Time to Swap Bikes.....

We have now been back at the Verwood C&CC site for two weeks.....

Since arriving here my time has been spent catching up with family....getting my car serviced.... getting me serviced by way of my regular scans at the hospital.... watching the Vuelta and the Tour of Britain on TV and getting out riding my bike.......

It has been a good year for me as far as cycling goes..... I really enjoy getting out around the country cycling in all different areas.... It was good when a cycling buddy of mine Peter Calcutt met up with me a couple of times when Anne and I were in Suffolk.....

Throughout the summer I tried to improve my cycling abilities in various disciplines so that when we got to the area of the Surrey hills I would be able to produce some reasonable times over mixed terrain....

A couple of snapshots of my bike computer figures are shown below....
The first one is of a 20mile circuit from the campsite we were staying at over quite a lumpy course........18.4mph avg speed..... wind speed approx 12 - 15mph.

Fiona the Felt on her last ride of 2018

The second set of figures was over what I thought would be a 100mile route. I actually completed 94.18miles.
I had miscalculated the route a little but when I finished I really didn't feel the need to do the extra 5+ miles... 
Years ago I would have gone back out and topped those miles up but at my age now I feel that it doesn't really matter to me so much.....
16.32 avg speed with a similar wind speed as above....Time taken was 5hrs 46mins.

Watching the pros at the Vuelta and the Tour of Britain makes my efforts look a bit feeble but as Anne is always quick to point out to me I am now over seventy years of age and I am not a pro.......
The average speed that the pros manage to achieve is just mind blowing I would love to be able to get close to their efforts but sadly that will never happen no matter how hard I try......

The third photo above is of my summer bike the Felt on the last ride that I will use it on this year......
My winter bike...the Tifosi.... has just come back from my favourite bike shop after having a full service and a change of chain and cassette so it is time to swap bikes and pack the Felt away for the winter.....

The Tifosi although being my winter bike is also the bike that I used to cycle the Ten Countries in Ten Days ride finishing with an ascent of the Ghisallo from the shores of Lake Como back in 2013..... I have a real soft spot for the bike.
It is my go to bike for most occasions and if I could only keep one of my three bikes it is the one that I would choose even though it cost a fraction of the Felts price tag........

Back To Normal.......

Yes.....Everything seems to be back to normal on the weather front.....
The recent bank holiday was in the full UK tradition of wet and windy..... 
All the good weather that we enjoyed for the past couple of months seemed  long gone as we hunkered down on Bank Holiday Sunday and like most other people on the site stayed within the confines of our awning and caravan........

Our view from the awning can be seen below.......

Traditional Bank Holiday Weather

One of the benefits of the bad weather was that all the kids on site were also confined to their tents and caravans/motorhomes.
Now don't get me wrong......it must be hugely disappointing for both the kids and their parents when they go for a weekend camping and the weather is really bad but I am looking at it from our perspective......

We have spent a lot of the summer on an adults only site and coming back to a C&CC site is a real shock to the system......

The privately owned adults only site was peaceful at all times..... All of the site rules were followed and if not were enforced...everyone knew where they stood..... 
The facilities were kept clean by both the owners and the campers as was the site......
All of this made our stay more enjoyable.

Our current C&CC site is a very nice site and has first class facilities and like all club sites everyone is given a leaflet setting out details about the site and a few rules such as the quiet times on site etc.....

One of the rules here is that Ball Games, Frisbees and Kites are not allowed on site.
However, even parents have been seen kicking balls about with their kids..... perhaps they can't read or for some reason they feel that it doesn't apply to them.....

If you look at the picture above you can see that it is quite a reasonable rule as the units are quite close to each other with no open space on which to kick a ball about.
A kicked ball can cause damage to a caravan or even a car........

There is a 5mph speed limit on site but for some reason this doesn't apply to kids who race around the site at breakneck speed.....
They are not supposed to ride around the toilet facility buildings.... but I stepped out of the building yesterday only to be slammed into by a future Mark Cavendish on his little toddlers bike.....

