Not Quite a Ride Report

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

TLDR- Not a lot to see here, you’re better off reading the Baja thread, thats what I’m doing next 

This ride report is the most lacking you’ll likely ever see under ‘Ride Report’s but its not my fault honest.. well maybe it is but I feel innocent.

The day started well, I pulled the blinds to see the sun shining through the window and even though my inadequate phone doesn’t show it in the pic I can easily see Wales across the water, even the wind turbines slowly turning. This is unheard of early morn because even on the sunniest days the sea mist takes time to clear and holds the temp down, often until midday.

Not sure about the ‘pano’ setting on the phone, it seems to make the central focal point of the photo the cesspit, so here you go a pic of the top of the cesspit, you’re welcome.  

 

I checked the forecast and it was very promising. Skiving is now firmly on the cards. This type of weather which I love always gives me grief on the attire front because in the sun its lovely and warm, out of the sun its still only 6 degrees. Taking into account the wind chill on the motorway I plumb for the subzero skimobile suit- not a wise choice  

 

Mr Slowly says he’s going to come along and we decide to turn it in to a test run for the longer days in the saddle on the LEJOG trip end of May. Seeing how long it takes before aches turn fun into pain, what the timings of preemptive breaks will be, getting Mr SCM familiar with using sat nav while riding, figuring out what works when we ride together over longer distances and any bike changes that might be needed. Easy peasy.

Whacked together a chunky chilli in the slow cooker so the ingrates dont bother me at lunch time because “Im hunnnngreee” made a large flask of tea n some sarnies and feeling like some multi tasking genius who’s won the lottery we head off to the Wye Valley. 

But priorities n all that so first a wee dap up the motorway for breakfast at Lockside. Not biker breakfast prices but to hell with it, this is the first time we’ve eaten out in over a year. If you’re ever in Bristol and want to flash the cash on your brekky this is the place to go. Odd location but classy enough to serve Bloody Mary’s with your fry up!

 

 

 

 

This is where my ride report goes down the pan. I review the helmet cam footage eagerly anticipating something worth of seeing only to discover that in-spite of spending a lifetime deciding its optimum positioning (skyline perfectly horizontal, what I’m looking at dead centre of the frame, helmet encroachment minimised) I hadn’t realised just how not upright I am on the bike so I have a lot of footage of tarmac and my speedo (which is not something I can post on a public forum ). It just doesn’t adjust up or down. A schoolboy error maybe but they dont mention that in their sodding fitting video on youtube!

We head over the bridge where I do my best impression of a flip top lid in the hope of getting at least one bit of footage to put on here but in the interests of not closing the bridge with an accident only a complete moron would cause I give up.

I’m navigating quite badly and miss both opportunities to make it onto the A466. Where we went next is a mystery to me but it was sunny and felt great to be over the bridge again at last so who cares. Stop to rejig the sat nav and have a great ride over to Usk, then Monmouth and back down through the Wye Valley before heading over to Frome until the sun refused to reappear from behind the clouds and we headed home again. 

 

Ooh exciting a pic at the petrol station cos my husband is enamoured with his new helmet- me not so much but of course I said its lovely! 

 

 

The only ride report worthy pic taken from the “ABSOLUTELY NO PARKING, you will be clamped” sign just before Tintern Abbey. The risks I take for you 

 

 

The cloud cover that refused to break just outside Bath despite the ‘sunny all day’ forecast

 

 

And home again. A little icing on the cake to discover the miniature weeping Cherry Blossom tree we planted last November for one of our dogs burial (yes we were that sad about it) has against the odds grown and already produced its first little blossom. 

 

Distance- not that far 150 miles but a lot of B roads which is exactly what LEJOG will consist of and out for about for 7 hours. A good first long ride together celebrated with beer and chunky chilli. All in all an excellent skive.

A bonus item- while we were fuelling up I watched Mr SCM automatically stop talking and his eyes swivelling about as soon as he heard a motorbike engine, long gone are the days of him saying to me “you’re not listening are you?”.... because he is now too ... gone man, solid gone... ?

 

Dunno why this pics here twice, tried removing it but it wont let me.. TECH SUPPORT HELP.....

[Tym]

Great report, i loved reading the menu that was cool! 

[XTreme]

4 minutes ago, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

This ride report is the most lacking you’ll likely ever see under ‘Ride Report’s

@Tym....."Hold My Beer".

Nice one Caroline.......you've lost your Ride Report virginity at last!

Unusual to see roads in Wales that are not wet.......and some of those skies don't look too clever.

And going out when it's 6C.......that's hardcore shit! 

[boboneleg]

Nice Ride report.  I remember when 'Lockside' was a transport cafe for rag-arsed truckers like myself.  You'd have spat your tea out at those prices

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

18 minutes ago, boboneleg said:

Nice Ride report.  I remember when 'Lockside' was a transport cafe for rag-arsed truckers like myself.  You'd have spat your tea out at those prices

Its still hard not to spit your tea out at those prices My snowmobile suit went down a storm there ... not

[XTreme]

Yeh.....I thought it looked a bit pricey!

[Tym]

I was looking for Spam Spam Spam and eggs... 

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

19 minutes ago, Tym said:

I was looking for Spam Spam Spam and eggs... 

