The Isle of Man is done and dusted - off to Bristol to dry out.

10/6/12

The ferry docked at Heysham about 12.15am so I was rolling down the road just before one o'clock with a 350 km ride to Bristol in front of me. That’s what I love about the UK; I was in bed in the hotel in Bristol just after four am. That included included a decent stop for fuel and a quick snack. Obviously the speed limits here are a guide. I was going a little bit quick but I was passed by a lot of bikes and a few cars on the way. It was strange at around 3.30am looking in the mirrors and seeing the sky getting lighter behind me as the sun came up.

I rolled up at our hotel just after 4am and hit the sack for a few hours sleep then Paige, Suzanne, and I headed of into the rain to explore Bristol. I never get tired of looking at the beautiful architecture here, the buildings are magnificent and beautiful at the same time. We stumbled across the Bristol Museum and spent some time wandering around the many rooms full of goodies.

After a quick lunch it was off to catch up with Chris & Claire (The other part of the publishing team who put together Illusion magazine and Suzanne’s books). What a great family. Take Chris and Claire, and Oscar and Fergus, the kids, and throw in Reggie and Fern, the dogs, and you have a recipe for fun. I took advantage of the offer to hang out my tent to dry and to do some washing. That took care of that day.

Product update: Revit Defender GTX Gore Tex riding suit. On the way to Bristol the temperatures were as low as 4 degrees and I was still toasty warm wearing only a windcheater under my jacket with the linings and no thermal lining in the pants. My legs were a little cool but not to the point where I thought about putting the thermal lining in. Dry and warm. The gear does what it promises and does it very well. I probably should have gotten black pants though. These ones are getting a bit grubby already. A pair of cargo pockets on the pants would be handy as well. Putting bulky things in the side pockets is a little uncomfortable.

11/6/12

It was a bit of a late start today and we moseyed over to Chris and Claire’s about lunchtime and went….wait for it….yes….SHOPPING. This time it was important shopping though. We went out looking for a pair of gloves, a pair of pants, and a pair of boots for Suzanne. It was unbelievable. We found all three in the one shop, and were all done in about half an hour. I was pretty happy with that I can tell you. As for me, I’m still looking for a pair of boots. Maybe Spain will turn something up.

Wish me luck.