What's wrong with my little 2smoker? Thanks to all who took the time and effort to show us around Wiltshire! I bet Peet had a blast and I somehow enjoyed the ruts from time to time too Only a small lay down from my end that Steve said he wouldn't mention and public! What happened in Wiltshire stays in Wiltshire was the promise made. Hard to believe there are still that many lanes around that we can all enjoy and I appreciate the effort all trf members put in to keep them open. No pics taken by my but there might be some video material from other people in the coming weeks. Like I said, thanks again for the effort you all put in! I'll happily return the favour should you ever wish to come to Holland and go out for a ride to spot some clogs! Antal
Big thanks to Steve for organising the Clogfest as usual I had a great time despite early (for me) to the van each night. It was great seeing a few new faces as well as the usual suspects I am surprised more people didn't put their names down for this as the riding and location is fantastic. Sat was a ride led by Steve over towards Harwell doing plenty of ruts but covering some great countryside. Sun John from Wilts TRF led us South across the Plain towards Salisbury doing some fantastic new lanes that I hadn't done before twisty and tight wooded ones which are unusual around the plain. After a socialable meal and a few beers on Sun night with the stragglers that remained I headed off on my own before 0730. Peet and Anthoine had already departed and Jo was supervising as Sophie carried out the breaking of camp. Mr Barnes was also up and about and headed off as I left the campsite. I headed off towards Avebury enjoying the solitude of the lanes even the Ridgeway was empty. I enjoyed the climb up Heddington Steps before dropping down into Devizes to refuel. More lanes follwed as I headed over North of Marlborough. A pleasant road trip through Savernake Forest led me over to the training area North of Tidworth where I went on the Cat 1 surfaced gravel tracks and Byways back down to the Great Bustard breeding centre. I was lucky enough to see 10-15 of these birds in the open in the release pens a first for me. As I needed to be back for 1300 hrs I carried on exploring all of the permissive Byways on the Plain as even though they are signed on the ground they don't appear on any maps. As ever when the weather is good my time on the trails was coming to an end so I headed back towards Wilcot arriving back just after 13:00 having managed a very respectable 130 miles another great day out. Appologies for no photos I seem to not be taking as much these days something I need to rectify. Until the next time. Matt
Thanks to everyone who attended, especially Ela and Mike F for leading and to Matt and Chris Barnes for tailending. Friday saw people arriving sporadically through the afternoon and in to the evening. We'd all gone to bed by 10pm when Adam (Stamp) arrived so he had to wait until breakfast to introduce himself. Saturday saw me lead Peet, Antal and Matt on a 139 mile loop up past Marlborough, along the Ridgeway, then out to Ramsbury, Hilldrop Lane to Aldbourne, Lambourn, Eastbury, East Garston, Great Shefford and on to Langdon Hill near Aston Tirrold before heading west to Ginge Brook, Slippery Bridge Lane and then on to the Lambourn. Peet was tiring because of the ruts and headed back to Wilcot from just north of Lambourn. The rest of headed south, taking in all the trails we could find before heading back to Wilcot where we met up with Mike's group in Bluebell Woods, from where we rode back as one group. During the day both Peet and Antal did well to limit the number of falls they had as both are very unfamiliar with ruts although Antal had it a bit easier on Beta 300RR than Peet did riding his 690. Near West Ilsley I found this little guy on the trail, he'd fallen down from the foliage in the bank above and couldn't get back up, so after taking a pic, we gave him a helping hand back up the bank. That's this evening's Starter taken care of: Bert will be sorely disappointed to have missed this years Clogfest, his favourite lane from last year: Has been graded and reduced to this: The rumour is that the lane was graded at Bert's request, based on Health & Safety grounds. Once back Matt was quick off the starters block in the race for the shower, followed by the rest of us in due course. Saturday saw an evening of laughs and good food. Something was wrong with Mike and Matt as both retired to bed before last orders and still quite sober! :eek1 Before I could eat and shower though, I had to get Ela's CRF230 going again, a wire had popped out of the connector block on the back of the ignitor box, leading to a lack of a spark. Sunday saw another fine breakfast from the Golden Swan staff before we headed off on to the trails. Reduced numbers saw three smaller groups with Matt heading off with Mike and John and replaced by Jo on his WR450. Unfortunately an altercation with a fence on the first lane of the day bought an end to Jo's riding that day. This left just Peet and Antal with me so I decided to leave out the overgrown rutted trails around Avebury and head out to Heddington Steps, the trails around the A4 and A361 and then on to the Ridgeway but only after a coffee in Avebury. It wasn't long before we had lunch at the café near Chiseldon Services, more trails and then a final break in Marlborough before returning to Wilcot after 90 miles. I'd already showered, loaded my bike and tidied the van before Ela arrived at about 5.30pm having had a great days riding. Before heading home we settled with Dave Coupland for the camping and breakfasts. Thanks again to Dave, wife Pat and son Calum for looking after us so well (as they always do). A total of £141.00 was raised for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance, a cheque for that amount will be in the post tomorrow - thank you to everyone for donating. My video's didn't turn out so well due to operator error but I hope to have a short video finished soon.
