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Pack Ride-out to Cheddar Gorge and the Chew Valley ~ 18 October 2009
With only the ride to the NEC in November, plus the Christmas card ride to Bethlehem in December remaining, this was effectively the last scenic Pack ride of the year. With the autumn weather creeping up on us and the clocks due to go back one hour the following weekend, people obviously thought that they would make full use of the beautifully sunny Sunday and join us for the Pack ride to Cheddar Gorge and the Chew Valley. Ten bikes and 11 people left Cardiff West Services at 9.30 a.m. and we collected another 5 bikes and 8 people at various bridges over the M4. In total, 15 bikes and 19 people joined this Sunday ride.
Top get to Cheddar, the only real option is to churn off the miles on the M4 and M5, something that is quite alien to members of the Bevans RAT Pack. However, it was a means to an end and soon we had turned off the motorway onto the A371 towards Cheddar. An early coffee stop was called for after about 60 miles because although the weather was sunny, it was nevertheless a bit nippy! Smells of frying bacon attracted the Pack Leaders attention as we passed a garden centre somewhere between Banwell and Sidcot, so 15 bikes did a smart U-turn and headed into the garden centre for breakfast. Once suitably refreshed, we headed on along empty A-roads to Cheddar and took the B3135 which wends its way up through the gorge to the top of the cliffs.
The Cheddar Gorge area has been a destination of travellers and holidaymakers for centuries, each one curious to view the magnificent limestone gorge carved into the southern slopes of the Mendip hills above the village of Cheddar. The Mendip hills are an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty the limestone plateau is noted for its landscape beauty and wildlife. Reaching 500 feet in places, the sides of the ravine boast the highest inland cliffs in the country. After 2 weeks of riding through canyons of the wild west in the USA, Mrs RAT was heard to say I think Im canyoned out now whilst Cheddar Gorge may be smaller than its American counterparts, it is nevertheless small but perfectly formed!
From the top of the Gorge, we rode on to Green Ore and Chewton Mendip, then via more B-roads to Chew Stoke, where we stopped at Chew Valley Lake for lunch. Tucked away in the shadow of the Mendip Hills, the Chew Valley and its lakes are a haven of tranquillity between the the cities of Bath and Bristol. The Chew Valley has a history that dates back more than 10,000 years and is rich in mystery and myths. The area's heritage can be traced among the many chocolate-box villages that thread the valley with names such as Nempnett Thrubwell, Hinton Blewett and Norton Malreward. At the heart of the valley is the pretty town of Chew Magna which offers pubs, traditional butchers, delicatessen and other local services.
Chew Valley Lake is set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, surrounded by unspoilt meadows and woods. Built as a reservoir in the 1950s it is now a haven for wildlife and is popular with anglers, birdwatchers and dinghy sailors. The picnic facilities at Chew Valley Lake provide a pleasant setting for a lunch stop.
After lunch we continued our loop through the Chew Valley as far as Chew Magna and then followed more B-roads to the outskirts of Bristol, before picking up the M5 at the Gordano Services. A brisk ride back along the motorway enabled most people to be home around 3.30 p.m. in plenty of time to see Jenson Button do enough in Brazil to be crowned F1 World Champion!
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