The Old Gits go to Cheddar 34

A departure from the usual routine today,  adding a trip to Cheddar onto the normal Banwell and Puxton route.  This happens about once a year and as the Shute Shelve tunnel on the Strawberry Line has recently opened after 18 months, now is the time to do it.  13 turned up for this one, the weather was pretty good, a perfect day for a trip out.

George's new shorts

Meeting up at the Tescos on the Locking Moor Road, we were impressed with George's new shorts.  That's him on the left. Nicely colour coordinated with the Old Git tops. This could be the start of something new - not.

Maid of the Mill

Spotted in Max Mill Lane, this is part of the Windscombe annual scarecrow festival.  Apologies to my fellow riders for suddenly braking in front of them at the first sight of her.  A signal was definitely needed.

Shute Shelve tunnel

Some of the gang entering the tunnel on the way to Axbridge and Cheddar.  It is about a third of a mile long and strangely, despite the other end being clearly visible, it is pitch black in the middle.  Having lights is a distinct advantage.  There is talk of lights being installed in the future. We shall see (or not see) if that happens.

Axbridge

A medieval town, we stopped here to regroup and make sure we were all safe and sound.  The roll call was positive so it was just another 2 miles to Cheddar.

The Mousehole Cafe Cheddar.

The usual cafes were closed today so we had to use the more expensive Mousehole cafe (£1.99 for a pot of tea).  With two tea stops today, the second at the usual Caffles in Hewish, we took pity on Andy, the birthday boy, and he only paid for the cheaper tea at Caffles.  Saved him a bomb!  We did try and get a group discount but that didn't work. From here it was a retrace of our route and back to Caffles for tea and cake.

A good day out that was, 34 miles covered, the Strawberry Line was dry, the slight threat of rain did not materialise and we didn't lose anybody or have any mechanicals.