April 2023 - Easter Cycle Shenanigans

Firstly, I can't believe that I've not posted since Christmas. It's not that I've not been riding or even that I've not done anything particularly blog-worthy. But I have been practising using a new app that documents some of my rides. 

If you want to see how that looks, step over to Polarsteps and take a look. I've tracked a number of rides this year just so I could learn the best way to use the program. The latest of which is written below. 

I have also been spending a fair amount of time at Beamz HQ, which deserves a whole post of its own. 

But for now, let's chat Easter Holidays. 

Saturday - It's the first day of the holiday, so I deserved a huge lay-in, right? Wrong. I did get an extra 30 mins before the alarm went off, but I was already awake, so that didn't count. 

With one bike already loaded, I headed to Beamz HQ to pick up more bikes, bits and a Sarah, then headed into town for the Sporterium. 

Thanks to Ruth Mg, our home for the day has already been erected. So we quickly populated it with baskets, poles and an impressive fleet of Beamz bikes. 

Even though it was tipping with rain, We were already attracting interest before we had even finished setting up. 

And even though it rained on and off all morning, it was rare that there wasn't someone looking at the bikes, interested in the concept or wanting to volunteer. It was a brilliant start to the break - just what I needed. 

Tuesday - 'How many English heritage sites can we visit before our membership runs out?' 

Well, Jo and I decided to check out the new cycle provision on the FastJet to the Isle of Wight to see. 

We met at the ferry terminal, ready for whatever the weather threw at us, and then waited 30 mins for the next sailing. We were a little bemused to find that the cycle provision was squeezed between the seats, which was almost too small for my bike altogether. But once seated, we glided across to the island in a very short space of time and with no effort whatsoever. 

Having changed our plans a little, we didn't have an organised route, so gingerly, we approached the Squirrel trail. (This involved a few wrong turns and a needless hill climb, and I still don't know my way out of Cowes!) 

But it didn't take long to find the smooth tarmac of the trail, and we were very soon on the outskirts of Newport. 

We weaved through small roads and cycle paths, eventually finding a sign 'To the Castle.' 

Why do they always build these things on top of huge hills? Very inconsiderate of the Carrisbrook residents' methinks! 

We had to follow the guidance in the cafe, it would be rude not to! - this was our first stop after locking the bikes. 

The views were stunning. Especially as we walked the wall. Though I was pleased, we were going down rather than up the steps! 

Once we had found our way around the castle, we decided to take a route up the other side of the Medina to call in on the Queen. But, unfortunately, the weather was slowly turning against us. The darkening skies were promising rain. 

We turned off the cycle path too early, leading to a couple of close calls on the busy main road. But we got there in time for coffee, deciding we needed another day to make the most of Osbourne House. 

We were among the last to leave the site; we could hear brush and mop strokes behind us as we walked towards our bikes. The rain was now falling, so after donning wet weather gear, we took the chain ferry back to the other side and heroically fought the one-way system back to the FastJet. 

We arrived just in time to watch them close the gates and wave goodbye to the previous boat. If only we hadn't stopped for the last photograph! 

But the half-hour wait went quickly, and it was worth the wait. This ferry did have the new racks, and our bikes journeyed back to Southampton as comfortably as we did. 

Our journey was being tracked by Polarsteps throughout the day, so you can see roughly how things went here - 

https://www.polarsteps.com/SharonMerredew/6960095-awayday-iow?s=F5D30C74-DF84-451E-914C-91BFA0FD6B2D

Do let me know what you think. 

Friday took me to Fleming Park, Eastleigh, to meet with Jo from Pedaltastic and check out Sunday's Bunny Hop ride route. This involved two cups of coffee, a lovely toasted sandwich and a couple of loops of the planned ride. No photos this time. 

No resting here. Saturday was another early start, and this time a train to Winchester. We were going to find some more  British cycle-quest answers. The train journey was easy as always these days. The hardest thing bumping my bike down the stairs to platform 2 as the lift was broken. 

