Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 bicycle ride Wednesday 23rd-March-2016 Bognor Regis to Brockenhurst. 58 miles. Finally, I’ve managed to get a camping trip in! It’s the Easter weekend next weekend, so I’ve come away early to beat the crowds.
I was planning to go to Swanage, and the easiest and quickest route is to go via the Isle of Wight. Unfortunately, though, the ferries didn’t work out for me. At this time of the year, the ferries only run once an hour. And I arrived at the ferry terminal in Portsmouth just as one left. Then once, I was on the Isle of Wight. And I’d cycled across to Yarmouth. I had to wait around for another hour before getting a ferry to Lymington.
Yarmouth harbour
.It was getting on for four o’clock when I arrived in Lymington, and there were still another thirty miles to cycle Swanage, and the last ten miles aren’t easy. So rather than have a long day and have to put the tent up in the dark, I gave up on Swanage and decided to stay in the New Forest.
I’m not too sure where I’m going to go tomorrow. But rather than head west, I might return to the Isle of Wight. There’s a low coming in, and it’s going to get wet and very windy. It’s bound to. It’s the Easter weekend coming up!
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Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 bike ride Sunday 13th-March-2016 Southborough to Bognor Regis. 67 miles. After rescuing Passepartout from the rubbish heap this morning, I left the hotel, not really knowing which way I would go home! But after a bit of dithering around, I’d made a decision.
Passepartout’s resting place for the night
King Of The Mountains
After coming through Crowborough yesterday and mentioning that it was the second-highest point in Sussex, and Ditchling beacon was the highest. I decided that I would attempt to cycle it! Just to see how bad it is or isn’t! I know the London to Brighton charity cycle ride goes over it. And everybody says how bad it is. Well, now it’s time for me to find out! Although granted, most on the London to Brighton ride are none cyclists. And it is towards the end of their sixty-mile ride.
Well, I managed to get over it. And without having to stop! I really didn’t find it too bad at all. Yes, it’s a bit steep, and it goes on for a while, but it’s not that bad. However, I can see that if you’re not a cyclist or don’t cycle much, it would be a struggle!
Ditchling Beacon was busy. The lycra brigade love it! As I rode up, a steady stream of lycra-clad idiots kept coming past me. And fare due to them, most said good luck. I was determined not to stop; I don’t think I would have got going again if I had! Thankfully I made it to the top without stopping, although I did come close a couple of times. But every time I thought of stopping, one of the boys on their lightweight racers would go past me. I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of me having to rest! They weren’t going to beat me. They might be quicker than me, but I can ride just as far as any of them, with twenty times as much weight!
Conquered
Once at the top, the Lycra brigade was resting, puffing and panting, congratulating each other on such an epic ride! As they ate their high energy bars and drank their sports drinks. Me, I just carried on cycling. I could feel them all looking at me, giving me daggers as if to say, what, aren’t you stopping? I don’t see the point in stopping once you’re at the top. You can rest on the way down.
A word of warning to anybody attempting the London to Brighton ride, don’t be fooled into thinking it’s downhill all the way to Brighton after Ditchling Beacon. It isn’t! You only go downhill for a short distance before there’s another hill. Nothing on the scale of Ditchling beacon, but it’s still a hill. But once that’s out of the way, it’s then downhill all the way to Brighton seafront.
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Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 bike ride Saturday 12th-March-2016 Bognor Regis to Southborough. 70 miles. Another weekend and another trip away. I had set off today with the intention of camping. But once again, I’ve ended up in a hotel!
My lunchtime stop looking back towards Rottingdean.
My original plan was to head towards Hastings. I knew there was a few campsites there, and some might even be open. (it’s still a bit early in the season) All was going well, and I was enjoying my ride along the coast in the lovely spring sunshine. But as I started to approach Newhaven, I remembered that there were one or two rather steep hills ahead! Especially around the Seven Sisters country park, which is always a struggle!
Balls to that, I thought and decided to head north instead, up towards Crowborough and Tunbridge Wells. That wasn’t a particularly good idea either. It felt as though I was going uphill all the way from Lewis to Crowborough, a distance of about 17 miles! It turns out that I may have been going uphill. Crowborough is the second highest place in Sussex, second after Ditchling Beacon!
By the time I’d reached Tunbridge Wells, it was starting to get dark, and I’d had enough, so I decided to call it a day and found a hotel. I did look to see if there were any campsites around but couldn’t find any!
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Another good night’s sleep last night albeit a bit chilly for some reason. Felt really sorry for a man that was brought in last night with an infected knee, apparently it all started about eight years ago when he had a knee replacement and it got infected and he’s been in and out of pain ever since, every time they clear it up it lasts a while then returns! I heard him say that he just wants his leg amputated now! Poor man to reach that state, but after eight years who could blame him! The consultant came round this morning and done her rounds and said she was happy for me to go home, which was excellent news! I asked her if I was under any restrictions and she said no, your elbow will tell you when and be the restriction! I didn’t need to hear anymore and quickly packed my bags! Unfortunately I couldn’t leave straight away I still had a cannula in me! I also had to wait for my discharge letter and medication. Even more tablets that I’ve got to take and I thought I was doing really well by only taking nine a day now! I now have to take another eight more! But at least it’s only for ten days. Hopefully! As soon as I got home and unpacked I went out for a ride on my bike, surprisingly!
