Cycling in Cheddar

Yesterday's cycling adventure was a huge success as far as I was concerned. Mainly because (1) I didn't fall off and (2) I kept up with Sheila and Dave. Of course it was also very, very beautiful, the weather was kind and we stopped halfway in Cheddar--which unfortunately necessitated riding through the narrow streets and hoping that the cars that were following us/passing us didn't mind cyclists and weren't in a mood to knock one off--for tea and cake. Cake you say, CAKE? Doesn't that undo all the benefit of cycling? Ummm. . .all in moderation. I am going to prove this summer that one can have treats now and again, in moderation, and eat healthy the rest of the time, exercise and maintain the weight one wants. I only ate half the serving of walnut cake yesterday anyway.

Okay so here is the first photo:



Dave and Sheila, their bikes and mine, ready to begin the ride down the Strawberry line, which is a converted railway track that runs along a reservoir between Axbridge and Cheddar.

Next:



It was a flat pathway (yay!) bordered on both sides with lots of green and with beautiful flowering bushes and wildflowers. I especially liked the purple lilacs although I tend to sneeze around them.

Next:



After cycling around 1.5 miles or so, the path ended at the outskirts of Cheddar. We cycled into the town (ulp!.) We locked up our bikes on the bridge overlooking this brook and walked to a tea shoppe Sheila and I had gone into the last time I was there, in January 2007. At that time, there had been no one around but yesterday Cheddar was full of tourists. Unfortunately our tea shoppe was closed but there was another one across the street and we sat out in the garden and had our tea and cake feeling that all was right with the world.



A photo of me in the garden. We told Dave about our youthful escapades in London and shared stories about Yorkshire where Dave comes from and where my dh's family also comes from. Sheila's late husband was also a Yorkshireman. It was so relaxing and lovely. But we weren't sure whether the darkening clouds portended rain so we returned to our bikes and headed back to where Dave had left the van.

On our way back toward the bikes we stopped in at the Cheddar Cheese Factory which we HAD visited that January. I laughed to see that they have a couple of cheeses that had "chili" and jalapeno peppers in them. I chatted with a woman who was buying one--I bought some of the traditional, strong, kind--and told her that I come from around the chile capital (Hatch, New Mexico which boasts to be) of the world.

Riding in the town was a bit frightening for me. First, because the roads are so narrow--we'd consider them a single lane back in America--and second because of those roundabouts. . .I'm never sure who has the right-of-way and which way to look! I won't drive in England because of these two factors but I followed closely behind Dave and Sheila and trusted they knew what to do. They did.

Next:



When we returned to where the bike path had left off, we took a different path and cycled around the reservoir. There was a stiff wind blowing and we rode into it. This is where I noticed the difference that two years of exercising and toning have made to my legs. Although I could feel my muscles working hard, I easily kept up with Sheila and Dave. Guess that the workouts I've been doing, including the hiking, HAVE helped in the cycling department too. I think that it was also good that the bike was the tiniest bit big for me. It enabled me to stretch my legs out more fully than I would have on my old mountain bike. In hindsight, looking back at the way I huffed and puffed on my old bike in Las Vegas, I might have been better off if I'd put its seat up. I'd have got more "push" power I think. But speaking of seats, I did find the hard seat slightly uncomfortable. We only cycled 5.5 miles yesterday with that long stop in the middle and I felt as we did the last bit that I had had enough for the day. I don't think I'm ready for the Tour de France.

Oh and the sheep in the photo? On one side of the reservoir is lush green farmland:



and there were loads of loads of sheep, rams and lambs. I thought of that piece by Bach "Where sheep may safely graze...." and it was indeed a place of peace and beauty and safety.

How do I feel this morning? Great. A few twinges but I always "twinge" in the morning, nothing out of the ordinary. Sheila says our next bicycling adventure will be Brent Knoll but she promises that we will only cycle the flat bit and then walk up to the Knoll. I don't want to destroy the illusion that I am a good cyclist