23-25 April 2019

Bridgwater to Wells (23 April 2019, 46.5 km, 29 mi)

By a stroke of luck, SJS Cycles was just down the street from our hotel in Bridgwater. SJS Cycles is the UK’s biggest seller of gear for bicycle touring, but they do almost all of their business online. The storefront in Bridgwater is SJS Cycles’ only retail outlet. Because they were closed both Easter Sunday and Monday, we were unable to shop there until today. We were waiting outside their door when they opened at 8am. There, we were finally able to buy replacement parts for our Ortlieb panniers. Yea! No other retailers we visited in France or the UK had the pieces that we needed in stock. It was a relief to finally get a replacement set of hook inserts, replacement hooks, and a plastic piece that helps hold the pannier security cable in place. We knew exactly what we wanted, so we completed our purchase and were on the road in less than a half hour.

The bike route continued to have lots of low hills, today. But although some were steep, they weren’t nearly as long, and the gradients weren’t as tough as the ones we encountered in Exmoor.

The big event on today’s route was cycling across the Avalon Marshes, and climb up Glastonbury Tor. These places are intertwined with the legend of King Arthur, and many people believe that the mount of Glastonbury Tor was the Isle of Avalon, where Excalibur was forged and King Arthur was buried with Guinevere. Back in the Dark Ages, the surrounding area would have been covered with marshes and lakes - the mystical haunts of druids. And the Tor would have stood above the swampy expanse, very much like an island. In the 12th century, the Glastonbury Abbey even claimed to have found the graves of Arthur and Guinevere on the Tor, and relocated their remains to the church - but most historians now think this was a publicity stunt to raise the profile and reputation of the abbey. Even so, the legends have been associated with this landscape for more than 1,000 years.

In the 16th century, the marshes around Glastonbury were diked and drained. These days, the primary economic drivers are peat mining, agriculture and tourism. A number of former peat mines have been donated or acquired by conservation organizations, creating a couple of core natural areas that are being restored to marshland. As we biked across the marshes we passed several peat mining companies, but we didn’t get to see much of the natural areas. Our route just skirted the edge of one of the nature reserves. 

On our way up to the Tor, we biked right through the heart of the town of Glastonbury, passing close to the Glastonbury Abbey. Having spent some time in places like Boulder Colorado, we’ve been close to communities that have a strong New Age presence. But Glastonbury tops them all. Inspired by the Arthurian legends, as well as the Avalon Marshes’ links to England’s Druid past, the town practically bursts with New Age imagery and culture. We passed businesses with names like Godess Temple, Natural Earthling, Enlightenment, Excalibur Cafe, The Speaking Tree Shop, 8 Owls, Cat & Cauldron, Little Imps, and Shieldmaiden. That’s just to name a few.

We first saw Glastonbury Tor when we were still many kilometers away. The hill dominates the skyline as you’re heading east from the flatness of the Avalon Marshes. On top of the hill is a prominent tower, the ruined remains of the 15th century Church of St. Michael. The bike route doesn’t lead all the way to the top of the Tor, but passes along the north side of the hill where there is a trailhead that leads to the top. There’s no denying that the profile of the Tor with the medieval tower on top is quite striking. It’s easy to understand why people would attach spiritual and cultural significance to this place.

After another 15 km of cycling past rural dairy and sheep farms, we arrived in Wells. We took a late evening walk into town, and discovered that Wells has its own, interesting history. It’s England’s smallest city. Part of the reason for its prominence is that it has hosted a bishop and cathedral for more than 1,000 years. We visited the grounds around the Bishop’s Palace, but the building was closed by that time, so we couldn’t go inside. We walked along the edge of the moat, and saw the actual spring that fills the moat with water (and gives Wells its name).

Wells to Bristol (24 April 2019, 48 km, 29.8 mi)

Just 5 km outside of Wells, we started the big climb up into the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Over the next 4 km, we climbed 250 m (820 ft). Okay, that probably doesn’t sound so bad. But the reality was that the ascents came in four bursts of very steep climbs, with extended sections having gradients of 12% or more. Luckily, we were able to somewhat catch our breath between the hills, but it was definitely a slow ride. 

