17th July 2016
Had a quick breakfast at 6, and decided to get moving as the sun was already up and getting warm.
I got the motorbike out, unfolded it, put all my kit on, set up Google Maps for cycling directions, put one side of a pair of headphones in my ear to get the audio directions, and headed off slowly. After a couple of miles, I was guided down a byway, which started off as a farm track, but with lumps of broken concrete, became less and less road like, eventually turning into a narrow single track rut and finally a flattened bracken track. I later looked the route up and found out it was an old drove road. The little moped coped surprisingly well, but I didn't try to go above 15mph. I was captivated by the sight of fields of poppies, and a swan's nest full of cygnets that had obviously never seen a human before - they showed no sign of fear at the sight of me and my bike whatsoever. After a few more miles, the track widened out, the surface turned to gravel, and then broken tarmac, and finally I joined a small road again. A little further along I rode through a completely abandoned hamlet, complete with a church, with the whole front wall coming away from the rest of the building. Due to the drainage of the Fens, the land has dried out and the ground shrunk, resulting in a lot of building instability. Many villages and some quite large churches have been abandoned to the Fens in this way.
Back at the van, I was really hot in my biker gear, and drove back in shorts and t shirt with the window open to try and cool down a bit. Found an Aldi at Chatteris and did a shop for fresh stuff - very lucky as we had run out of tea bags. I spent a while standing in front of the open fridge section. Parked up in a quiet back road in Littleport about half a mile from the mooring. A white van is totally inconspicuous if it isn't left in one place for too long. Started the engine on the boat at 11:30, and headed off to Ely, arriving at the Town Quay at 1pm, and slotting in to one of the last spaces on the quay under the trees in the little park. 48 hour moorings here. There are good facilities for boaters provided by the EA, including rubbish disposal, water, toilet pump-out and elsan disposal. I had a good wander round the town, as far as the cathedral and Oliver Cromwell's house. Will have a proper look later, as I am staying for a couple of days. It was very hot today - reached 28C and was still 22C at 8pm.
Gas went off today - it turned out that the full cylinder I had fitted at Ramsay was completely empty. I was surprised, as the previous owner said that a cylinder usually lasted a whole season. I swapped the regulator over to the spare cylinder, but could smell gas. Checked all the hoses and unions, but all tight. Still smelling gas. Got a cup and mixed washing up liquid 50:50 with water, and smeared it all over the hose unions - finally spotted bubbles coming through the alloy of the regulator body - it had gone porous! Have come across this before in alloy wheels and engine cylinder heads. There's another job to do tomorrow - fortunately there is a small chandlery in Ely right near the quay.
Had a quick breakfast at 6, and decided to get moving as the sun was already up and getting warm.
I got the motorbike out, unfolded it, put all my kit on, set up Google Maps for cycling directions, put one side of a pair of headphones in my ear to get the audio directions, and headed off slowly. After a couple of miles, I was guided down a byway, which started off as a farm track, but with lumps of broken concrete, became less and less road like, eventually turning into a narrow single track rut and finally a flattened bracken track. I later looked the route up and found out it was an old drove road. The little moped coped surprisingly well, but I didn't try to go above 15mph. I was captivated by the sight of fields of poppies, and a swan's nest full of cygnets that had obviously never seen a human before - they showed no sign of fear at the sight of me and my bike whatsoever. After a few more miles, the track widened out, the surface turned to gravel, and then broken tarmac, and finally I joined a small road again. A little further along I rode through a completely abandoned hamlet, complete with a church, with the whole front wall coming away from the rest of the building. Due to the drainage of the Fens, the land has dried out and the ground shrunk, resulting in a lot of building instability. Many villages and some quite large churches have been abandoned to the Fens in this way.
Back at the van, I was really hot in my biker gear, and drove back in shorts and t shirt with the window open to try and cool down a bit. Found an Aldi at Chatteris and did a shop for fresh stuff - very lucky as we had run out of tea bags. I spent a while standing in front of the open fridge section. Parked up in a quiet back road in Littleport about half a mile from the mooring. A white van is totally inconspicuous if it isn't left in one place for too long. Started the engine on the boat at 11:30, and headed off to Ely, arriving at the Town Quay at 1pm, and slotting in to one of the last spaces on the quay under the trees in the little park. 48 hour moorings here. There are good facilities for boaters provided by the EA, including rubbish disposal, water, toilet pump-out and elsan disposal. I had a good wander round the town, as far as the cathedral and Oliver Cromwell's house. Will have a proper look later, as I am staying for a couple of days. It was very hot today - reached 28C and was still 22C at 8pm.
Gas went off today - it turned out that the full cylinder I had fitted at Ramsay was completely empty. I was surprised, as the previous owner said that a cylinder usually lasted a whole season. I swapped the regulator over to the spare cylinder, but could smell gas. Checked all the hoses and unions, but all tight. Still smelling gas. Got a cup and mixed washing up liquid 50:50 with water, and smeared it all over the hose unions - finally spotted bubbles coming through the alloy of the regulator body - it had gone porous! Have come across this before in alloy wheels and engine cylinder heads. There's another job to do tomorrow - fortunately there is a small chandlery in Ely right near the quay.
No comments:
Post a Comment