I had the carriage to myself for the first stop, and then the train filled to standing-room only. But it wasn't long before I got to Winchester to meet up with Jo. 

Jo showed me the easy route back to her house from the station then took me up a relatively 'easy' hill to the local shops. It wasn't till she came out of the post office that I realised she and her bike were suitably decorated for the day. 

After a hill that went on for at least two years! We were soon out in the countryside and heading to Alresford. 

We encountered a couple of furry creatures en route, which caused us to stop and shoot them (with a camera, of course), but it didn't delay us for long, and we soon reached our coffee stop. 

At this point, I should be inserting a photo of our lunch, but it was so nice, and we were so hungry, that my toastie was practically inhaled with no time to take a pic. 

So you don't miss out, I will insert a photo of their iconic and very delicious watercress scones from a previous visit. 

While waiting for our food, we looked up our first cyclequest clue to plan our next move. 

Once we had finished our meal, we searched for the toilet block to find the plaque that would answer all. 

On the way back, Jo pointed out a hidden oasis perfect for some swan-watching if you don't want to frequent the town's many cafes. 

We turned a corner and were face to face with the local watercress beds. No wonder the scones are so fresh. 

We paused at the top of another hill, this time to read of a spitfire accident involving three airmen whose training manoeuvres went wrong, causing all three to crash into the surrounding fields. 

This information was repeated in St Mary's Church, Itchen Stoke. A beautiful church on a hill that we had seen in the distance earlier and would see again shortly as we headed back to Winchester. 

If you look closely, you can spy St Marys. We paused once more to enjoy a wood carpeted with Primroses. Then headed to another hidden gem - this time overlooking the whole of Winchester - St Giles. 

It was funny to think it would take us less than 4 minutes to drop from here to that tiny statue in the city's centre. Another benefit of taking a bike.

We gathered the information we needed to complete this, my 5th cyclequest answer. Then headed into town for a final coffee before catching the train home. 

Much of the rest of the holiday has been spent at Beamz HQ, but that deserves its own post, 

Here are a couple of preview photos to whet your appetite.  

February 2022 - Round the harbour to bag a MP

Half term always flys by, but with loosing the first part of it to that dreaded caronavirus, this one felt particularly short. What better time to start a new challenge. 

Stage 1 - Head down to local station - Check.

2. Find the correct carriage on your train.

 Now if this had been my train, that would have been very easy. 

But this was mine. I couldn’t spot it at all. 

Thankfully, I did spot a cyclist getting off and was already following one heading on. This chap was obviously a seasoned pro - Asking when I was getting off and loading his bike accordingly. He grabbed his pannier and wandered off to find a seat, leaving me to faff for the next five mins of the journey. Bike safely stashed - check!

3.  Jump off at the correct station.

I always worry that I’m not going to get my bike off. But it really couldn’t have been easier. I found a quiet spot on the platform, and waited for the next train to arrive. 

I didn’t have to wait long. And was soon joined by my travel companions for the day. 

Babs and Jo had made their way from Winchester to meet me at Fareham station. We had all ridden parts of this  route in one direction of another, but none of us had ridden this particular version in its entirety. This and the beautiful blue skys (the first we had seen after a week of poor weather) filled our chatter as we found our way out of the station. 

The joy of paperless tickets and nothing more than a barcode triggering the gate to open was not lost on me, making the guard chuckle as we passed through. I’m guessing the technology is pretty new there too. 

Today, We were mostly following National Cycle Network routes, which has been carefully curated by Sustrans and maintained by their lovely volunteers. These guys had obviously been busy as even though we had just had 4 named storms blow through over the weekend, there was little evidence of tree fall on the route at all. And we, well Jo  to be precise, found it really easy to follow the little blue signs that marked the way. I have been reassured that this gets easier with practice. I’ll let you know when/if it does. . 

We quickly found our way onto the 236 from the station, following it to get onto the 224. This was a beautifully straight and wide route shared only with the Eclipse busses that run between Fareham and Gosport avoiding all the traffic. It was so fast and direct, we didn’t even stop to take a photo. 