They stopped selling spam in the 1970’s... I lie they didn’t but they should’ve

[boboneleg]

 

[skyrider]

1 hour ago, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

TLDR- Not a lot to see here, you’re better off reading the Baja thread, thats what I’m doing next 

This ride report is the most lacking you’ll likely ever see under ‘Ride Report’s but its not my fault honest.. well maybe it is but I feel innocent.

The day started well, I pulled the blinds to see the sun shining through the window and even though my inadequate phone doesn’t show it in the pic I can easily see Wales across the water, even the wind turbines slowly turning. This is unheard of early morn because even on the sunniest days the sea mist takes time to clear and holds the temp down, often until midday.

Not sure about the ‘pano’ setting on the phone, it seems to make the central focal point of the photo the cesspit, so here you go a pic of the top of the cesspit, you’re welcome.  

 

I checked the forecast and it was very promising. Skiving is now firmly on the cards. This type of weather which I love always gives me grief on the attire front because in the sun its lovely and warm, out of the sun its still only 6 degrees. Taking into account the wind chill on the motorway I plumb for the subzero skimobile suit- not a wise choice  

 

Mr Slowly says he’s going to come along and we decide to turn it in to a test run for the longer days in the saddle on the LEJOG trip end of May. Seeing how long it takes before aches turn fun into pain, what the timings of preemptive breaks will be, getting Mr SCM familiar with using sat nav while riding, figuring out what works when we ride together over longer distances and any bike changes that might be needed. Easy peasy.

Whacked together a chunky chilli in the slow cooker so the ingrates dont bother me at lunch time because “Im hunnnngreee” made a large flask of tea n some sarnies and feeling like some multi tasking genius who’s won the lottery we head off to the Wye Valley. 

But priorities n all that so first a wee dap up the motorway for breakfast at Lockside. Not biker breakfast prices but to hell with it, this is the first time we’ve eaten out in over a year. If you’re ever in Bristol and want to flash the cash on your brekky this is the place to go. Odd location but classy enough to serve Bloody Mary’s with your fry up!

 

 

 

 

This is where my ride report goes down the pan. I review the helmet cam footage eagerly anticipating something worth of seeing only to discover that in-spite of spending a lifetime deciding its optimum positioning (skyline perfectly horizontal, what I’m looking at dead centre of the frame, helmet encroachment minimised) I hadn’t realised just how not upright I am on the bike so I have a lot of footage of tarmac and my speedo (which is not something I can post on a public forum ). It just doesn’t adjust up or down. A schoolboy error maybe but they dont mention that in their sodding fitting video on youtube!

We head over the bridge where I do my best impression of a flip top lid in the hope of getting at least one bit of footage to put on here but in the interests of not closing the bridge with an accident only a complete moron would cause I give up.

I’m navigating quite badly and miss both opportunities to make it onto the A466. Where we went next is a mystery to me but it was sunny and felt great to be over the bridge again at last so who cares. Stop to rejig the sat nav and have a great ride over to Usk, then Monmouth and back down through the Wye Valley before heading over to Frome until the sun refused to reappear from behind the clouds and we headed home again. 

 

Ooh exciting a pic at the petrol station cos my husband is enamoured with his new helmet- me not so much but of course I said its lovely! 

 

 

The only ride report worthy pic taken from the “ABSOLUTELY NO PARKING, you will be clamped” sign just before Tintern Abbey. The risks I take for you 

 

 

The cloud cover that refused to break just outside Bath despite the ‘sunny all day’ forecast

 

 

And home again. A little icing on the cake to discover the miniature weeping Cherry Blossom tree we planted last November for one of our dogs burial (yes we were that sad about it) has against the odds grown and already produced its first little blossom. 

 

Distance- not that far 150 miles but a lot of B roads which is exactly what LEJOG will consist of and out for about for 7 hours. A good first long ride together celebrated with beer and chunky chilli. All in all an excellent skive.

A bonus item- while we were fuelling up I watched Mr SCM automatically stop talking and his eyes swivelling about as soon as he heard a motorbike engine, long gone are the days of him saying to me “you’re not listening are you?”.... because he is now too ... gone man, solid gone... ?

 

Dunno why this pics here twice, tried removing it but it wont let me.. TECH SUPPORT HELP.....

thats a bit wick 2 quid for a vegi sausage 

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

10 minutes ago, skyrider said:

thats a bit wick 2 quid for a vegi sausage 

It’s all on the pricey side but tastes great (as it should at that price) and is perfectly cooked.
Off set against not eating out for a year it was trivial, like being on holiday.
Ask me again in a weeks time where to go for breakfast and I’ll be eyeing up the prices with a sharp intake of breath followed by “HOW MUCH?!?!” but yesterday it was worth every penny  

[skyrider]

4 minutes ago, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

It’s all on the pricey side but tastes great (as it should at that price) and is perfectly cooked.
Off set against not eating out for a year it was trivial, like being on holiday.
Ask me again in a weeks time where to go for breakfast and I’ll be eyeing up the prices with a sharp intake of breath followed by “HOW MUCH?!?!” but yesterday it was worth every penny  

yes it's all quite new again at the moment 

[Sir Fallsalot]

On 15/04/2021 at 18:45, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

The day started well, I pulled the blinds to see the sun shining through the window and even though my inadequate phone doesn’t show it in the pic I can easily see Wales across the water,

If you had zoomed in you would have seen me waving at you

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tym]

Fred kills another thread eh, sad.