As the day started and as I started to pack away my tent and load the bike for the day’s travelling, I was sad to be leaving Wales, especially the past few days and riding out with all the other guys. The roads are superb and the countryside is simply beautiful. It is definitely a part of the world I am going to return to. The town of Rhyader itself is lovely. Its an attractive town but more importantly, its central to touring and visiting different parts of Wales.
As I was leaving Rhyader I stopped at one of the two garages for fuel. Not the Texaco but the independent garage. I was surprised when it wasn’t self service, but you had wait at the pump to be fuelled-up by the pump-man – who also had a good line in patter. You paid for your fuel inside the shop, where your money was taken by a nice old man who was genuinely interested where you were from and where you were going. The fuel was cheaper than the Texaco garage, and best of all, the banter was free…!
But time was marching on and it was time to be heading east. The roads leading away from Rhyader were empty, wide and had great tarmac. It was a pleasure to ride these roads. And then it was south to Brecon and then east to Hereford. And before you ask: No. I didn’t see any…
Heading south to Monmouth and then onto the perpetual traffic jam which is the M5 I headed towards Bridgewater where I had planned to meet a photographer friend for lunch and then stay the night in the Chilterns, but as soon as I left Wales and entered England the heavens opened and the rain was pretty heavy. So with a quick stop to put on my waterproofs I checked my weather app and saw that the rain was not going away, so after sending a text message to Ross to say ‘Sorry’, I had to forego the meet-up and move on. There’s no fun in putting up a tent in the rain, so I headed south east and kept on riding until I left the rain behind. First reaching Yeovil I stopped at Tesco’s for fuel then headed south and ended up near Dorchester.
After a quick look on my phone I found a campsite, booked myself-in and headed to the site. This became home for the evening and I put my tent up during a sunny and warm evening – much better than the rest of the damp and grey day. It was also a place to hang up my my gloves, boots an waterproofs to get them dry.
The ride today was a good one, despite the rain. Even though the UK is a relatively large country, its strange how travelling a short distance can see such big changes, like the local accent, the geography and also the ambience of an area. South Wales had its own ‘feeling’ and so does Dorset.