After two weeks of waiting for a replacement rim to arrive from the US, we decided we could wait no longer. I ordered a replacement wheel from JD Tandems in Yorkshire and we decided to hire a van to travel up there to collect and continue our tour. On the way, we would have a week to stop at a few select places.
Our first stop was at Ledbury near the Malvern Hills. I had plans to walk along the Malvern ridge, but bad weather put an end to that ambition.
The following day, we made our way to Ludlow and stayed on a great campsite overlooking the town.
An extra day in Ludlow allowed me to use Gill’s bike to ride up to the Welsh border. It is fantastic cycling country.
The following day, we proceeded to head up to the Peak District and stayed at a campsite opposite where Gill and I had our wedding reception. The area had received heavy rain and the ground was soggy – much the same as 14 years ago!
After two nights in the Peak district, concerns about getting the van stuck in the campsite mud caused an early departure. We stopped at Chatsworth house under grey skies, but still fantastically beautiful.
We camped on a farm just south of Skipton surrounded by goats, donkeys and a lovely horse.
At Gargrave, we met Ruth and John at JD Tandems to collect and fit the new wheel as well as replace both bottom brackets. Once tested, we loaded the tandem back in the van and progressed north again to drop off our van at Carlisle passing by the edge of the Lake District.
Leave a Reply