With a name like “area of outstanding natural beauty” (AONB) our expectations for gorgeous vistas were high. But, here’s the thing about these areas in England, they do not mean “natural” in the sense of natural vegetation on the landscape. Rather, “natural” seems to just mean “not urban.” The term is meant to evoke a picturesque rural landscape, largely covered by farms and dotted with small villages. The biggest difference between national parks and AONBs is that the parks must be managed by an independent authority, with a mandate to provide recreational access. The AONBs are managed by local governing councils, and are not required to provide recreational access. Our observation was that, yes, the Mendip Hills are picturesque, but not necessarily any more so than the surrounding sheep and agricultural farms. One thing that stood out, though, was the very funky names of the towns in the area. We passed towns with names like Wookey Hole, Chew Stoke and Chew Magna. 

When crossing the Mendip Hills, we were in a hurry because we wanted to beat the rain, which was forecast for the afternoon. And given that the scenery was not really that outstanding, we didn’t take any photos up on the plateau.

The descent off of the Mendip Hills was just as steep, narrow and winding as the road up had been. We couldn’t just let loose and fly down the slopes. We really had to ride our breaks, because of the tight, high-gradient turns. And the roads were just barely wide enough for one car, so we had to stop multiple times to pull of the road and let cars pass. As a result, we didn’t make great time going downhill, either. That was too bad, since the rain clouds were moving in.

We made it most of the way to Bristol before it started to rain. What started as a light drizzle turned into a steady rain by the time we hit the outskirts of town. So we ducked into a Burger King to have lunch and dry off. That turned out to be a good decision, because it started raining much harder after we were in the restaurant.

After about 1.5 hrs there was a break in the rain, and we decided to try to cover the last 4 km to the hotel. That turned out to be not such a good decision. The rain came back in force, and we got pretty soaked over the last kilometer or so.

After cleaning up and drying out, we went for a walk along the Bristol Channel. There were lots of people out and about on this Wednesday evening, giving the city a lively feel.

Layover Day in Bristol (25 April)

This was a day for taking care of chores. At the top of my list was ordering a new pair of glasses. Back in Portugal, I had accidentally sat on my glasses in the tent, and damaged one of the hinges on the frame. The glasses are rimless, so the hinge inserts directly into the lens. I had tried using super-glue to re-attach the frame to the lens, but it’s very delicate and liable to break completely one of these days. For the past two months, I’ve mostly been wearing my sunglasses, which have an older prescription that isn’t as good for me. So, it’s time to bite the bullet and get a new pair.

I found out that I could order new glasses at a chain of pharmacies called Boots, and have them delivered to a store in London where I could pick them up in a couple of weeks. Luckily, I had brought along a copy of my lens prescription, so I didn’t need to get a new eye exam. This time, I’m getting a sturdy, steel frame to withstand the rigors of the road. The folks at Boots were great, and I should have a new pair of glasses soon. Nice! 

We also spent time on bike maintenance. I replaced the broken piece on the security cable system for one of my back panniers (using the part we bought in Bridgwater). PedalingGuy worked on his brakes. A spring had broken in his right-hand break lever. It seems like the lever will work fine without the spring, so he removed it. Now he says his hand-brake is working better than it has in a long time.

In the evening we went out for a walk around Bristol’s old town. It’s not that old by European standards, because like many important English cities, Bristol was bombed extensively during the WWII Blitz. As a result, much of the center part of the city had to be rebuilt after the war. Still, the streets are a bit narrower, and the facades of the buildings have an old-fashioned charm.

We decided to have dinner at a Szechuan Chinese restaurant down the street from our hotel. We both got hot pots - which warmed us up nicely after a chilly walk around town. Even though we both chose low-end “heat” to our dishes (1 or 2 out of 5), they were super spicy. Hard to imagine anyone eating the 4 or 5.

The weather outlook for the next day was for rain in the morning, clearing in the afternoon. We decided to sleep in, and requested a late checkout from the hotel so we could do all of our cycling in the afternoon.

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