Seeing the lack of photographic evidence (thanks for your great feedback though!), I'd better post a few of my pics before anyone thinks the whole event didn't happen... As it's peak season at work for me, I couldn't leave Oxford until 6pm and thus arrived so late that I completely missed Peet's clogs! Thanks to Peet for making the effort of dressing up for the occasion (thereby honouring its title), and to Chris for posting proof. The others had already gathered around the dinner table (clockwise from left): Possu, Dirty Peet, Tehdutchie, Laouen and DuibhceK. MuddyMatt: Oh dear, Ela is counting my pints... Chris Barnes: Well, I stick to the little ones... Bedtime was unusually early that evening - I think by 9.30pm we had all retired to our sleeping bags... More riders arrived on Saturday morning - even in time for breakfast! Clockwise from my chair: Possu, Dirty Peet, Stamp, Laouen, MuddyMatt, Chris Barnes and DuibhceK Peter M - just back from a 'Competent Crew' sailing course down in Portsmouth... ... and Ilse and Nick, looking forward to their handful (or mouthful... ) of egg-sausage-and-bacon-baps Chris had made me some sophisticated carbon engine protection bits for my new CRF - I was even more delighted when the fitting was included in the price! With Mike F showing up as well, we split into three groups and were off just after 9am (ok, 9:15...) The East Kennett Ridgeway is always a bit of a gamble after recent rain (as DuibhceK found out the hard way on Sunday... ), but this morning every one made it over Lurkeley Hill upright - Laouen... ... and the rest of the gang Ilse, Candice, Nick and Chris Poulton Downs Nick making a splash Smoking in public, ts ts ts... Laouen on the mighty DRZ Candice didn't mind getting dirty... ... while Chris preferred to take evasive action The traditional break on Snap Lane Chris knows how to impress the ladies... Hey, Nick, where did you leave the others? The rules are strict: if you don't look after the rider behind you and lose the group, you have to buy everyone a drink in the evening... Fortunately, here they are! Anyone we know? Nick then quickly rode to the other side of the humongous puddle to take videos of us going through... ... and he probably thought he'd get away with it... But not with us... No pressure, Nick... No problem, girls! Jugg's Wood Another deceptive grassy lane... Chris on the Wayfarer's Walk Last year the grass was this high - huh, last month it was that high! And then it was me who temporarily lost the group... :eek1 Time to admire the views from Inkpen Hill Apparently someone - who shall remain unnamed - needed a little nap... Wasn't me! Nick should have it all on video... Still one missing... Trusty tail-end Chris bringing up the rear The Three Graces... Yes, Nick, you may touch them... Actually, this was the set-up for a group photo, which we are holding our breath to see... And suddenly it was already 2pm and high time for lunch: another idyllic picnic by the roadside of the service station in Hurstbourne Tarrant Would we manage to complete the whole Wayfarer's Route this time? Don't miss the next episode...
