After reacquainting myself with the joys of camping a week or so again, it was time to try two nights camping but this time with the Brompton. A few people from the Brompton Touring Facebook group were having a get together in Wiltshire, so it seemed a good opportunity for a gentle introduction to cycling with camping gear on the Brompton.
Of course last week I had 4 panniers, this week there would only be two bags, so it required a little bit of packing Origami to get everything in. Happily there was still room for a camping chair and some other luxuries.
There wouldn’t be too much riding this weekend probably 70-80 miles in total. A loaded ride into London then a train to Bath and another loaded ride to the campsite. Saturday was a gentle sightseeing ride, with a the return on Sunday a reverse of the outward journey.
Passing up some rather nice “wild camping” spots in London, I made my way to Paddington, where I was putting my trust in probably the least cycle friendly of all the UK train Operators – Great Western Railways (GWR). Given that no UK train operators can be truly described as cycle friendly, you can imagine I was approaching the journey with some apprehension. Of course you can (if you are one of the lucky 3-4), book a bike space on GWR trains. However, there are a couple of problems, firstly the bike space resembles a tiny wardrobe that even a child’s bike would struggle to go in, let alone 2 adult bikes, but to add insult to injury, the space is available for general luggage as well. Given that provision for passengers with suitcases isn’t great either, it’s rare to be able to get anything in the booked spaced. One of the reasons for buying the Brompton was to get around these sort of issue, but I still needed a space somewhere.
I’d noticed when buying a ticket, that there was a cheap deal on First Class, this proved to be a wise decision, as it was much less crowded than 2nd, with space in the top of the luggage rack. I also got a complimentary drink and snack, so I was feeling very special !
The journey to the campsite from Bath was on the Kennet and Avon Canal, the beginning of which was very pretty and had a smooth tarmac towpath.
The further away from Bath I got the worse the towpath became, turning into compacted cinder then narrowing and becoming quite rough in places. After a suitably refreshing lunch-stop with one of the largest cheese and ham ploughman’s I have ever eaten, I was ready to tackle the final stretch to the campsite.
In response to one of the riders who had arrived the day before, I jokingly asked to be welcomed with a G&T. I have to say I was impressed, when handed one on arrival, although I had to churlishly point out it was rather warm ! I’d also brought my own supplies for later and a proper drinking vessel as I had to use a mug last time.
Over the course of the afternoon the remainder of the group arrived and after a trip to the local Lidl to stock up on essentials, we settled down to cooking our dinners, then enjoying drinks around the camp fire.
I resisted the temptation to start a round of campfire songs, much as I would have liked to give a rendition of “Kumbaya”
Saturday saw a gentle ride along the canal, gentle in speed but not in terms of bumps. The decline of the towpath continued the further East we got.
Destination for the day was Devizes and its very impressive Caen Hill Locks. For those who marvel at our forefather’s engineering, there are 29 locks in total rising 237 feet in 2 miles (72m in 3.2km). Built in the early 1800s and still in use today !
I was fascinated to watch a team of dedicated volunteers, renovating part of the locks. Clad in Hi Viz, they were scrubbing away at rust inside the lock gate handle and sanding down the rest ready for repainting. It was blisteringly hot and yet on they toiled, well all except one, who lacked the hi viz jacket and merely stood there watching. It was only on our return from lunch, that I noticed the writing on the Hi Viz, and understood why there was a supervisor. I was rather disappointed that he wasn’t wearing mirrored sunglasses and toting shotgun, with a large dog at hand, but this is England I guess !
After another campfire dinner, again no singalong ! It was off to bed. Morning started in my usual way, with a big bowl of Oats followed by Tea and the Telegraph. Even though camping, one mustn’t let standards slip.
The journey back to Bath was along the towpath again, this time an additional headache as they had decided to run a race over much of the route, so as well as playing dodge with dogs and walkers, I now had runners to contend with.
Once again on the train journey home, First class came to the rescue. Bath station was heaving, or at least the bits where the second class carriages were going to stop was.
I was expecting lots of space again, but alas the over crowding was so bad, they’d let the 2nd class passengers into 1st class compartment at Bristol, but I managed to bag one of the last remaining seats. Imagine my further annoyance, when I realised the steward was serving them complementary drinks as well !
Once back in London, it was short across town and back home to relax…..and of course to think what next ?
Steady Pedals 