Landmarks Revisited

The title says it all really, after the lost digital fotos fiasco! Nice days ride to LMs #83 & #88 in Wales then over the new Severn bridge to repeat LMs #45 & #3, then Fosse Way north to home....

Not an ironbutt.....

Friday means a slightly earlier finish from work, so I decided to go for the Essex LM: a church at Bradwell on Sea. A non-motorway route from work to the LM of about 90 miles (thanks John C) with only one stop for fuel. LM pics taken using "old fashioned" film camera with some back ups on my mobile phone camera. A drink and a snack (bought at fuel stop) then hopefully a non-stop 162 miles home, mostly via the M25 and M40. At about 30 miles/30 mins from home I couldn't bare the numb-bum and stiff-ankles any longer so rolled into the Oxford services for a break, whereupon I met a lovely lady biker (GSXRthou) and to cut a short story even shorter, she was proudly wearing her Ironbutt Run badge!

Digital age......time somebody broke the monopoly with a better product

The ultimate challenge:
Fuji Finepix Smartmedia card v MS Windows Vista (new home PC)
RESULT= Lost pics (and points! and sponsorship!) for 4/6 of the last LM's visited!

Worst Microsoft Operating System ever!

Ah well that screws up any chance of a 100% allrounder award, I should really have covered this possibility by back up pics on good old Kodak film!

The West Country

After a disastrous July (more rain & floods) combined with small bike problems (battery, rear tyre puncture & LH fork seal again!) August rbr's started with some time off work and a trip to the west country. Even the sunshine order arrived on-time, allowing very cheap accommodation under canvas at the Caravan and Camping club sites in Devon & Cornwall.

THANKS ALSO FOR THE DONATIONS FROM THE SITE MANAGERS.

6 Landmarks were visited (2 Cornwall, 1 Devon, 1 Dorset, 2 Somerset) plus the obligatory visits to Lands End and Lizard Point. The road from Penzance to Lands End was very enjoyable bend after bend almost the whole way, and parking for bikes is free at Lands End. Lizard Point was a different kettle of fish, auNTy and I ventured down the narrow lane to mainland UK's most southerly car park which was very small and consequently FULL. But worse still, it's on a steep incline with a surface made up of loose dirt & gravel, so even though there was space to squeeze in we opted not too and moved onto the horror of turning the laden bike around. All the while aware of the prying eyes of bored tourists hoping the idiot on the bike would drop it. So back up the lane to the upper car park, £1 for motorcycles, not a lot I know, but I'd already seen most of what I wanted, so I declined and settled for a quick pic of auNTy in front of the lighthouse and return to Lizard village to find lunch:

Just out of the village centre with it's touristy eateries and souvenir shop's I found Ann's Famous Cornish Pasties outlet: a bakery in the converted garage down her drive, one large "yummy" real Cornish pastie served with Helford Creek Cornish apple juice..... I sat with others "in the know" on the on the local recreation ground grass opposite the shop, under a clear blue sunshine sky and enjoyed my feast complete with begging seagulls waiting for any scraps......

http://www.connexions.co.uk/lizardpasty/index.htm

http://www.waitrose.com/food/celebritiesandarticles/foodissues/0105038.aspx