South West Peninisula Spring Rally; March 2015
Look at that GS go up Porlock Hill
Rob and I did a shortish route this year which took in all 4 counties. I think we just about skimmed Cornwall at one point. (Keeps my Manchurian-Cornish companion happy.) We had toyed with going to Land's End but the roads through Cornwall to get to Land's End and back aren't the most interesting and, with the rotten weather, we thought better of it. Next year maybe?
Basically what's needed for a gold award is to start and finish at Langport and, in between, visit 3 manned controls and 15 unmanned controls answering the question pertaining to each unmanned control and a set of questions at each manned control. As far as the manned control questions went, it was good to know a bit about Somerset cider. (It's meant to be a bit of fun.) This year our route was Langport, Kilve(24), Allerford (01), Lynmouth (25), Ilfracombe, Umberleigh (40), Holsworthy Beacon (20), Milton Combe (26), Chapmans Well (11), Princetown (26), Buckfastleigh (06), Ide (22), Tipton St. John (36), Honiton (21), Axminster (03), Eype, Birdsmore Gate (04), Seavington St Michael (3) and Langport. The three manned controls (open between 10am and 6pm) being Ilfracombe, Princetown and Eype. So an anticlockwise route starting with going west along the north Somerset and Devon coastline, then south along the Cornwall and Devon border down to Dartmoor and then finally back east passing through Dartmoor and Dorset to Langport.
We climbed out of Porlock on the infamous Porlock Hill hanging on to someone making very rapid progress on a GS with a pillion. When we got to the top we were exposed to what felt like gale force winds at which point the GS left us for dead. It was blowing a real hooley and moving us all over the road. I felt for Rob on his much lighter CB500X.
It was a pretty miserable visit to Lynmouth as the photo shows which is a shame because on a nice sunny day there's no better ride than along the top of Exmoor down into Lynmouth. On the way, my 'new' old Garmin 2610 took us a bit off route through Dunster for some reason. Nice town Dunster. We donned our wet weather gear at Lynmouth and continued on to our first manned control at Ilfracombe where we treated ourselves to a welcome coffee and tea cake (as is becoming the tradition). After that we headed south skimming Cornwall.
What I like about the SWSPR is that coming from Devon and living in Dorset I get to re-visit places familiar to me. Umberleigh was were my daughter was married and the "Who'd Have Thought It" pub at Milton Combe was a pub my Mum used to love to go to. Dartmoor brings back happy memories of Sunday trips out as a kid. The Old Police Station at the Princetown is always a welcome break when the weather is not so good. After that it was back to my my adopted county of Dorset to our third and final manned stop at Eype just outside Bridport.
Back home and the new Varadero has done its first rally and is covered in mostly Devon mud (the best sort of mud). The bike went very well and I like it despite what Rob thinks of it. I have to say that Rob's little Honda CB500X went very well and seems a bargain. Mind you, he gave it a good thrashing. (That man has no mechanical sympathy.) We did however, have a few issues with our sat navs. I have a replacement old Garmin 2610 and for seem reason I've yet to fathom it seemed to want to take us down minor indirect roads when there were better direct roads to be had? Rob has a new Garmin and he doesn't quite have it sussed. I swear it took us in a roundabout route to one control but Rob says no?
We appreciate the work that SAM puts into organising the SWSPR so a big thanks to them. The new venue of Kelways Garden Centre worked out well. The garlic bread and lasagne at the finish was very nice.