An Unexpected Weekend Away

Earlier this month I was given an unexpected invitation to go to north Devon with my old Army Reserve unit, who were having an Adventure Training weekend. I had gotten in touch with them for something, and at the end of the conversation they had said "we're off this weekend if you want to join us?"  Of course I jumped at this chance, and once I'd figured out how to fit a mountain bike plus all the rest of my kit into the back of a tiny Toyota Aygo (no mean feat!) I was off.

We each got to do 2 activities, and I chose mountain biking - good preparation for my upcoming South Downs Way trip - followed by coasteering, which I hadn't done in a long time.

The mountain biking started well, following pretty difficult single track paths, with lots of rocks and drops to negotiate. There were also some really steep uphills to test the use of gears and leg strength. At one point someone broke a chain, so some bike first aid was required.

We didn't have time to do the full off-road route, so had to take a short cut back to the start point ready to switch activities. This road route seemed to include some of the longest hills in Devon - for one stretch we had 3km of uphill with no respite from the incline at all. A real leg killer, we were so relieved to reach the top after what had felt like hours of pedalling. I was pleased not to be at the back of the group, especially as this meant I got some time to catch my breath while waiting for the rest, but I could not keep up with the leader's punishing pace. The next 7km were all either downhill or on the flat, and whizzed by in about 10 or 15 minutes, making a real mockery of the uphill struggle. Sadly I took no photos from the mountain biking, as the only points where we stopped I was too busy either taking on fluids or energy sweets - or just trying to catch my breath.

Back at the minibuses, we had packed lunches and headed straight to the coast for a quick change into wetsuits and the next activity.

The coasteering, with our guides from Active Escape, was fantastic. The weather was glorious and sunny, which really took the edge off the cold sea, and after hours of hard work on the bikes it was nice to let the sea take the weight off for a while. The swimming also balanced out the leg aches by adding a good arm workout into the mix. I'm pretty nervous about jumping from a height, but love the buzz of adrenaline and the feeling of overcoming my nerves and getting braver with each jump. 

The guides even had a waterproof camera with them to capture a few action shots:

We swam around the coastline, climbing up various rocks in order to jump in. Getting higher and higher each time, you get more of a buzz as you do bigger and bigger jumps.

The tide was also right for our group to head to a few rock tunnels, and squeeze through with the sea swell assisting you if you time it right.

Of course our time was soon up, and we had to return to dry land, ready for dinner and a few beers.

I had to head back to reality the next day, but it had been great to get away briefly for some unexpected adventure.

On Yer Bike - Wildlife Rescue!

This summer I got back on my bike. My Specialized Rockhopper Comp mountain bike was a 21^st birthday present (unconventional for a 21 year old woman maybe, but it was what I wanted!) but it has been sadly neglected the last few years.

With the Thames behind

When it became apparent that I definitely would NOT be able to go abroad to do the job I had trained to do I was absolutely gutted. I was also alone as my husband was already out there, and so I had no one to take pity on me if I wanted to sulk. So I had to stay positive, act positive, and take on a new challenge instead.

I had read about the South Downs Way the previous year and had thought that seemed like my kind of thing, so I decided to get back on my bike for fitness (unable to run due to a trochanteric bursitis / tendonitis I got during some training, that just will not settle down…) and have the South Downs Way as my goal.

Beginning on the roads I had a great time cycling through the Buckinghamshire countryside. I found new places, so picturesque. I found a lovely spot for a stroll along the Thames.

On one occasion I even spotted a gorgeous little Greenfinch fledgling stuck in the road. I could see it from some way back, struggling to get back up the curb from the road where it lay. Every time a car went by it flapped around in panic, and sometimes got sucked further into the road by the passing cars. And it could not get up that curb, the poor little thing!

When I got to it I got off the bike and used the front wheel as a shield to stop the bird from scooting into the road in panic. It stayed fairly still, so I let it rest a moment while I got my phone out - it was too beautiful not to get a picture! You really shouldn’t handle fledglings as normally their parents are around somewhere and will help them out once you’re out of the way. But this was a bit different – the bird was in danger from the traffic, and the constantly passing cars would make it impossible for the parents to get to it safely.

I’ve had a pet bird before and was pretty confident at handling this little Greenfinch, although I was worried how it would react as small birds can easily die from shock if they are handled. When the bird seemed calm I got my camera at the ready and firmly and gently grabbed hold of it, clicked one picture and put the bird in the nearby hedge. It did seem quite stressed which was upsetting, but I really hoped that it would recover itself and its parents would be with it again – and at least I knew it wouldn't be hit by a car now!

I did enjoy going around by bike, you do see so much more than when you whizz by in a car!