Greetings, fellow Thornians!
It's been too long since my last posting, but I've got a pretty good excuse – my home-built Attila the Nomad and I have been to England and the Continent, having the time of our lives!! Along the way, Attila picked up a mate - a beautiful red Raven named Honoria. Attila chased Honoria throughout most of the adventure, only catching her occasionally on the downhills!
My wife Kavlyn and I flew out of Sydney on 23 August with Attila tightly wrapped in a CTC plastic bag.
I settled on this mode of packing after purchasing a CRC bike bag and finding it too short (it would have required removal or modifications to both wheels, mudguards, racks, pedals, handlebars and seat post. Then there would be the problem of where to store the bag whilst travelling, etc. Procuring or purchasing a box had similar challenges, and lacked the castors that at least made the bag somewhat useful.
The CTC bag drew some dubious reactions from British Airways staff in Sydney, but when I showed them my iPad logged into their web site where the bag and dimensions are explicitly permitted, they relented and very graciously checked us in. The check-in chick actually suggested I tie my two rear panniers together so she could count it as one bag. As we were credit card touring (no camping gear), we were able to collapse one front pannier into one rear bag, and tie the rear bags together (Ortlieb Plus bags). The second front bag went over our shoulders as carry-on, along with the handlebar bags and a shopping bag with helmets. (Hand luggage was to be an ongoing but tolerable hassle throughout the trip).
Upon arrival at Heathrow, it was a simple matter to fold up the CTC bag into a pannier (less than a kg), fit the pedals, re-inflate the tyres, straighten the stem (lock the n’Lock) and roll Attila on to the Heathrow Express for the half-hour ride into Paddington Station. (Apologies for the bleary photo - after 24 hours travelling, even the camera couldn't see straight!
)
After a few days in a very crowded and touristy London (we stayed at Westminster, where Attila was properly ensconced in his royal quarters), we returned to Paddington to catch our pre-booked train to Bridgwater. This first trip introduced us to the idiosyncrasies of train travel in the UK - my first mistake not realising our tickets needed to be printed out at a special machine. By the time we were properly informed by the ever/never helpful staff, it was too late to get Attila on board and we had to re-purchase tickets to the next train.
After some tuition in strapping the bike into the special compartment, and then racing with 5 bags apiece to find our booked carriage and seats in the 3.5 minutes allotted prior to departure, we managed to arrive in Bridgwater about mid-day, and immediately made our way to the Admiral Blake guest house, where Pauline made us feel extremely welcome.
We had booked in for two nights, so were able to have numerous relaxed chats with Pauline and Dave. If you’re going to overnight in Bridgwater, go no further than the Admiral Blake B&B!
We fronted up to SJS the next morning bright and early, to collect Honoria. Steve was assigned to set the red Raven step-through up for Kavlyn, and he was very thorough and professional in his work. After walking her through the various operations (Rohloff shifting, etc.), we took the bike around the corner to Eastover Park to put it through its paces and try out the setup. Kav was immediately happy with the fit, and it was only then that Steve fitted the n’Lock stem I had ordered to be waiting for us. I had brought a new set of Shimano A530 pedals with me, which Steve kindly fitted as part of the delivery. Honoria was set to roll!
After a pleasant lunch back with Pauline, we decided to pedal out on the Taunton-Bridgwater canal to test out the bikes, prior to our fully laden departure the next morning. Better than in my wildest dreams, Kav instantly fell in love with her Raven, which was a huge relief since I had pretty much determined each detail of the bike without her direct involvement. Whew, what a relief! Only one problem – the bikes picked up the dust of the trail, and were never “new” again!
The following morning, 29 August 2013, was a momentous occasion for the two of us. Not only were we both proud owners of the finest touring bikes made, but we embarked, in a (somewhat) foreign land, on our first-ever unsupported, fully loaded tour. All of the doubts, fears, worries and misconceptions faded away as Attila and Honoria drifted effortlessly, in perfect weather, along the canal to Taunton. We’ve had many great days in the saddle, but this was the most blissful cycling experience we’ve ever had.
Along the way, we met a Thorn rider – Sean O’Connor (I’m sorry, Sean, if I’ve got your name wrong…). Sean was recovering from an illness, but was so thrilled to find us on the track mid-morning on that beautiful day, he shouted us coffee and an hour of chat at the Boat & Anchor.
Much as we were reluctant to leave, we were anxious to get back on the trail to Taunton. We were already behind “schedule”, but who could possibly care on this special day?!
We were away, Devon and Cornwall beckoned, and Attila and Honoria were going to carry us there in the most astonishing fashion…
To be continued…
