#ShidetoTheSpyglass a hilly muddy 11 mile jog

My son James is a member of Isle of Wight Road Runners. I am a nominal member in as much as I pay the membership fee and join them for the odd club night run. The IWRR are a fantastic club and James gets a massive amount out of being a member - which is really tremendous for him.

Yesterday (Sunday) the Club organised a non official club run. There were no prizes, timings, water stations or marshalling as such. I believe it was a trial / dummy run for a future to be organised event.

Having said that my son James sold me a bit of a pup. He said there were going to loads of people there - families - dogs - all doing there own thing - low key - walking sometimes and plenty of chatting - not serious!

On Friday night in the pub we were talking about it. I had no plans for the weekend other than domestic stuff and the weather forecast was a mixed bag. The previous weekend I had done the bike ride and it reminded me very strongly how much I love being outdoors in the late autumn - the colours and the smells can be just atmospheric and special. Anyway in a moment of something, I said I could do the Shide (Newport) to The Spyglass (Ventnor) event. I knew it was 10 miles off road, lots of hills and mud. My rationale - I can walk the 10 miles if I have to. My plan was to jog and walk and chat as necessary - no pressure - and just enjoy being out there. ( I had to take James to the start anyway and George was picking James up from Ventnor so I could easily tag along.)

Anyway we get to Shide for the start. Immediately I think to myself "what am I doing"? While everyone was friendly and inclusive and the club is very encouraging and supportive, it was evident this was a Club run. I am not a club runner - I am now an occasional jogger. I did a 10k in February and run 2 or 3 times a week over 2 or 3 miles. A 4 miler would be unusual.

There was the shortest of briefings - but two things I latched onto. The first was we would all try and meet up at The Stenbury Obelisk for a group photo! This was approximately the half way point and more significantly - the highest point - 600 ft above sea level. The second was Aaron would be the "Back Marker"!

Immediately I feel under pressure. I don't want anyone hanging around for me. I explain to Aaron he doesn't have to wait around for me - I can find my way to Ventnor. He is having none of it - he doesn't mind how long it takes. But still! I chat to Elaine one of the main club runners. I tell her there is no need for them all to wait for me for a photograph at the obelisk. She laughs - is very easy going and supportive - you will be fine. We will wait - no problem!

Blimey I owe it to everyone to do my best - to run it as well as I can! I repeat - I don't want anyone hanging around in the cold for me.

It is a lovely autumn morning. We set off at 9.30 on the old railway track. I know the first half well enough. It is flat for 5 miles. Lots of puddles and mud because we have had a lot of rain. There was nowhere to hide on this first 5 miles. There is plenty of chatter - not so much from me. I doggedly jog. It is not too embarrassing.

We skirt Godshill - it is now up to Stenbury. It is beautiful - a late autumn sun is low is the sky. The light is great. Gradually the panoramas are opening up (not that I was looking that much I have to admit). It is a very steep climb and very slippery as some of it is turf only or unmade paths. In some ways it a relief for me. No one can run as such - it is a leveller. I am ok on hills but still last to the top. As promised they are waiting at the Obelisk (although rightly the speedsters had long gone.) we have the photo. ( I can see the runners have been waiting and getting cold but they are all cheerful and friendly - thank you). I am reassured the worst is over - now more or less down hill to The Spyglass pub!

We are jogging in a wonderful place. Quiet down land - unspoilt - 360 degree views of the Island. Ventnor lays down below us - some way ahead with the massive sparking sea behind. It is mostly down hill but not entirely - some very slippery up hills too but by now I am pretty much reconciled to the reality. I will get there. I am putting the effort in as much as I reasonably can. Aaron is relaxed and chatting away. My legs are stiffening up but more and more it is steep and often slippery down hill. Knees ache more on the down hills. We get to 9 miles. One more to go. We zig zag down towards Ventnor - some lovely paths I have never been on before. We get down to the Botanical Garden. Blimey this is a long last mile! Aaron then tells me it is not a 10 mile run but just over 11. Another mile to go! Down the steps to lovely Steephill Cove and along the sea wall towards Ventnor. We have to go over one more steep bluff. There is a very steep zig zag path and then an arrow with ha ha written beside it pointing to a horrendous flight of steps. A few more hundred yards. We arrive The Spyglass.