Lukily I escaped without any lasting injury but it could well have been a different story with an older and more frail camper....... Parental supervision??? 
That seems to be left at the gates of the site.....

Toilets not flushed....toilet paper everywhere..... noise till late at night..... I could go on...

Now kids will be kids and that's fine but it seems that when on sites the parents are quite happy for their kids to go off and play with no supervision at all as long as they play outside someone else's unit......  
A lot of parents don't seem to know...or don't care what their children are up to as long as they don't bother them.......

The attitude seems to be they are away camping so that they can do whatever they want with no thought for any other campers on the site......

The above is not just my opinion either....talking to other campers on various sites over the past few years this seems to be a widespread observation......

Now we knew that it would be like this as we were obviously aware that our two weeks stay here was still within the school holiday period but as I said above it is still a bit of a shock to the system.......

It is a pity that the Camping and Caravanning Club don't have an adults only area on sites like some commercial sites......
We have decided that as from next year we will be seeking out more adult only sites on which to stay.........

Now that I have written this post I will ride my bike at 5mph out of the site for a peaceful evening ride....

View across the lake at our current site...

Fifty Six Days.....Gone!

Tomorrow we move on from Suffolk....
We have been in Suffolk for fifty six days and now those fifty six days are gone......
We can't believe that our two month stay in this part of the country is now over...... the time has really flown by.
What has helped of course in making the time fly by was the brilliant weather that we have all enjoyed this summer.....
One of the reasons I have not been posting on the blog as often as I have in the past is because I have been enjoying myself  so much..... If truth be told I would rather be out riding my bike in the good weather than sitting at the computer hitting the keys.......

During the latter part of our stay here my friend Peter Calcutt was also visiting the area and we met up a couple of times for a bike ride..... I always enjoy meeting up with Peter and what can be better than a cycle ride.....a natter with a mate.....and a coffee and cake stop........

Obviously in the time spent in the county Anne and I have visited lots of different interesting places and to make up for my fewer blog posts I will be telling you more about our stay in Suffolk over the quieter winter period.......

So where are we heading tomorrow...?
We are going to spend a couple of weeks in the Surrey hills/North downs so I can do some cycling in that area......
As a youngster I used to spend a lot of time cycling from my then home in Feltham and heading for places such as Dorking.....Leatherhead etc.....
One of my regular rides used to be out to Box Hill and back. I have not ridden up Box Hill for well over fifty years so it is about time that I rode up the hill again.......

Reflection on my Summer.......

Eribatastic......

Earlier this week we enjoyed the first rain that we have had since we were at the Osiers campsite back in May......
Since then with all the lovely dry weather I have been managing to get out on the bike almost every other day. It has certainly been a great summer so far for getting out and about on the bike......

One of the things that I really enjoy as we travel around the country staying at various campsites is meeting up with other Eriba owners...
It is really interesting seeing all the different models of Eriba that have been available over the years and most owners are happy to show you around their pride and joy.....

Below are just a few of the Eriba Touring vans that we have seen on our travels this year....
Eribatastic...........

Eriba Familia from the 1980s with matching awning.

A 2015 Eriba Triton

A 1983 Eriba Troll (An early cousin to my own Eva the Eriba)

A visitor from the Netherlands - A Puck.

A 1985  Eriba Familia

A very sharp Eriba Puck....

Who Needs an Estate Agent...?

 We have now re-located just 35 miles from Polstead to Hollesley which is East of Woodbridge in Suffolk....
Our stay at Polstead was first class the same as when we stayed there last year.....
A lovely site and really helpful owners.....

The area is just made for cycling and I was out on the bike every other day covering between 40 to 60 miles each ride.
The weather has been very hot like most of the country although listening to the forecasts and news it would seem that East Anglia has 
had the hottest weather of all....

