2010-06-12 50 -4

Location

West of Hatherleigh

Participants

Munky
Chuffy
Bags

Expedition

Munky and his friends Chuffy and Bags wanted to go for a nice long bike ride before Century Season starts, and had no idea where to go. No matter! Let the Internet decide! And so these poor saps were dragged along for a hash in a farmer's field.

A lovely day's riding was had, and the hash -- just west of Hatherleigh -- loomed into range. The view from space had it in a field just off a farm track: now, farmers round here are either lovely or banjo playin' types, and there's no way of knowing until it's too late. But we're from the internet. And we decided to brandish Bags in front of any grumpy people, 'cos she's a gurl.

The track was guarded! Weird grey-green two-legged things in pens. Velociraptor breeding, here in Devon? No, just fancy geese, who started doing circle dances (do geese have GPS? were they trying to hit that elusive 0m?) so we pressed on.

At the end of the track, huge stone bells. Not dumbbells, church bells. A shed set up as a hobby foundry made the whole scene exceptionally cool, somebody's mad bell workshop, and we popped into the field giggling like scrumping schoolboys to hit the hash.

And then to turn tail and scamper for home, via monuments (Hatherleigh Monument: Charge of the Light Brigade) and holy wells (St John's - tasty), a pub (the Bridge), some escaped sheep and really far too many hills. Along the way, Munky was picking fallen England flags from the roadside, sailing along like a galleon under full flag (total score: 7, or one flag per 10 km (weighted towards fast roads)). Well, there is some football on. :)