Meanwhile a few more pics from Saturday. It started with a brief stop in the woods But it ended with a different kind of break Curiously enough, it had nothing to do whatsoever with this little item At first I thought Adam was just trying to show off, drifting his DRZ into a corner on a fast tarmac road. But I soon noticed that his rear tyre had gone on a crash diet. It turned out that a low tyre pressure, combined with the lack of rim locks had ripped the valve out. Fortunately we were well equipped. Adam whipped out his tyre levers and pulled out the old tyre and installed the spare rear that Peter was carrying. However, Adam's cycle pump came with a cigarette lighter plug, which none of us had the matching socket for. So some modifications were in order. Mike's Husqy provided the required juice The cycle pump made a lot of noise, but seemed to deliver very little air. The Moscito hand pump I carried did do the job, although slowly and with some effort. Adam was wank.. err, I mean pumping away for some time to get to around 15psi. But we did get back to teh camp site without further problems. Well in time for
I see that other groups also had their exciting moments... Ok, the question for us was: "Would we manage to complete the whole Wayfarer's Route this time?" No, we wouldn't... Just as I pulled away from the services, my engine cut out and left me stranded in We came up with all sorts of reasons and suggestions - and seasoned engineer Chris tried his best to get the little one going again... ... but to no avail. After 45 minutes of fruitless attempts, Sofie and Candice went back to the camp site on tarmac to fetch a van I felt really embarrassed and sorry about spoiling everyone's day but nobody seemed to be willing to take over and simply follow the bright pink line on my SatNav... So while the rescue team was on its way, we kept twiddling with the bike... ... eliminating error after error - but not getting to the bottom of the fault... ... until Candice and Sofie came back in Candice's impressive Sprinter van And just before we left, Nick outed himself as another aspirant for the notorious Potato Picker Peasant Posse... ... which already consists of founding member Dr JM Ilse Photo courtesy of Katie em JMo (& piglet) and Katie em Apologies, I digress, but I think you have good chances, Nick... After all the hassle with my bike, it was almost 6pm when we got back to base. My wonderful personal mechanic went straight to work and found the culprit a short while later - a cable had come loose from the ignition control box... A big THANK YOU to everyone in my group for your fantastic help, patience and support, be it mechanically, vehicular or morally - and, of course, to my one and only Possu... Knowing that tomorrow would be another day of riding fun, dinner tasted even better :dg They really can cook at the Golden Swan - and look at the portions! Surprisingly, Saturday was another well-behaved night, which saw everyone in bed early and almost sober... What would Sunday hold in store for us? Don't miss the next instalment...
@Bert: Baas boven baas Thanks for all the lovely write ups and pics, I didnt notice it during the day but apparantly plenty were taken!! Great!
Bert's trail riding destination may be slightly more exciting than Wiltshire but I'll carry on with my own report regardless - there is still a Sunday to write about! Due to the early night, everyone was fresh, up and about well before breakfast... ... which was served in the barn by landlady Pat - and Candice After the bikes were de-tangled... ... we set off on my popular Historical Tour - comprising Salisbury Plain, Stonehenge, several White Horses, Avebury and Barbury Castle. May I just emphasise that my group hadn't shrunk overnight? Candice, Chris, Ilse, Nick and Sofie had not been put off by my electrical problems and were raring to go. As soon as we entered MoD territory it started to rain - contrary to Chris's weather forecast - but the wet spell lasted only until the end of the Everleigh Lanes - Ilse The notorious 'Lawn-mower Lane' Nick just having safely crossed the hidden ditch Well pleased, as you can see... Chris Barnes and Laouen Yes, I know, the DRZ is a handful on that trail... ... but no problem for Sofie! Still, I bet tail-end Chris was happy that he'd brought the CRF Souvenirs... Shame about the recent drought, as the main attraction of this byway is the enormous puddle at the end - and that's usually both ways... Hi Ilse! Chris still there? Yep, here he comes On the Plain proper we met another group of trail riders ... who we immediately utilised to have our group photo taken The photographer - Crashmaster on various forums - framed by Ilse and Chris Since the second lane I had let Candice shoot ahead to have a good romp, and on the fast gravel tracks of Salisbury Plain she was soon joined by Nick. They had so much fun that we overshot the planned route by far, so I had to improvise a bit to get us back on track... But thanks to the OS mapping on my Montana, I could actually see exactly where we were and loop us to the byway to Figheldean - there is just so much choice on the Plain! Near Larkhill we ran into a second group of trail riders, this time one of our own lot: Mike, Peter and Muddymatt - led by Plain champion John, who took them almost to Southampton that day... :huh The compulsory tourist shot... ... a closer look ... and if you want to know more about our cultural heritage, use the zoom button Someone making enquiries about their next acquisition - picture blurred to protect the identities of all parties involved... After forcing our way across the always busy A303, we rode a few new lanes and were delighted by Hampshire County Council's thoughtful signage... ... until we saw this oddity. Right, so to enter the byway from the A36, which wouldn't be without considerable health and safety risks, you'd have to lift your bike over the stile... ... while the lane clearly leads along the main road, crosses below and ends in the picturesque village of Steeple Langford It would be interesting to hear the story of why the byway sign was erected in this particular location. Does anyone know? We could have joined the A36 to reach our lunch stop at Stapleford quickly, but I rather took the scenic route, meandering along the river Wylye through the Langfords (Steeple, Hanging and Little) to Wishford, Stoford and ultimately Stapleford (please note that none of those promising sounding names actually indicates a usable ford for us...). Lunch was had at the Esso Services where we fed our steeds, devoured sandwiches and sweets, and pondered the most awkward positions to attach a number plate to your bike... The questions were once more: would we finish our planned route that day? Would the CRF stay the course? Would there be time for an ice cream? To be continued...
