Soon to disappear: 1912 Calais Cyclists Rest
Day once dawned, and it was beautiful, we were sad to leave our Bed and Breakfast after a raucous evening’s pie and saladivities and it was downhill all the way to Calais.
All aboard
The shock came on de-boating, grey skies over the white cliffs of Dover, and a force 27 wind in our faces, it took us a mere 3 hours to get across to Folkestone… welcome home you Uk’ns and so sorry to our Canadian and American riders.
Now to discuss why we appear to be incapable of making a decent job of our road signs. Not only are there no distances on them, the A20 tends to disappear from time-to-time like its course is a well-kept secret. May I suggest that the CTC encourage their members to go out with a thick black felt pen and write the mileages on their local signs? It may mean little to car drivers with their Thomas Thomas on the go, but the roads are shared (surely) by the ‘pedestrian’ and the cyclist. Whilst we’re at it, just to cut down on the amount of headless chickens that appeared to be driving the same car in and out of Dover and environs, hopelessly lost, all fresh off the boat, if one sticker was applied to each traffic light that indicated N, W, E, S, (that’s NEWS spelled wrong, or the four points of the compass) perhaps our traffic problems would be halved in a trice. I will accept no royalties for this idea.
Thar She Blows
Tonight we are in Harrietsham, near Maidstone, Five pennies have made the journey: Robert Taylor from Canada on his beautiful red Rudge, Glynn Norcliffe, a scouser at heart, but a Canadian by Geography also on a rather poorly Rudge, now fettled by Ron Miller… ‘Headwind’ Knight drove his ‘home-made’ short-crank Bogus and Sham, Gary Sanderson, nursing a head cold, on a kindly donated (by Phil Saunders) 54″ Victor and Cally on his trusty uphill 50″ Grafton Compound Roadster. Strange to think just how many of my machines have been supplied by the midwife Phil Saunders, a man that sneaks jewels out of the USA (mine in a box of bits) and gladly distributes them amongst us Leaguers in the UK.
Ancient Penny-Farthing wheel rim shaper found on Beachy Head
We visited the Battle Of Britain museum too, and met a man so rude, so aggressive I rejoiced in the fact that the skies above were once filled with 18 year olds giving up their lives for our future liberty, a liberty that sadly includes pillocks like him being allowed to get away with such nonsense.
May they rest in peace. Perhaps not he.
And so tonight it is prize-giving dinner.