The 224 continued following the original military train line right to the centre of town, but it became quite leafy once it parted company with the Eclipse bus route. We soon found ourselves at the waters edge waiting for the ferry to Portsmouth. 

The ferry ride is short but fun and gives a great view of the brand new aircraft carriers and the much older HMS Warrior. We paused for a while on the other side to enjoy the view and make our plans. 

Next stop, one of my favourite places,  Old Portsmouth. We carefully rode through the Camber docks - the oldest in the city and famed for receiving the first delivery of tobacco and potato to the country. We cycled on round the small harbour to inspect the mural on the side of the Bridge Tavern. We pedalled past the Still and West pub, again famed for drunken conscription into the Navy. We nodded to the statue of Nelson, who appears much smaller than his history suggests. We discussed the history of the roofless Garrison church, then rode on towards Southsea seafront in search of a coffee. 

We couldn’t resist the smell of the chips from the little shop on the front, so after a swift change of plan we found ourselves sat next to Southsea Castle enjoying the blue sea, blue sky and  the famous ‘Deep Blue’ chips 

Many a time I have waved away Naval ships from the front, but today we watched with a slightly heavy heart as HMS Diamond sailed away heading to take her place alongside NATO allies in the Mediterranean. I wished the crew safe travels and hoped that we would be seeing their safe return in the not to distant future. 

Following the recommendation of Babs’ daughter, we went in search of the Tennis club for our coffee and basked in the sun trap by the entrance. 

Eventually we pulled ourselves away from the comfort of our table and headed of towards the main reason for our travel. 

We quickly returned to cycle route 22 and rode through areas of Portsmouth I have never been before. Turning a corner just after the Rudmore roundabout, we spotted our quest. 

The first of many (I hope) millennium mileposts. There are approx 1000 dotted across the country so I have a quite a few to find before I’ve bagged them all. 

I will write a separate post about them, their history and any other information I can find. So if this interests you too, go take a look. 

It seems quite fitting to find  my first one in Portsmouth, and I marvelled that I have never come across it before despite it being here over 20 years. 

Once we had finished documenting our visit (Jo and Babs are very patient!), we returned to our route around the harbour. It’s been quite a while since I rode round Portsmouth island and the city council have obviously been busy upgrading their shoreline. We took full advantage of the new seating arrangement to enjoy the sun for a little while longer. And who could blame us after the recent foul weather we’ve had to endure. 

Babs chilling…

Jo chilling…

Hmmm!!! 


Lovely day! 

The nicest thing about travelling by bike is that it is very easy to change direction. This is especially useful when you miss a blue sign and misread the route. It is also really good when you decide to make a detour to another local attraction. 

Portchester castle was too much of a magnet to resist, and though the extortionate prices put us off sampling the grounds, we took the path round the perimeter and reviewed our route on the horizon. 

Babs embarked on a touch of enforced bike maintenance in front of the primitive toilets. Returning to our journey once the chain had been returned to its cogs. We headed on back towards Fareham. 

We stopped once more at a nearby Lidl to use the facilities and ended up in a conversation with a lovely lady asking advice on frame sizes as she was hoping to start cycling. We left her with a card after extolling the virtues of Breeze and wished her well with her cycling venture. 

Our route back to Fareham station was fairly quick and pretty unremarkable. But the sense of satisfaction having completed our task was huge. 

Having once more swiped ourselves through the barriers with our newfound digital technology, we checked in with the definitely non digital guard as to which platform we needed. We headed towards the first lift and across the bridge to the second as we watched a train pull in. The lovely guard waited for us to arrive, confirmed the destination of the train and directed Jo and Babs to the correct carriage. 

I didn’t have to wait long either before I too was on my way home. 

My train was small and did not have an obvious bike section. But keen not to miss it, I popped my bike in through the double doors. I was expecting to be told off any minute, but no one came through, and I wasn’t blocking anywhere or anyone. Two stops later and I was back in Southampton and heading home after enjoying another great trip out with friends and my bike.