The Moscito hand pump I carried did do the job, although slowly and with some effort. Adam was wank.. err, I mean pumping away for some time to get to around 15psi. that made me laugh out loud it was a good job you had that little pump and thanks again to Peter for the tube
Time flies... I'd better get a move on and finish the report before the next outing (was still hoping that Ilse, Nick or Candice would be posting their pictures and videos... ). Right then, after lunch we picked up the Stapleford Road, a looong byway that leads from the A36 over the A303 to the B390 and includes a bumpy stretch which is perfect for jumping practice But there was a price to pay - coming back to my bike after a wee stop I discovered that my drum brake had come off! :eek1 Ah well, brakes are for cowards! On to the Wessex Ridgeway near Etchilhampton, mmm... ... come on, ladies and gentleman, there lies so much fun ahead! Strangely enough and despite the earlier rain, the lane was not as slippery as usual and we all made it to Devizes upright. Just above the White Horse: "Amazing - and I didn't even see it until I stepped on its head..." Quick check - is everyone still happy? We followed the Wessex Ridgeway around Morgan's Hill and - after public debate and democratic vote - gave the Cherhill Down and the Witch Plantation as miss... Next stop was Avebury, a place with a high density of weirdos... Not that we stood out from the crowd much... As a little thank you for their support and patience on the Saturday, I treated my group to some fine Cornish ice cream: raspberry pavlova, strawberries & clotted cream, heavenly honeycomb - to name just a few flavours... (Photo courtesy of Candice) Further information about Avebury can be found here; a link that Chris sent me after the weekend - thank you! There are quite a few more or less well maintained byways around Avebury, but this one was a bit of a surprise - where has the lane gone? :eek1 Here... I remember that this particular stretch was just graded last year, so I'm not too sure what Wiltshire Country Council thinks about the farmer's initiative. At least, he had pinned a fluorescent arrow to a tree to point out an alternative route - which promptly claimed its victims But heyho, a bit of adventure adds to the fun and we finally made it to the other site of the field - seeing our starting point in the distance When we reached the tarmac in Broad Hinton, I suddenly realised that I hadn't ridden this particular route since the first Wiltshire Do in 2011 and that I was not entirely certain how to continue. And as you know, every time you have a 50% chance to get it right, there is a 90% probability that you get it wrong... Fortunately I hit the 10% margin this time, phew, and we got straight up the Uffcott Down Chris Anyone up for some playtime going up and down the hill? Nah, we'd rather carry on to... ... and enjoy the views Look nice, please! We then had just two more lanes to go - but one of them is over five kilometres long Home stretch Furze Hill Shall we get some dinner? Mmm, I personally prefer Pat's Belly of Pork at the Golden Swan... ... and so no sheep were harmed that afternoon. We got back after a full day's riding, 108 miles and lots of fun and camaraderie - thank you all! Turning into the campsite just before 6pm, I suddenly realised that I had completely forgotten to talk to Steve about our plans for the day - and that he might have been waiting for me for hours, erm... But the timing was perfect - the van was already packed up and I just had to get changed and load the CRF onto the trailer. Thank you, my Great Organiser! All we had left to do was settling the bill with Dave and Pat, saying goodbye to the ones who stayed another night and walking off into the sunset... Did I mention that we had been really lucky with the weather - against all official and inofficial forecasts? Thank you all for making the weekend such a pleasure - especially to our Belgian and Dutch friends who travelled all the way from the continent to Wilcot. Here's to next year's Clogfest! Ela
OK, Pumpy, you've shamed me into getting my ar$e into gear and upload the videos! I'm afraid that I didn't have the camera angled quite right, so some of you are missing heads, but you get the idea of what we got up to. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaeCjevPdOY Trying to keep up with Candice! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd-qLDYviWE Bump http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUkkW1qYSMs Splash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-u0LNatZRM Ilse, Candice & Chris
