I've changed.

Another Christmas.

My friend Pauline has just reminded me that it's been 30 years since we did the Pennine Way.

Wow. Time for a reunion I think.

Over the years I think I have changed. Hopefully for the better.

Gone now is the unaware, bloody minded, stubborn, dogmatic, at times abrasive youth.

I feel calmer. More self assured. I look around and take my time and I care less what other people think.

Old cars

My old car, the one that I bought to drive around in and ended up as a 10 year restoration project, the same car that an executive decision had to be made about, is finally FINALLY! nearing it's completion.

Post WHW

Been back a week and a bit now.

Finally the feet and midge bites have finished healing.

Quite lucky with the feet actually, only one small blister.

The views were excellent. As was the company.

Photos here, trip report to follow.

Another old trip transcribed

Crickhowell 2013

Training finished

With one week to go I've stopped pushing my beaten up body over Harrow Hill (bike) local park (running) and the A.40 footbridge (15kg masochistic lunchtime treadmill).

I feel fit enough but I'm still worried about the feet: I haven't actually done much of yer actual walking.

I can clock 29 x 6 metre climbs in just over half an hour. That's 174 metres. Just over 19% of the ascent of Scafell Pike from Wasdale. If I could work out Tranter's corrections on Naismith's timings, I'll have a more accurate way of gauging my progress.

Just got to organise the food now and pack

...

Bike

My old bike that I'd used for 'the thick end' of 15 years, without any real hassles, was well and truly knackered.

A trusty Raleigh Dakota. The gear train was completely shot and both the wheels weren't round any more.

I always had the feeling though that the frame was a little small so on my birthday I treated myself to a new, larger bike.

Nothing flash, something sturdy that could handle roads and not-roads for the daily commute to work.

A round trip of nearly nine miles a day, a bit more if I wanted to struggle over Harrow Hill.

The local 'Cycle King' were having a sale. Now, this bike shop used to be run by real bike enthusiasts. Every time I had visited I came away with the feeling that they knew what they were talking about.

This was before Cycle King took over.

Any road up, I took the plunge and bought a 23" 'Professional Reaction'  "hybrid" (doesn't look like one to me) for the ridiculously low sum of £109.

That should have been my first clue.

When it's working it's great, I like it. However...

This week the rear axle snapped as I was riding home. Good job I wasn't hurtling down Harrow Hill!

In the nearly two and a half years I have owned the bike, apart from the usual wear and tear and the almost monthly broken spoke or two, it is now on its...

• second pair of brake adjusters - thread stripped inside two months. Now fitted with a stainless steel set,
• third set of peddles - bearings became loose in their housings,
• second set of headstock bearings - bearing shells completely disintegrated,
• second bottom bracket bearings - bearing shells split,
• third rear wheel - first wheel: bearing cups disintegrated, second: shaft snapped and damaged bearing cups,
• third cassette - clutch failures,
• second ring gear - slippage between crank and ring gear,
• second chain - changed when the ring gear failed.

Is it me?

Maybe I should have bought a more expensive bike....

Sunset

At the end last week I had the intention of getting up early and climbing Harrow Hill to watch the Sun rise.

 

By Sunday I knew that was not going to happen.

So I had a thought of watching the sun set!

Of course!

Obvious, really.

My wife joined me.

 

She was glad she came.

So was I.

Very relaxing.

I quite like the rainbow effect of the clouds on the left hand side of the first picture.