Riding in the heat is OK as you have the breeze moving over your body to help to cool you down..... it is when you stop that you can really feel the heat so I always try and choose to stop in the shade.

As I have already said the Suffolk area is great for cycling  and I have seen lots of other riders out on the roads.... Not just 'Roadies' either....  Lots of Touring and MTB riders as well.

Our move to our current site went well and in just over an hour of leaving Polstead we were setting up the caravan and awning again.
We are only a mile and a half from the coast here and it is a wild section of coast with shingle beaches and marshes which are ideal for bird watching and wild coastal walks.....

The day after we arrived Anne and I decided to walk to the coast and explore the coastline a bit. 
We were climbing down a small bank to get to a lower footpath when Anne slipped and twisted her ankle..... 
It was now proving difficult for Anne to walk properly as it was quite painful for her. As luck would have it we met an old local couple who were also out for a walk and they suggested that they would drive us back to the campsite....
They were full of information about the area and even took us to see a 'Martello Tower' a mile down the road before dropping us off back at our site....
Things like that help to restore my faith in human nature......

One of the things that I enjoy as I cycle around the Suffolk roads and lanes is checking out some of the really lovely houses in the county.....
It made me think that you don't need an estate agent if you are looking for a house just get out on your bike and ride around and you will see some really nice properties...
A couple of my favourites are shown below....

Getting a Clearer View......

We have been in Suffolk for three weeks now and like most of the country the weather continues to be stunning.....
I have been getting out on the bike every other day usually going out in the morning and getting back about 1300hrs just in time to have a shower  grab some lunch (and over this past week) settle down to an afternoon of watching the Tour de France......

Doing a lot of regular riding and also seeing all the pro riders taking part in the Giro d'Italia some weeks ago got me thinking again about riding/sunglasses....
Over a number of years now I have kept promising myself a pair of Oakley glasses....

Up to now I have used Tifosi Eyewear riding glasses..... Although they have had some quite good reviews in the cycling press my reason for choosing them was because they had the same name as my training bike the 'Tifosi' silly I know but I am being honest here Ha...Ha...
Although they seemed to do the job I always wondered whether Oakleys would be better,,,,,

The Tifosi glasses were mid priced and I must admit that every time I thought about a pair of Oakleys it was the price that put me off.... I felt that I just couldn't justify spending somewhere in the region of between £120 to £200 on a pair of sunglasses...
I didn't believe that the gain (if any) would be worth the expense....

Anyway when we were back in Canterbury I passed an independent optician and they had a large selection of Oakleys on display in their window....

Now independent shops I like rather than a national chain.... the display in the window was really eye catching too so I ventured in...

I tried on a number of different styles but the pair that I really liked was the style that I have being thinking about for a couple of years..... the Oakley Jawbreaker.
Apparently Mark Cavendish had an input into the design of these.... they are slightly higher above the eyeline than a lot of glasses so that when you are sprinting down on the drops (as Cavendish does) the top of the frame does not obscure any of the view.... not that I intend doing any sprinting down on the drops very often....

The jawbreakers have the 'Prizm Road' lenses which according to all the advertising blurb are supposed to help you spot subtle changes in the texture of the road surfaces.... did I believe all that...no I didn't but I did like the glasses.... I'd been thinking about a pair for a long time so I treated myself and splashed out and bought a pair.....

My Oakley Jawbreakers

So are they any good...?. Are they worth the wedge of cash spent on them....?
Well surprising to say...Yes and Yes.

First of all they our beyond comfortable to wear.... 
The Tifosi's would always seem to press down on my nose no matter how much I adjusted the rubber nose piece and every so often I would have to push them back up my nose a little as they always seemed to slip down..... 
The Jawbreakers have been comfortable from day one with no adjustment required and I have not experienced any slippage on the nose at all.....

The length of the arms can be adjusted in three different positions if needed.
 I have mine on the longest length and they fit perfectly....

As for the claim about spotting subtle changes in the road surface.....well that seems to be true.
I have found that  the clarity of these glasses is superb. I have now used them over about 450 miles of mixed riding and actually look forward to putting them on......

