yen_powell

There were no areas they were ashamed to represent. An Essex wagon. Designed for the absolute shit state the clay roads get in during the winter.

About 3 years ago I was just riding about in a windy part of Essex when I shot past a sign with a weird name and saying it was a railway museum. I turned around and went back for a look. There was a long access road, but no gate, so I rode up it for pure nosiness and found myself in a gravel car park. I could see a few wagons the other side of a farm building and a large wooden framed railway building sitting on blocks looking very battered and like it had been left there by one of those ring and runaway delivery companies. The place was shut up so I thought I would come back another time. Well there was a bit of a virus thingy for a few years and other stuff got in the way, but on Saturday I decided to go and have a look. A quick search found their old fashioned website and it said that the 4th February was actually there first day open of 2023. I got up late and dithered so it wasn't until about 11am that I set off. Because I had to get fuel I started from a weird location so my satnav took me the whole way on back roads. For the first 20 miles I think I only passed about 2 cars coming in the opposite direction. The roads were dry, but covered in dried mud from all the meteorological grimness of January. They also tended to have dirty great gouges of asphalt missing from frost damage, so you had to pay attention. By the time I got closer I realised I was heading into an area heavy with 2 wheel coffee/bacon sandwich tourists. I have no problem with the riders themselves, it's just that where they gather there tends to be a police or speed van presence and that always makes me nervous. After giving my 100th nod back, I thankfully got sent down a side road with the delightful name of Tinkers Hole. I stopped for a picture, there were actually two signs, the other one said Tinkers Hole Road, so I ignored that one. This time when I arrived and there were about 4 cars in the car par, the wooden building delivery was gone now. All were on the only small area of asphalt, so I crunched around in a careful circle on the deep gravel to park so at least I would be facing the right way when I left. I walked up a ramp and found a long parcel van inside a barn. The only door was a heavy sliding one, I fought with the thing, it was a real effort to open it. Finally I got it open and stepped inside trying to look like it was no effort at all. There a woman was standing behind a grill and she took my money for entry. I asked where to next and she pointed at the entry door's opposite number. I had another fight with a door I wasn't manly enough for and arrived out the other side into what looked like two huge barns joined together, rammed with old railway stock. There was even quite a lot of Canadian stuff, not sure why. This was obviously written by someone having a stroke.

For me it was learn or have a heart attack.

Oooh look, there's a ghost there. The ghost of Tinker’s Hole In the pitch dark of a new moon, so the tale goes, about a 100 yards south of the s-bend (also known as Hellfire Corner), take care, for you may see a young girl in a white dress run out in front of you, trying to cross the road. She was, reputedly, a gypsy child knocked down by a coach-and-four over a century ago. Her spirit still haunts Tinker’s Hole…

Ahh yes, you soon learn to clear it after a drop before restarting.

No, it has about a kilometre of track, plus a section running alongside the entry road, it's just a very small private museum run on the farmer's own land. I had it to myself for about an hour and a half, then about 4 people turned up for a quick trip along the line. The only downside is it is near Burnham on Crouch which is home of the Burnham bends I kept hearing about for years (which are not all that). So I passed about 40 bikes coming the other direction all nodding like mad at me, must be manic during the summer rather than a chilly February Saturday.

And here today as well. Some people just get lucky with their address!

Oooh spooky, I was here today

Perhaps an extra vest today.

Rode home from work with one less layer on and in flimsy motocross gloves with no heated grips on. It's like summer today, in February. Whilst at work I couldn't be bothered to put gloves on at all between sites. A nice man in the I.T. department loaded my sign design software for me, well I did it, he just put his password in at the critical moment because I'm not allowed any more. Test below.

Mine raced yesterday cycling up a hill, not a steep hill if you are walking, but every where is steep when I pedal. I thought I was going to clutch my chest and fall over at one point.

Turned me down, some sort of pants/hygiene rule apparently. It's any little thing these days.

Some sort of local delicacy is it?

Is it like a real one or does it work? My mate's sits in the front room and has had washing hung over it every so often to dry for the last 10 years. He's not a complete slob though, he puts Christmas lights over it in December.

This bloke did all that and yet still had time to invent an indigestion tablet.

Pete, can you do a cockney accent and shout RUNAROUND NOW just before people switch votes?

Wonky Shack Division.

I used to work for Wimpey.

The 'WHO STOLE MY ROLL OF LINO" pose

I have been sitting working at a PC for too long this last year and my little pot belly has started to annoy me. So I decided to get off my arse and ride out on my push bike today. Jesus it's cold out, well for the first 10 minutes, I warmed up after that. I was only out about 40 minutes, but the uphill return definitely got my heart pumping. The local nunnery The Blackwater

Wapping Old Stairs and some modern mudlarkers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudlark

I did do one day in the pissing rain, on small town tarmac roads covered in thin layers of slimy mud and occasional rainbow coloured oil slicks. This is when you ride very slowly, very very carefully and with your wedding tackle retracted to keep it from damage in a fall.

They don't know they are smaller than most other dogs, hence the confidence when reacting to any attempt at bullying. .