Will's Stag Do

Will's Stag do biking trip to Ludlow

Had it not been for Ken's cowboy-esque skills, in cajoling and herding us all in the right direction i have not doubt this years road biking trip wouldn't have happened. Ken needed this trip more than most, you see, Ken has just had a baby, and his missus had agreed his free pass! There was no way he was giving that up without a fight.

It was because of Ken, that after only four hours sleep on my return from Morocco, I was at a garage with the CB1300 getting an MOT and tyre change! I was knackered, but the sun was shining, and sitting there, watching the bike get fettled and talking with other bikers was fine way to welcome myself home.

i love the old CB, biking at its purestest. Two hoops, a massive engine, no electronic aids.

The annual road biking trip crept up on me somewhat unexpectedly. I say this a little tongue in cheek as I had been instrumental in selecting the dates to ensure they fitted in between Morocco and child care, nevertheless it felt like a rush.

One week after the MOT and the day of the trip had arrived. As is often the case, a fortunate turn of events had occurred. Will's father, who I'd met at a beer festival the week before, had offered to lend Will and the rest of our gang his house in Ludlow to base ourselves in for the trip! Brilliant!

Will distributed the address and during the Friday we all started arriving, I was last. Which, according to the text messages, meant I'd be sharing a double bed with another hairy arsed biker. Under Will's expert guidance, and by the time I arrived, the other chaps had already explored several of the historically relevant public houses after their afternoon ride.

Joining them, i was immediately impressed with Ludlow. Ludlow is quite possibly the most picturesque English town I've ever seen, and I've seen a few. It appears it missed all the bombing and destruction of war, and totally avoided the hideous concrete that town planners of the 60's and 70's found so alluring. It's a beautiful reminder of ancient architecture and town planning of old, a place of historical significance, uniquely English, that still stands in all its glory.

Will's tour of the town continued visiting places of historical significance, including a parlour bar. Apparently after the Gin craze in England in the late 1800's, the government, keen turn people away from gin,(that was making them blind, hence the saying 'blind drunk') allowed them to apply for 'the right to serve ale' from in their houses. Effectively this meant that people were turning their living room and kitchen into small pubs. Three of them still exist in Ludlow, but you wouldn't recognise them as a pub, they are just houses with a bar in the living room. ..if the light is on, you can enter the house.

A parlour bar light

the inside of the bar

The following morning i was up before the others, probably on account of my lower beer intake and i began scouring the maps for twisty routes. We decided on a loop that led, eventually, to Aberystwyth. Ludlow, our start point, is under the yellow star.

Once at our destination we'd decide on where to stay for the night, perhaps by the coast, perhaps returning to Ludlow dependant on the weather. The five of us set off in convoy, me at the front, then Ken, Paul B, Will, on a borrowed Triumph Sprint Triple, and Paul M at the rear. Both the front and the back markers carrying GPS'.

The roads were fantastic, but having not ridden a road bike for over year, I wasn't quite gelling with old girl and so took it at a more leisurely pace. If you get good weather, Wales nevers disappoints for a biking trip, wonderful dramatic scenery, few cars and fantastic winding roads. During the morning we got separated, but we'd shared location on Google maps and found each other in Aberystwyth at mid afternoon. I can't remember how we managed before modern tech?

Hundreds of bikers had gathered lining the beech and we decided to join them. Sliding out of the protective biker gear we warmed on the promenade and ate ice cream. Well, that's true for some the boys, but not me. I'd been carrying a stomach bug since eating some dirty Morrocan food the week before and had spent the morning racing off to find toilets whenever we stopped. I have never ever been so happy for Paul B to keep stopping to fettle his bike.

A quick look at the weather showed a huge storm front moving in bringing a dismal outlook for the next 24hrs. We decided to loop back to Ludlow as it was an easier departure point for us all the next day. Setting off we immediately lost Paul B, but Ken shouted, "he's got google maps, c'mon!" ... and that set the tone for the ride.

I'm pretty sure they were allowed to go that way...

Having warmed up to the bikes in the morning, the way back was taken at a much brisker pace. We raced through the countryside, the bikes alive like stallions with us riding a wave of adrenaline and petrol fumes. It was pure biking bliss, if you're a biker, you'll understand, if you've only ever driven a car you're missing out! Thanks to google maps, Paul B caught us up, and we rode the last 30 miles together. A quick pit stop at the house to freshen up and we were out with Will on a tour of Ludlow.

It's fair to say that's Will's character is as full as his stature, a giant of man, and the evening was full of tall stories, spinning yarns, and belly laughs. If i remember correctly it ended with Will, Paul B and Paul M singing aloud, Will doing the versus and the Pauls singing the chorus!

if it wasn't for the electric lighting, could you tell the year?

The next day the Pauls were ashen skinned, nicely accented with delicate green tones, they couldn't ride a bike, Ludlow had ruined them.