General Cycling Discussion - Hey English People!

hehe :) Hi! I'm going to be in England for two weeks in October. I want to go a a B&B for a weekend with my boyfriend (English dude) and there's one in Cheddar that I'm looking at. Any of you have any opinions of that area? I'm looking at the Bay Rose House because their website menioned cycling/hiking/caving. I want some real opinions, because of course the websites aren't going to tell me if there's no good shopping or decent places ot rent/ride bikes! Supposedly there's a sports shop near the B&B. Anyway...any info anyone randomly has on the terrain of the area or anything..please throw it my way! Thanks.

...I want to go a a B&B for a weekend with my boyfriend (English dude) and there's one in Cheddar that I'm looking at. Any of you have any opinions of that area? I'm looking at the Bay Rose House because their website menioned cycling/hiking/caving. I want some real opinions, because of course the websites aren't going to tell me if there's no good shopping or decent places ot rent/ride bikes! Supposedly there's a sports shop near the B&B. Anyway...any info anyone randomly has on the terrain of the area or anything..please throw it my way! Thanks.

I don't know the place specifically, but the Cheddar gorge is a very pretty area generally and depending what part you are in, can be quite hilly. I guess you'll have a car to get around anyway, so you'll soon see what there is to do. My experience of B&B is that they range from simple to amazing to absolute crap. Most B&B folk are honest and will usually go out of there way to help. As for hiring bikes, most places hire bikes at the low end spec and a mountain bike to one hire shop is just a road bike to another. Specific LBS are usually very knowledgeable about the area, best places to ride, etc. The only problem you'll have on Englands roads will be the intensity of the traffic - there is a lot of it.

B&B prices vary of course. At this time of year, I think the average will be about GBP 25-30 - though the more remote places often charge a bit less. In towns, expect to pay a bit more, especially if it's a popular place. Weather in October can be nice-to-foul but that's true of this country January-February. It'll be getting dark about 7pm expect the worse and dress for it. Anything else is a bonus. Cheddar gorge is west country, so you'll be reasonably close to the larger towns. HTH.

I did a tour of the Westcountry a couple of years ago, and the descent of Cheddar Gorge on a foggy afternoon was a real thrill.
I took the train to Bath (worth exploring, dont miss the Roman Baths) then I made the slighly hilly trip from Bath to Cheddar in an afternoon. See map:

http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?client=europe&X=350000&Y=150000&scale=500000&width=700&height=400&gride=&gridn=&coordsys=gb&db=&overviewmap=&scale=500000&multimap.x=388&multimap.y=155

You also have the steep Mendip Hills and the flat Somerset Levels to explore.
Bath has a really good bike shop by the railway station Avon Cyclety, who do bike hire.
http://www.bikeshop.uk.com/hire.htm

October can be a lovely month for touring, and it wont be too busy.

Thanks guys. If there's a B&B you know is NOT crap (and is nonsmoking!), please share :D

http://www.westcountrynow.com/?source=espotting

This link might be worth looking at. It's to do with the general west country area.

you know is NOT crap (and is nonsmoking!), please share

Most B&Bs are non-smoking but if you are not sure ask them or email when making the reservation. The link I gave earlier has quite a large area of coverage, but as you can see, there are literally dozens of B&Bs to choose from. October is not really high season, but the west country being the pretty part of the world it is, I'd imagine the B&Bs have a steady turnover of folk. I doubt very much that you will not find somewhere decent to stay. Only advice I'd give about the UK roads, is that depending on the arterial roads you travel on, it can take much longer to get somewhere than you expect? West country traditionally does some very fine cider - and you might want to fill your CamelBak with it - though how far you'll travel after drinking 2 liters of the stuff is anyone guess!:D