so we stopped to enable me to pump it up.  This proved to be a very sociable time with two friends stopping for a chat, one was about to catch the 58 bus and the other was out dog walking.  

Tyre fully inflated, we remounted our bikes and continued south towards Yenston.  There is an overgrown cycle path adjacent to Yenston Hill (a single track road), which we would have been forced to take had  traffic lights at the foot of the hill changed to red on our approach.  Fortunately for us the lights turned green for the two cars in front of us, enabling us to use our downhill speed to cycle past the overgrown section before joining the path further up the hill and before the traffic lights changed.   

At Yenston we turned left down Whitchurch lane, left again into Park Lane and then across the A30 towards Marsh Lane and Henstridge Marsh.  Two right turns later and we were heading west and climbing steadily up Landshire Lane.   The following clip pans round from King Alfred's Tower  to Duncliffe Woods and was shot near the top of Landshire Lane, 

View from top half of Landshire Lane

At the top of Landshire Lane we turned right and headed towards the A30.  At the T junction we turned left and cycled along the A30 for a short distance before turning left to Purse Caundle.   

Cycling along the A30

Headwaters from Bishops Caundle, Stourton Caundle and  Caundle Marsh all feed into the Stour, therefore these villages are situated in the Blackmore Vale.    However, streams from around Purse Caundle end up in the Yeo, so effectively Purse Caundle is not located within the Blackmore Vale.  

We rested awhile on a bench set in an hamstone alcove near St Peter's Church, Purse Caundle. On the wall behind us an inscription read, " Remember these who died for right, 1914- 1919."  Above it a list of  four men from the village who had died in the 1st World War.

  

Suitably refreshed we continued on our way and after  a couple of right turns we were cycling along Goathill Road in the opposite direction to the one we normally do.  In the following clip you can just see the blue haze of bluebells as we cycled past.

Goathill Road.

At Goathill  a small hamlet south of Milborne Port, we cycled over the river Yeo, flowing westwards towards Sherborne and Yeovil.

River Yeo, Goathill

On arriving at Milborne Port we took a right along Golding's Lane.  JC had never been around the "back" of Milborne Port so this made a change.  Brook Street was next, then a quick dash across the A30 into Station Road.  Milborne Port's train station located slightly north of the village closed in 1966, the former railway buildings are now in private residential use.  

Golding's Lane, Brook Street, Milborne Port

Instead of heading north, we turned  right into Wheathill Lane.  There has been some development along the lower part of the lane in recent years.  The garden nursery/centre has disappeared and houses have been built in its place.

At the top of Wheathill Lane we stopped and sat on the benches overlooking Milborne Port.  

Wheathill Lane, Milborne Port

After a final rest we headed along Bowden Lane and Road back into Templecombe.

Interestingly, having watched and listened to my videos of the ride I've noticed my bike is a lot quieter than it has been for a long time.  The gears still clunked sometimes when changing and sometimes it was difficult to change down,  but some fine tuning should sort this out.   

Our route today today took us along some roads and to places we'd never cycled to or along before.  It is always great to visit new places and interesting to travel along a road in the opposite direction to usual, as this gives one a totally different perspective.

Route 29th April 2021

Hail Stones and Big Stick

Date:                    18th February 2021

Weather:            9 °C  Hail  and Sunshine

Destination:     Circular route 

                            Templecombe, Milborne Port, Stourton Caundle, Stalbridge 

Duration:         4 hours very leisurely ride with lots of stops

Distance :         17 miles approx

                             (measured using a piece of  thread and a map)

One of the Girls!

 I thought I had allowed plenty of time to get ready for our trip today,  however I was about five to 10 minutes late meeting JC for the start of our ride due a lack of forward planning on my part.  With temperatures  10°C warmer than the previous week I wasn't wearing a hat,  so had to adjust my helmet straps; there was a quick last minute dash back upstairs to change my socks as  one of the pairs I'd chosen to wear were so thick I couldn't put my boots on;   I had remembered to pre-charge the action camera batteries, but I hadn't actually fitted the camera to my bike;  I had downloaded Map My Ride onto my new phone but hadn't thought about needing to log  in and although my bike was ready by the backdoor already loaded with bike pump, tyre repair kit, tangerines and a bottle of water,  where was I going to store my waterproof trousers for the forecasted hail showers? 