Most of the other runners are in the beer garden - food is coming out - they have been there a while! Everyone is happy. We chat about the run. It was a great thing to do. James has plenty of ammunition to pull my leg about my running!

Thank you Isle of Wight Road Runners for organising the run (especially Pat). Thank you all for the patience and support from everyone especially Aaron.

It was a simple but tremendous thing to do on a damp Sunday. The simplest pleasures are free - or almost free. For myself I did the 11 miles and I have got to be pleased with that. Like so often in life - ultimately the physical challenge plays second fiddle to the mental challenge. It is getting your head right.

Just as a footnote - I was chatting to Stuart Backhouse in the pub. He does ultra runs. He completed a 100 miles in 22 hours. That is really incredible!

Here are a few photos :

The start at Shide

James in the mud

Almost at The Stenbury Obelisk

Aaron nursed me around

mud and hills

Stenbury Obelisk - sorry you had to wait!

  

#DevonCoasttoCoast How it was for The Three Tenners!

It's been a while since I have written a Three Tenners blog. (The Three Tenners - me with brothers Rob and Mike.) For whatever reasons it has proved difficult to find a time slot for a trek together this year and we certainly left it late. Eventually we agreed to do something mid November - but what?

I had previously heard about the Sutrans Devon Coast to Coast Cycle route and looked it up.

The Devon Coast to Coast Cycle Route is a 99 miles (159 km) waymarked route from Ilfracombe in north Devon to Plymouth in south Devon. 

Created by Sustrans, the sustainable travel charity, the cycleway runs for over half its length on off-road routes along disused railway lines. The route is part of the National Cycle Network and is designated Route 27. It includes the Tarka Trail, the Granite Way and Drake's Trail, all off-road, plus generally quiet country lanes and bridleways.^[3] 71 miles (114 km) of the route are designated traffic-free, with at least one section between Braunton and Meeth being 30 miles (48 km) long.^[2]

Towns that can be visited along the way include Tavistock, Okehampton, Bideford and Barnstaple.

The route is normally cycled in two or three days.

While I knew the ride would appeal to my bruvs - I also knew while they owned bikes they were not regular cyclists and 100 miles on Devon's rolling hills would be a big ask. How much they thought about that I do not know - but I quickly got a "I am up for it" replies to my E Mails - so it was on!

Next the planning and logistics. The way we work - I do the courtesy of consulting my brothers via E Mail - but almost always they leave it to me to put a plan together. The usual challenge with something like this involving bikes! How to get to the start with your machine? How to get home from the finish? The Three Tenners are based in and around Exeter. The obvious solution was to use the train - but one problem - the train only goes as far as Barnstaple - 15 miles short of  Ilfracombe! Eventually we settle on riding north to south with a half way stop over at Hatherleigh - 7 miles north of Dartmoor - and about as mid Devon as you can get. We need an early start to cover the distance bearing in mind it gets dark by 4.30. Mike suggested taking a taxi from Barnstaple to Ilfracombe which was a good idea and I lined it up. However when we changed the start day from Saturday to Friday I found the minibus was needed for a school run and was not available. After some chat and some bravado (naivety) we decide to add 15 miles to The Devon Coast to Coast and cycle from Barnstaple to Ilfracombe for the start.

6.48 train from Exeter gets us to Barnstaple for just after 8am. It is cold but a fine morning. We are straight onto the "Tarka Trail" heading for Ilfracombe. It is lovely - easy cycling on a defined and well marked route - and then we emerge the other side of Braunton. We are on the western fringes of Exmoor. Hills kick in big time. It is a baptism of fire. Reality dawns - this is going to be tough. Personally I am pretty confident with my riding and get on a bike most days. My brothers don't. There are a lot of f's. It becomes obvious our rate of progress means it is becoming unrealistic that we will be able to get to Ilfracombe - turn around and get to Hatherleigh on the day. What to do? Rob comes up with the genius solution - can we get a taxi back from Ilfracombe to Barnstaple? The genius was the weight of his argument - we will have cycled the whole route - just Ilfracombe to Barnstaple in reverse. This felt morally ok! Thank heavens for modern technology. I google the taxi firm I had previously contacted and call them. Yes the mini bus has finished the school run and can meet us at Ilfracombe Quay. A relief. It gets us back on track. £40.

I estimate it will take us 45 mins to get to the start. It takes us 90 minutes! As we are going down into Ilfracombe Rob gets a puncture to add frustration and concern !

Here I give a big thank you to B Line Taxis Barnstaple -  https://blinetaxis.com. They were great.

Down to picturesque Ilfracombe Harbour (in the rush we forgot to take photos) - straight into the long waiting minibus and back up through the town to pick up Rob. It is then a tellingly long and windey route back to Barnstaple. Rob does a good job on the tyre fix and we are away!

The route to Bideford along the Taw and then Torridge estuaries with a stop at Instow was flat and lovely. We made good progress and spirits were high despite my bruvs saddle soreness!

There after it was some hard riding - plenty of hills but the scenery was lovely. It was cold - but it never rained. We crossed millions of autumn leaves. It was very quiet - for much of it we had Devon entirely to ourselves - although for much of the time we were a distance apart - those hills!

Rob & Mike arrive!

We got a little confused with the route around Petrockstowe as the afternoon moved on but we make Hatherleigh well despite the tough ask of a full day in the saddle. My bruvs had dug in well and were a credit to themselves. It was a great thing to do. You had to laugh - our over night stay - The Tally Ho Inn in the lovely village of Hatherleigh was on a perpendicular hill!

The Tally Ho Inn was perfect. A lovely warm room each - shower - beer - a Tally Ho burger - friendly locals. It was not a late night - but plenty of laughs. Great.

Next morning an 8.30 am getaway. Good spirits all round. Outside the pub - the route is to the top of the perpendicular hill. Black humour. 

The next 15 or 20 miles was beautiful. A very quiet Saturday morning. A damp chill so typical of late autumn. Beautiful colours - beautiful scenery. It would be fair to say the route was undulating - some staggeringly beautiful deciduous woods and farmland. On occasions wood burning smoke hung in the air - almost as many squirrels as sheep. I loved this stretch.

In a while we get to Okehampton right on the northern edge of Dartmoor. A big climb out of the town gets us to the Granite Way where we follow the old railway to Meldon. We are up high now - some beautiful views of the high moor as we cross ancient viaducts. This is great stuff. The miles tick by slowly. We are on to Lydford then Mary Tavy and the lovely town of Tavistock (apparently voted one of the best places to live in the UK!) We stop in the town centre and sit in the sun. (we were spectacularly lucky with the weather) to watch and listen to a mass Morris Dancer gathering raising money for "Pudsey". Mike and I eat food - Rob eats protein bars and "jells"! There are two reoccurring complaints - Rob - "how many more f..ing hills and Mike - lets say bikers bottom! I keep reminding them the last 10 miles is down hill! We still have miles to do.

We are now on the Drake's Trail and after we clear Tavistock we settle down again. Again lovely scenery - good riding - but yes to be kind - undulating! We pass over Horrabridge and eventually make Yelverton. The boys are tired. (understand the Coast to Coast route is not the crow flies route  - it is set to take you off road on to established paths and tracks or on the quietest roads possible. I think riders do use road bikes.That would not be my recommendation - but you do not need full on mountain bikes).

We get to Yelverton for the promised 10 mile downhill stretch. It shows the extent we have climbed. It really is a gentle downhill - interesting if you did Coast to Coast starting in Plymouth! 

Again we pass through some lovely scenery but gradually we make more human contact - with dog walkers and runners. Eventually we start to hit urbanisation and we have to cross roads. We have to cut under Saltram House Estate but I make a rash wrong turn and drag my brothers up the hill to the house. (at least we see the house!). They needed that like a hole in the head after 90 odd miles - sorry bruvs! We are soon back on track following the River Plym before we cross it and eventually head for the Hoe for the finish. We pass around the enticing Barbican - all those lovely eateries to get to the Hoe at 5 - just in time as the light was lost.

A quick photo - The Three Tenners have done it! We have to get back to the station as we have our bikes booked on the 5.55. Through sheer bad planning (or was it the hills?!) there is no time for a pub. We settle on cans of Tribute and Directors from the Spar - ha!

We enjoy the train ride back. Tired, relieved - but most of all chuffed. The beer goes down well! The bottoms and legs will soon recover. We are already laughing about the hills and start speculating about the next thing.

It was a great thing to do - especially good to do it with my brothers. I am proud of them - we are proud of each other. 100 miles + on tough terrain without being hardened cyclists and dare I mention age! Well done bruvs.

At Exeter we have to go our own ways. My daughter and son in law Phil are typically thoughtful. They have made a wonderful Thai Green Curry - perfect. Phil has some real ales in. A hot shower and a slow wind down. Thank you so much. A great couple of days.

Mike setting out Barnstaple

and Rob

Hitting the hills at Nomansland

scenes on route

scruff bags

Tally Ho Inn Hatherleigh at the end of  a long day

R Okement - Okehampton

Morris Dancers Tavistock

We make the finish as it gets dark over Plymouth Sound

Cheers on the way home!

#Socialisim the Labour Party (Corbynomics) a reason why it doesn't work!

We are in the early days of a General Election.

Apparently many young people are being drawn to Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party.

Corbyn is a socialist - Momentum the engine now driving Labour are probably to left of socialism - closer to communists - which is extremely worrying!

I am older of course. I have lived through socialist governments and know they do not work - have never worked over the longer term. Of course I have seen communism fail spectacularly wherever it has been tried ( have you read Animal Farm) and is now totally discredited. (Sadly too many young people seem to understand very little about our political journey since the end of the 2nd World War - and know very little about the lessons learned the hard way.)

I could write a lot about socialism - but here is a simple story that will illustrate succinctly one of reasons socialism does not work - (sadly because it is contrary to human nature - idealists get real).

The ant worked hard all summer collecting food and preparing his home for winter. The grasshopper played all summer not doing any work. When winter came the grasshopper had no food. No worries, the grasshopper elected a socialist leader that took away 40 percent of the ants food and gave it to the grasshopper. The next year the ant thought what is the point of working hard if the government is going to take it off me. He decided that the new government would have to take care of him the same way so he played all summer too, as did all the other hard working producing ants. When winter came, there was no food and they all starved to death.

Idealists do not like it but the reality is a society has to earn it first before it can give it away - which is why it is so important conditions are created where businesses flourish (to generate the income to pay taxation) in a compassionate society. Socialists are not interested in supporting business - they see them as cash cows to rape and pillage. I believe in a Welfare State where the weak and the vulnerable are supported but where does the money come from? Is it earned?  If it comes from borrowing it won't be long before the nation is in trouble and that effects just about everyone in a negative way.

My life long experience under Labour governments is the ant and the grasshopper scenario inevitably plays out - businesses fold or move abroad - unemployment rises - the tax take falls and the country builds up a massive and unsustainable debt.

The Tories then get elected to clean up the mess! They have to prescribe strong medicine. They have to get income and expenditure back into reasonable ratio. No one likes the medicine but grudgingly know it is what the patient needs. When are we going to learn? Are we really going to give 5 years to Labour to set us back a decade or more. Surely not. When will the nation learn?

And then there is the 6th formers - the not so Liberal Democrats!