Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 is cycle touring in the UK on Friday, 15th-February-2019. Swanage to Salisbury. 56 miles. So much for going to Devizes today!
Corfe castle early this morning
All was going well until I reached Blandford Forum, or rather just past it.
The signs weren’t good and I do mean signs! They said that the road was closed at Melbury Abbas seven miles down the road!
I’m sure it’ll be okay
I know I moaned about the lack of signs the other day, so did I pay any attention, no not at all! I just continued merrily down the road!
As I cycled along, every junction I passed had a sign telling me that the road ahead was closed, but still I continued on!
More bad signs
I passed sign after sign and took no notice! Then a police car with its lights flashing went past, followed by an ambulance, a fire engine, another police car, another fire engine and two more ambulances!
Now I was starting to get a little worried not only was the road supposed to be closed, but potentially there was also a nasty accident!
Further Up The Road
About two miles from Melbury Abbas where the road was supposed to be shut a police car came flying back up the road towards me and stopped in the middle of the road!
“I suppose your closing the road?” I asked
“Yes” said the policeman, “but you should be fine to continue on!”
Things were looking up, surely the accident apart, he wouldn’t have told me to continue if the road was actually closed, would he?
Surely enough a mile up the road I came across the accident, which judging by all the emergency services that were there and the air ambulance, it was something pretty serious!
I got off my bike and made my way through the waiting traffic and made my way to the emergency vehicles, there I spoke to the fire chief, who said there was no way I was going to get through! But if I walked around one of the fire engines there was a turning on the right, which I could take, which was a much prettier route for me!
Somewhere on Cranborne Chase
Prettier! That meant hills, long steep hills!
A Change Of Direction
It was shortly after this detour, well shortly in miles, not short in time! That I’d had enough of the steep hills with 15% gradients! And changed direction!
I now headed for Salisbury and decide to stop there tonight. Where I’m going to head tomorrow I don’t know. I might head home as I’ve got to be home for the doctors on Monday anyway!
Despite not being able to do as many miles as I use to, I’m still enjoying being on the road! And if my legs come back they do, if not that’s fine also!
As I’ve always said, it doesn’t matter how many miles you do, as long as your enjoying it!
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Hey Man! Don.t overdo it. There aren’t many cyclists out this time of year. There’s some lovely country round there and a Salisbury market on Saturday. Have you been to Mottisfont?
You never mention your saddle. Is it comfortable? You don’t use toeclips ,do you.
Cranborne Chase is lovely, albeit hard cycling!
I’ve passed through Mottisfont a couple of times, but seeing as I’m not a very good tourist, I just carry on!
You never hear me mention my Brooks B17 saddle because it is so comfortable! And yes I do use toeclips.