Apologising for being late, we started cycling out of Templecombe towards Bowden.  Infuriatingly and not surprisingly the combination of an uphill climb and changing down from front 2 to 1 gears, resulted in my chain coming off.  (This is becoming such a common occurrence that I really must get it sorted!) Not much further along Bowden Road it started to hail.  With my waterproof trousers stored in my saddle bag I stopped to  retrieve them and put them on, teetering around  as I  endeavoured to quickly get them on over my walking boots.  I was wearing cotton tracksuit bottoms and the prospect of cycling for the next few hours in wet trousers was not very appealing.  JC was more suitably attired in Gore-tex trousers, which are waterproof and breathable. 

Come sunshine or hail!

We cycled on through Bowden and down Wheathill Lane,  not dawdling  at the top of the lane to take in the views over Milborne Port, but instead stopping in the middle of the village to admire a fast flowing River Gascoigne rushing under Rosemary Street, on its way to join the River Yeo, just before Sherborne Lake.  The Yeo  eventually feeds into the River Parrett, which ultimately empties  into Bridgwater Bay and the Bristol Channel.

River Gascoigne, Milborne Port

We crossed over the A30 into Goathill Road, this time cycling over the River Yeo.  At the end of the following clip you can just see the river on the left.

Cycling into Goathill 

 

Fortuitously we found some good excuses to stop en route up the steep hill of Rue Lane .  Our first sighting of new born lambs in 2021 necessitated our first stop.  

Our first sighting of lambs in 2021

A little further up the hill we came across some unusual cattle sporting a white stripe along their backs, our second stop.  Comparing my photos with online images led me to deduce that they are Riggit Galloways, a Scottish breed of  cattle able to live outside all year round and renowned as beef cattle.  

Riggit Galloways

At the top of the hill and along the ridge we found a gap in the trees with a north facing aspect across to Purse Caundle in the distance, another stop.

Normally at the crossroads north of Stourton Caundle we turn left into Stalbridge Road, however my plan this time was to turn right for a quick cycle through the village. We only got as far as St Peter's Church where we stopped for our first refreshment break, sitting in the sun on a wall at the back of the church, before turning back and heading northwards towards Stalbridge. 

St Peter's Church Stourton Caundle

For our next refreshment break we sat on a bench located in a recess in  Stalbridge Park's surrounding wall, with views  towards Bulbarrow on the Dorset Downs.  

View from Barrow Hill over to Bulbarrow

We then cycled down Barrow Hill through Stalbridge crossing over the A357 into Station Road and on towards Gibbs Marsh industrial Estate.  

Cycling into Stalbridge down Barrow Hill

Normally we cut through Henstridge Airfield from Landshire Lane to avoid industrial traffic, but much to our consternation  our route was blocked by a recently erected fence, forcing us to rejoin Landshire Lane.  As we crossed the A30 into Park Lane we lamented the departure of "The Girls."  I tried to find a collective noun for group of alpacas and  somebody online brilliantly suggested  a spittoon of alpacas!   

The Girls

Further along Park Lane we negotiated a long large puddle, disturbing reflections of roadside hedges and a solitary tree.

Cycling through one long puddle Park Lane, Yenston

Approaching Whitchurch Lane  a tall man a little way ahead of us, reached down to hold onto one of his dogs, or so I thought.  Imagine my surprise and concern when he turned around with  a large stick held aloft in his right hand ready to throw in my direction!   Fortunately he spotted me and quickly lowered his arm before I took evasive action.

Our final section involved cycling along the A357 from Yenston to Templecombe,  timing the traffic lights correctly so that I could get some downhill speed  to propel me someway up the following steep incline.  I couldn't risk my chain coming off along a busy road so had to continue in front 2nd gear, knowing it would be difficult to get to the top.    I made it three quarters of the way up and nipped into a small drive where I jumped off my bike and manually changed the front gears down to 1 whilst stationary, then continued on my way. 

Arriving back in Templecombe

Numerous stops added to our journey time this week, but we would not have it another way.   We always like to take in and enjoy our surroundings rather than charging on by.  

Route

 

 

Wildlife and Floods

22^nd January 2021. 

