Glastonbury to Bath

We got up early and walked into Glastonbury to get a coffee.

We found the only coffee shop in town that was open and I sat in the window looking at the neighbouring shops.

What a surprise! No sign of any butcher or baker, but quite a few candles, if not candlestick makers.

It is a hippy haven, full of nothing I could ever think of buying.

I was also startled by the tourist board information notices. Apparently legend has it that Jesus and his uncle Joseph visited Glastonbury, King Arthur and Queen Guinevere are buried here, the sword of Excalibur is lying undiscovered nearby in a local river and the Holy Grail is also buried nearby.

With history like that then the shops are probably to be expected.

Moving on and back on the bikes, our next stop was Wells and it's amazing cathedral.

After the information overload at Glastonbury I just looked around here in awe, and unfortunately have nothing to tell you about the place.

Except to say that we will definitely be going back for a longer look.

We are on our final cycling day and after the flat land of the Somerset levels we then went straight up to the top of the Mendip Hills. Stopping at the little village of Priddy for a break and half a cheese and bacon pasty each, we rested our bikes next to a thatched building full of sheep fencing.

The fencing is used at the annual sheep fair and dates back to 1348 when the fair at Wells was moved here to avoid the black death.

Reaching the other side of the Mendips we had a great view of Chew Valley reservoir in the distance 

where we made our last stop for a 99 at the Mister Whippy.

Weymouth to Glastonbury

 Today was the longest cycling day of our tour, but at least we knew that it wouldn't be as hilly as the past couple of days.

Our first coffee stop was at Poundbury, the famous village that is built on the King's land. It is at the edge of Dorchester and has royal sounding areas such as Queen Mother Square, Crown Square and the Royal Pavilion.

It has lots of different building designs and at first glance seemed very posh, quiet and pretty. We stopped for coffee and the friendly owner gave me a map of the town, and hidden amongst the buildings were at least 70 fancy cafés, bars and shops, including 13 bridal boutiques.

Very different to our own self build at Graven Hill.

Travelling on the terrain for most of the day was gently rolling through beautiful villages, but our quest for a pub lunch ended in vain as the couple that we cycled past had both closed down.

Eventually we sat on a bench that was left outside one closed down pubs and enjoyed a meal deal.

Closing in on Glastonbury were cycled throughout the Somerset Levels, which as the name implies is a flat area where the wind was fearsome and straight in our faces.

In the distance we could see Glastonbury Tor and it slowly got closer until we were in the town itself. 

It looked really interesting and a good place to spend the night, but the sat nav had others ideas and took us straight through and out the other side to an industrial estate. 

There nestled between Screwfix and Howdens was our lovely Purple Palace. Sorry but I didn't think to take a photo.

We arrived much less tired than yesterday. However, too tired to walk the 20 minutes each way into the town, so are hoping to do that in the morning.

Jurassic coast ride

 We set off this morning from the edge of the Jurassic Coast, an area famous for the fossils of dinosaurs encased in the rock of the cliffs.

Speaking of cliffs, we started the day by climbing an enormous one, before dropping down into the lovely town of Lyme Regis.

On the seafront is a statue of Mary Anning, one of the best fossil hunters ever. 

I have always been a keen beach comber and had to have a look  on the beach. I was very pleased to find a little rock that to me looked like a tiny piece of dinosaur bone and popped it in my pocket.

We left Lyme Regis and scaled another mountain before swooping down to Charmouth beach.

We stopped for coffee and sat in a howling gale on the seafront chatting to a very friendly Austrian teacher about our journey.

Next door to the café was a fossil shop selling ammonites and other finds. I had a quick glance around and was slightly disappointed to not find anything similar to my mini t rex bone.

As you can see, the weather is looking grey and we were starting to see the arrival of Storm Floris.

The next part of the journey was a bit inland and not quite so hilly, but never flat. Gradually the weather got worse and we stopped for a long lunch break to shelter for a while.

Then it was back on the bikes, and the final quite long leg to our hotel in Weymouth.

Our arrival into Weymouth was a great disappointment with gridlocked traffic on a rundown looking seafront, although we were also tired and the rain and wind didn't help.

However, after a rest at the hotel we tried again and the difference was spectacular.

The sun was out, the sea was calm, the traffic had gone and there was a helter shelter on the seafront.

Bath to Bristol then Seaton

Early morning start today and a 50+ minute cycle ride to Bristol Temple Meads station.

We have booked a train and have carefully booked separate tickets for our bikes, but we can only get them as far as Tiverton, and we want to go on to Exeter.

There was a bit of a panic at Bristol as all of the carriages on the train were mixed up. We were waiting at the right place on the platform for the cycle coach, but it was a ten coach train and we had to run the full length of the station to get to coach B and I was the last person to jump onboard.

