Day 33  - Bridgwater to Blue Anchor

 

Date: Thursday 15^th April 2010   Distance: 28.60

 

Hired car from Altrincham to Bridgwater where left it at Enterprise there.

 

Off we went and just outside the town and on our first little hill, a lady at a bus stop couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw us and we could hear her chortling all the way up the hill. It’s lovely to have that effect on people!

 

The track just before the Hinkley Point nuclear power station ended in a ford, following the way the locals went, we walked along the river bank and crossed at the bridge. When we reached Hinckley Point Power Station I used the phone at the gate to ask if there was a visitors centre- as marked on the map- as we were a couple of cyclists needing a cup of tea. Apparently there hadn’t been one for years and the security guard seemed a bit bemused by my question.

 

We came to a restricted byway and used the bike to prop us up out of the boggy terrain which put us in the way of the briars, but never mind. We had already tackled the ford in a similar way without getting wet so we were soon getting into the intrepidity of our trip.

 

We decided to detour a bit to get right down to the sea. There were women with large blue bags gathering driftwood we assume for artistic purposes. A police people carrier arrived with 2 policemen in body armour and they very nicely interrogated us- where were we from, where were we going etc. After a short chat, they wished us a good and safe trip and left, leaving us suspecting that my phone call had perhaps stirred up a thought in the security guard that we might be from Green Peace or another anti nuclear body.

 

Stopped at a small church at Kilton. There were armchairs in cushions in the doorway. Lunch was at the Hood Arms in Kilve. Carefully directed to the bike park at the back by the man who was the cellarman and odd job man. He had a real pride in the beer, and it was just perfect. The remaining staff were endlessly entering things into a computer, food was over priced and just too trendy. The manager was clearly only interested in profit, but didn’t have any skills in looking after the customers. Why direct someone to answer the phone when they have a customers money in their hand. My change did return once the all important phone call was dealt with.

 

.Lovely ride through edge of the Quantock hills, through West Quantoxhead, down the Watchet past the West Somerset steam railway. Stopped for tea at Watchet after a visit to the museum and buying some fruit at the barrow stall where you paid through a honest box in the house letter box.

 

Finally up and down to Blue anchor. Stayed in a lovely B&B, after we booked an adjacent one and they double booked and move us to this one. Many thanks for that. Will write it a nice review for Trip Advisor. We chose the wrong pub for the evening meal, it was rough and ready (Blue Anchor) or posh (Smugglers). We went posh and it was cold, drafty and uninviting.