 

After much rain, Thursday promised to stay dry, as we set off for a leisurely, socially distanced cycle ride across the Blackmore Vale, dressed for the cold weather, with hats, gloves and multiple layers of clothing.  
 
This week the circular route I had planned included Yenston, Marhull, Fifehead Magdalene, Kington Magna, Buckhorn Weston and Templecombe.  As much as possible we try to avoid using main roads, or those with heavy traffic, so to avoid  traffic heading towards Gibbs Marsh Industrial Estate we cut across from Marsh Lane, through Henstridge Airfield and onto Landshire Lane. 

As we cycled along Landshire Lane it was evident that the River Cale had breached its banks and the road was flooded.   Not to be thwarted we pressed on, cycling through the flood.
 

Floods in the Blackmore Vale

With very wet feet we had a brief discussion on where to cycle to next.  We had three options.  Continue East, head back towards the A30 or cycle to Stalbridge.   We ruled out the latter option as it would've meant a much longer route with cold wet feet.   As we were deliberating, a couple of cars/vans stopped to say that they didn’t think we’d get through the next flood around the corner heading East towards Fifehead Magdalene.   A car was stranded in the middle of the flood and we were told the water would reach our knees.  

 It is here that the River Stour briefly comes alongside Landshire Lane.  Amazingly the  Cale and Stour rivers do not meet at this point but a bit further south after the Cale has meandered its way past West Mill Lane, near Stalbridge.  The Stour eventually makes its way to Christchurch and out into the sea.

We thought we’d cycle around the corner to see the extent of the flood for ourselves.  Sure enough there was a car stuck in the middle of the flood and as we looked its hazard lights went out.  Our decision made for us, we retraced our tracks and headed back through the airfield and onto the A30.

Surprisingly the River Cale had also spilled out onto the A30, but fortunately for us it did not cover the whole road.  The central line markings were visible, marking our route through.  We slowly cycled along the middle of the A30 holding traffic up as we did so, until we could safely return to side of the road.  Strangely it was near a bend a little way along the road after the flood that a lorry decided to overtake us.  With another lorry coming the other way I stopped pedalling believing I was going to get cut up.  The lorry coming from the opposite direction also slowed down.  Somehow the overtaking lorry managed to pull back in without any incident!  We turned off the A30 as soon as we could and cycled towards Kington Magna.  

All Saint's Church Kington Magna

Although our feet were cold we thought we could last a while longer so we took ourselves up to All Saint’s Church at Kington Magna, for a much deserved rest, tangerine and drink of water.  There are two benches situated either side of the West facing door overlooking the Vale. (The picture above shows the north facing door)  From this vantage point we could see the recently negotiated flooded A30. 

Feeling rejuvenated we decided to head up onto the ridge and then down Hartmoor Hill to Buckhorn Weston.  This is an exhilarating downhill ride, it's just a shame there is a sharp bend at the bottom to slow you down.  Just after the bend there is a newly laid hedge on the left. 

Newly Laid Hedge, Hartmoor Hill, Buckhorn Weston

The next leg of the journey from Buckhorn Weston to  Templecombe again involved us negotiating flood water from the River Cale and adding to the moisture content of our already wet footwear.

It was along this road that a barn owl flew out in front of us.  We would follow it for a little way then it would disappear before coming back out onto the road again.  This happened three times until it disappeared for the last time near Bow Brook.  An absolutely fabulous experience and our second sighting of a barn owl on our cycling travels.  The first sighting a couple of weeks ago occurred on the road from Wincanton to Buckhorn Weston.  A large barn owl flew over a hedge in front of us and in its talons it held a small creature.  We followed in total awe until it veered off towards some buildings.

As we made our way past Bow Brook we met some mutual friends of ours, out for a walk with their 10 month old dog.  We  stopped for a socially distanced chat and a catch up.  As we departed ways a car driving far too fast  around a corner swerved to avoid us cyclists, ploughed its way through the muddy verge on the other side of the road, before swerving  back onto the road to avoid our friends and their dog. A very close shave and a bit of a dampener (excuse the pun) at the end of an incredibly exhilarating bike ride. 

Map with route marked in black.  Dotted line shows route originally planned.