Week 30 - Cycle to...........

I live in a household of very keen cyclists; I challenge any home to have as much Lycra as we do in ours. John and Luc have done some extremely impressive rides including Colwyn Bay to Cardiff in 36 hours! and now the guys are planning a trip to Paris on two wheels.
As for me, I enjoy my cycling too and not wanting to be outdone by the men I decided I had to set myself a challenge too. I felt I wanted to do a major ride from home, something noteworthy, somewhere at a reasonable distance. I chose Llangaffo, Anglesey which is approximately 33 miles away,( but with our little unintended diversion around Bangor must have been nearer 35!)
Okay, so I know it's not Land's End to John o Groat's, but it is a route which I've travelled many, many times before. However, only in a car. So one fine, dry day John and I got prepared and set off on the tandem. (We absolutely love tandem cycling and are constantly amazed by people's sceptical attitude towards it.)
I particularly enjoy the opportunity to appreciate the countryside and see the sights that you simply miss when you zip along the dual carriageways at 70mph. It's wonderful to experience the contours of the land, to take a slower pace and to chat as you go along (John also maintains I use the mobile going along instead of pedalling ,- what can I say? I can multi-task!!)
Anyway, we discovered some lovely little places which are really just on our doorstep and yet previously unknown. We found a beautiful valley near Bangor, so close to the expressway and yet magically hidden. We picnicked in a park, drank coffee overlooking the Menai Bridge and took time to pause and take photos. It looks like I learnt my lesson after my poor judgement in Cheddar (you need to have read the last blog!)
Additionally, it did feel like an achievement, especially since we cycled not only onto the island but down to Llangaffo where we met Luc and Nathan -
-  Oh and yes, that was with the car; the bike went on the roof and we drove home, enjoying a well- earned fish and chip supper - yum!

Week 29 - Visit a new place in the UK

I really should have been more prompt writing these blogs. You would have thought that being a teacher and having a long summer holiday I would have had plenty of time to keep writing regularly. Obviously, the lack of routine scuppered me and if I'm perfectly honest the problem was that the weather was simply too nice and I just couldn't stay inside and write on the tablet when the sun was shining! (Can't see the screen outside - have tried, didn't work)
Having said all that, when I visited the Cheddar gorge in Somerset for the very first time in mid-August the weather was actually not brilliant at all. Then again, we didn't go for the weather. It was thanks to great friends of ours who invited John and I to join them in a mobile home on a small caravan site that we had the opportunity to go there.
Cheddar of course is home to cheese, cider, caves and a road weaving its way up through the middle of the rock. I had never visited before, in fact I'm not sure whether I'd previously stayed in Somerset at all.
Anyway, I think it'd be true to say that I made a bit of a rookie error. The whole point of visiting a massive gorge is to experience it; to see its expanse, its magnitude, to look down and get the 3000 ft perspective. I didn't do that! I can't for the life of me think why now  (umm I think there was a charge to do the cliff walk-:-\ ) it was certainly my own 'not doing'.
To be honest, it's not like me. I'm usually very keen to get the bird's eye view - even some of my earlier  blogs testify to that and I've spoken about this in church before now for goodness sake!
I guess there's some lessons to myself here:

• Don't Stop looking for the bigger picture, 
• Don't start losing that child-like wonder in the little things,
• Don't let cynicism rob you of joy

I feel suitably reproached now!

Here's what I should have seen: