Well, this weekend, myself and two mates cycled the South Downs Way and I can confirm it's a bloody long way! It's a superb trail with some absolute leg busting climbs followed by lovely long 35mph downhills where you clench and hold the bars tightly. Also a highlight was spending the friday night on HMS Endurance in the Royal Navy Dockyards in Plymouth. The ship was in refit so was pretty empty but seeing as the dockyards are on high alert at the moment there was a few marines strolling about looking mean. Saw the buildings where they're putting together the next generation of destroyers and some of the prototype bits on other ships, look a bit like the mules car manufacturers use, sort of 'wrong'. On a Royal Navy ship in the officers mess a shot of brandy is........ 14p!!!! Went into Pompey (crikey, there's a lot of how shall I put it, 'gold jewellery' in that city.) down to the Gun Wharf for a few beers in the shadow of the Spinnaker tower and to look at the fine ladies showing what they've got. Early night, on the trail for 9am. (pics still in mate's camera) hardly saw anyone on the first day, we got to about 4pm in mild weather and then cycled 2 hours in freezing rain that hurt the skin, What is wrong with the weather!!, it's August FFS !! Stayed with an excellently eccentric lady in a B&B, had our own victorian loo with giant wooden throne, fry up and bed for £18, shove that travelodge. Went to the pub, dead by 9, sleep by 9:30, ahh, tired boys. Next day, my bottom felt like I'd been staying at the Barrymore's but we go back into the swing of things, it got very windy at one point and we were hurtling along the ridge staying a couple of hundred metres ahead of a front of rain, no serious accidents except for my 20mph wipe out on wet chalk which I subsequently saw was due to my front wheel locking on a particularly wet dog turd! Dropped into Lewes for a distraction and found an awesome chalk bowl to hurl the bikes around in for twenty minutes. Reached Eastbourne in time for a pizza express and a lovely 4 hour drive back to Cambridge. Still tired and looking for a rubber ring to sit on but a top weekend. James Edited by: pictonroad
The South Downs are great, I`ve spent a lot of time on them myself Pompey eh ? You were within spitting distance of Superden Towers. I live in Portsmouth Gunwharf ... where did you go ? Customs House ? Bar 38 ? Tiger Tiger ? I`m often to be found out and about there The nicest part of the South Downs is the Chichester area IMO. Edited by: superden
I told you I was often down your way Dennis, cup of tea next time? Sat outside some bar, you can see the door to tiger tiger, it has a spiral staircase outside, don't know what it was called. THe whole trail was great but for long blats on the trail I think we enjoyed the bit above Brighton the most, mabe becasue it wasn't raining!!
Did you go in the new construction buildings for the Type 45`s in the `yard then ? Impressive inside arent they ? You have to love the old Endurance. Most comfortable ship in the Navy
Had a peak but as you can imagine, we did a lot in 2 days, didn't get time for a proper poke about, its a big building!! Stayed in a VIP cabin, just near the lynx platform on the stern, some of the rates cable tied our bikes to the fecking railing in a hold, ha bl**dy ha....
The junior rates need to keep themselves amused somehow ... Any more pics from the South Downs ? Actually I was in Eastbourne yesterday. Aye ... its a small world. Edited by: superden
Will get some pics, they're in my mates camera and he has the technical ability of my mother, I'm not holding out much hope..... What the F**k were the raf doing flying around Eastbourne yesterday!! We had to sit outside Pizza Express because we stank and everytime the jets went over the alarm went of on the nasty looking black skyline parked next to us
i didnt realise there were more southerners here? im looking for a place in portsmouth at the moment. lived on jessie road last year (off fawcett road) but this year im looking for somewhere better (think ive left it a bit late though). You dont by any chance know who owns the metallic purple mk2 gti? ive seen it around a few times. theres also an oak green gti with rally headlights a an ugly mesh-looking thing in place of the grill..
My hometown Here's a bit of what went on: From my front door F16 arrives Merlin Arrows Typhoon Spitfire I love re-heat last, but by no means least... Just in case anyone's interested (apologies for the hijack). Oh, and the SDW makes for some great cycling Gaz Edited by: Pecker