Were they worth the money I spent on them ?
Well from my perspective yes they were.....

The only question I have is why did I leave it so long before buying a pair??

My Oakley Jawbreakers with 'Prism Road Technology' lenses

**NB: I have received no payment or incentive regarding my mention of this product. 

A Short Visit to Canterbury....

Following our stay at Crowborough we then moved on to Canterbury...
Our main reason to visit Canterbury was to visit Craig and Caroline who until January of this year had been the managers at the Tavistock C&CC site where we have spent the past three winters.....
They took over as managers of Canterbury C&CC site in March and we were eager to see them again and see how they were getting on in their new site......

The Canterbury site is very busy with units booking in in large numbers every day.... It tends to be a bit of a transit site with people using it as a starting point for the ferries to mainland Europe..... Also visitors from the ferry use it as their first site before setting off on their tour around the UK.

It was nice to see both Craig & Caroline again.... plus two of their assistants at the site had also been at Tavistock the winter before last,,,,nice to see them all.

Anne and I walked into Canterbury from the site...it only took about 30mins.... and we had a good look around the town which is very interesting and full of history...
As far as the Cathedral goes it really was the Church of England in full retail mode.......

You cannot even get into the Cathedral grounds without paying a substantial admission charge even more to actually see the Cathedral .
The only part of the building that you could see from 'outside' the wall of buildings surrounding it was part of the roof and spire which seemed to be covered in scaffolding anyway...
From outside the Pilgrims gate where lots of Tourists were lining up to hand over their entrance fees you could actually hear pneumatic drills and other building work coming from inside the cathedral so it was not actually selling itself to us as a place of peace and tranquility....
Needless to say we passed on this tourist hotspot...!!!

The Cathedral shop was something that you could access from outside on the street.... from what I could see it was full of typical tourist rubbish.....as I said..... the Cof E in full retail mode.....

We have visited numerous Cathedrals on our travels and at almost all of them you can view the outside of the building from the Cathedral grounds without payment. Some of them have an entrance charge and others request a donation for the upkeep of the building which we have always been happy to pay but a visit to Canterbury felt like the entance to a Theme Park...

What we did find just outside of the city was St Martins church.
This was the first church founded in England......the oldest parish church in continuous use and the oldest church in the English speaking world....
It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is well worth a visit.
A picture of St Martins is shown below......

St Martins Church- Canterbury

 Another place we visited was believe it or not...Ramsgate.
We had a really enjoyable visit to the town with a visit to the Ramsgate Royal Harbour Marina.. The Royal Temple Yacht Club overlooks the marina....
It's quite a cosmopolitan feel to the area around the marina which seems to set it apart from others that we have visited in the past....

While we were there we also walked out to the end of the harbour wall followed by a very nice meal before we set off back to Eva and the site....a journey taken by bus of course..

Part of Ramsgate Royal Harbour Marina.

 We only stayed at the Canterbury site for one week which for us is the shortest time that we have stayed anywhere since we set off in 2015..... But is was a very enjoyable one week.

The day before we left a number of trucks arrived at the site loaded with tents and equipment....
Craig told us that it was an advance party of German youngsters over here to set up a summer camp for more youngsters who were due to arrive the day that we were leaving.....

We watched these youngsters set up the camp...errecting over 25 bell tents plus other tents for kitchen....meeting place....etc...
It was really impressive to watch all these tents go up in double quick time.... each of these young people knew exactly what they had to do with some puttimg down the groundsheets...others laying out the tents....others putting in the centre poles and still more pegging them out. 
It was just like a military operation and as I said it was very impressive to watch all these young people working together as a team..... It reminded me of when I was their age and in the Scouts something which I really enjoyed....

Mind you....with 80 plus youngsters all arriving for their summer camp I was pleased that we were on the move again....

Just half of the full circle of Bell tents for the Summer Camp