The GWR website said that someone else had already booked the bike spaces from Tiverton to Exeter, so we expected to have to get off and wait for the next train, but no one got on so we stayed on board, and got there earlier than expected. All a bit chaotic really.

With this little stress out of the way, we started our holiday.

Straight away the route was very pretty and we cycled along the Exe estuary down to the coast.

It was lovely easy cycling, and we stopped for coffee at Sidmouth which was packed with tourists and Morris dancers.

Then our easy day turned into a mountain stage of the Tour de France and we climbed three hors category peaks in quick succession - thank heavens for the e bikes, they helped a lot, but they were still really hard climbs.

Towards the end my battery was almost completely flat and there was still another half mountain to go, but we got to the top and reached Seaton.

After a nice glide downhill we checked into the Premier Inn and went to explore. Seaton was very nice with a long pretty beach, but it was eerily quiet. However, we found a nice and sunny beachfront bar and refuelled.

Abingdon cycle ride

 It's been so long since I wrote a blog that I couldn't work out how to sign in, so it's definitely time to get back into the blogging habit.

It has also been so long since I went for a bike ride that I thought that I would combine the two. Fortunately, the old saying about never forgetting how to ride a bike proved to be true, so all went well.

Of course we stopped for the traditional coffee and cake, and enjoyed a brief tour of the sights of Abingdon.

The route was almost completely flat and for quite a way back we cycled the Thames Path, stopping at Iffley Lock to watch a boat go through. It's so posh here in Oxford that they don't have to push the heavy lock gates open and closed, instead the boaters just press a button and it's done by magic.

And then came the best bit when we stopped to collect blackberries along the towpath.

As everyone is saying, they are very early this year.

Kasprowy Wierch hike

We arrived at the bottom of the Kasprowy Wierch cable car just as it was about to leave and joined the crowd on board.

It was a thrilling 20 minute journey and then we were at the top, 1,987 metres above sea level.

We strolled around the top to get our bearings and acclimatise to the difference in temperature.

Darren had worked out a 7 kilometre route, so off we set.

At first we were walking with the crowds, but by the time we reached the red dot in the distance there was very few of us left.

The walking was epic, with stone paths that made it very easy to follow the route. We were also up above the tree line and could see for miles.

Our walk was basically in a triangle shape with the first side all along the top of the mountain, and the route gradually got tougher as we crossed a massive boulder slope.

My arms were out to balance, and full concentration on the ground. I was really pleased to reach more level ground, and the turn in the path to go downhill.

It was scary with a massive drop to the side, and I made it down either holding on to the edge, or crawling a bit like a backwards crab. 

Just behind me in this photo you can see a few people ahead of us on the path. One was a lady who clung to the rock and was unable to move as she was so frightened. Her friends were trying to encourage her and were even trying to move her feet for her. We passed her quite quickly and soon were on easier ground again. 

Then we came to the beautiful lakes that we had seen from so high up.

Our stony path took us right along the shoreline.

Then stepping stones through the water buttercups.

And then we reached the end of that part of the triangle, and had to start the enormous climb back up to the cable car. For a moment we thought that we could catch a chair lift up, but it wasn't working and it would have been cheating really.

Absolutely incredible day.

Tatra National Park, Poland

Yesterday afternoon we caught a train from Krakow to the winter ski resort of Zakopane. This took about three hours and took us from the flat lands of the middle of Poland up into an alpine style landscape of Tatra National Park. We are only about ten miles from the border with Slovakia.

This is the view from our balcony, although it is much cooler here, so I just took the photo and headed back inside.

The sun was shining this morning and we set off on a circular hike from our hotel.

First stop was an upside down house in Zakopane. The owner had thought of everything and the doghouse, the outside toilet and even the bird box was upside down too.

Then we passed a dinosaur park with a giant fluffy one outside.

Eventually we got to the National Park, and after paying an entrance fee of about £2 each, we started off on our hike.

The first section was easy as we walked alongside a little stream, but then the path got steeper and rockier.

We caught up with a big group of students, and feeling good we passed them on the way to the summit.

Once over the top our problems started, as it was an extremely steep downhill, and quite slippery. Strava shows that we were much quicker up the hill than down the other side.

Feeling pleased to have got down without breaking an ankle we joined the crowds who had all taken the easy direct way to see the Siklawica Waterfall. (Not over the mountain.)

It was very popular with the local Instagrammers who queued to get an arty photo in front of it. We couldn't be doing with that, so Daz jumped in between their shots.

They were also queuing to sit on a rock on the way down the hill, where there was a good backdrop of buildings and mountains.

Clouds were gathering by the time we crossed fields that wouldn't have looked out of place in the Sound of Music. Then we were back in Zakopane and stopped for lunch at a fancy café.