Motorcycle trip to the Cotswolds by BMW 1250 GSA and Triumph Tiger 900 – Ep 2

This final episode sees us leave the magnificent Manor House Hotel on a blistering day. It was such a special place we definitely want to return at some point. Today’s destination takes us further north in the Cotswolds to the iconic and quirky Broadway Tower. The Tower is the highest pointing the Cotswolds and was built in 1798 using many different architectural styles. Each floor is filled with beautiful Georgian furnishings and the view from the top stunning on a clear day. We had intended to visit the Nuclear Bunker as well but there was no availability until the following day, so after the Tower we headed for an overnight stay at The Crow Hotel in the village of Blockley only a few miles away.
The Crown was an interesting place – a bit different to The Manor! It was run by a group of Sri Lankan friends and fortunately for us the night we arrived was Curry Night, so a perfect opportunity to sample some authentic Sri Lankan curries and they were excellent!
The next day saw us return to Broadway for our pre booked Nuclear Bunker experience. It was a fascinating and grim reminder of the reality of life during the Cold War, well worth a visit if you’re in the area.
We hope you enjoy this final episode of our short mini tour of The Cotswolds, so until the next time, thanks for watching.

Accommodation: The Crown Hotel £152.90 (booking.com)

The route: Castle Combe – Broadway Tower – Blockley – Broadway – Deddington

If you want to get in touch e mail us at: midlifemotorcycling@gmail.com

We now have MMD Merchandise!
https://midlife-motorcycle-diaries.myspreadshop.co.uk

“Marcus Crane – One more lifetime” – https://amzn.to/3uLPe60
“Riding by the seat of my pants” – A solo motorcycle ride from Alaska to Argentina https://amzn.to/3uLF59h
Follow us on Facebook: Midlife Motorcycle Diaries
Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/midlifemotorcycle/
Our bikes – BMW 1250 GSA Triple Black
Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro

Our equipment:-
Insta 360 One X2 – https://www.insta360.com/sal/one_x2?i…
Drone Mavic Pro 2 – https://amzn.to/3vLTwrr
Canon GX7 – https://amzn.to/3eaBr0L
i Phone 12
Go Pro Hero 6 Black – https://amzn.to/3nHeO70
Quadlock Mount – https://amzn.to/3nITy11
Quadlock i Phone case – https://amzn.to/3ueAp9j
All music www.epidemicsound.com
Get a FREE month trial HERE https://www.epidemicsound.com/referra…
Our bikes are protected by Monimoto Tracker – https://monimoto.com/uk/ride/85/

Bunker are you looking forward to going down it no I’m not I’m going to pass on this one and you can go there that was a fantastic night last night at the Mana House Hotel in stunning Castle and today walking up to another glorious day and we’re

Heading off to the Broadway town a big shout out by the way to Nick sus or the boomerang biker in Oz who sent us these amazing neck Buffs I have to say Nick if one’s in the wash mine gets nicked um so Bryce wears them all the time and I

Don’t get a looking but thank you so much for sending them they look fantastic so today’s ride takes us back into the heart of the cot walls and the iconic Broadway [Applause] Tower sometimes we act like a fool where we’re trouble makers sometimes we try to be cool not being giv only takers stop for a minute stop and breathe for a minute don’t get over your head try to listen instead won’t you think for a minute who you want to

Be for a minute don’t get over your head you’re like everyone else are here you could gain from me and nothing nicer know when to talking when it shut your mouth feel so movy are such a fighter try to open up your mind sometimes you’ll be just f you’ll be

Just sometimes we yell when we’re sad and sometimes we laugh when we’re afraid sometimes we smile when we’re mad and some lines we wished we never said stop for a minute stop and breathe for a minute long it over your head try to listen instead won’t

You think for a minute who you want to be for a minute don’t get over your head you’re like everyone else are you you could make from being a b Nic know when it talk when it shut your mouth you’re so mov you’re I such a fighter try to open up your mind

Sometimes you be just you could G for the and I get nicer the way the darking when it shut your mou feel so M you’re such a fighter try to open up your mind sometimes you’ll be just fine Folks here we are folks back in the cot Falls and spef specifically Broadway Tower which is Broadway Tower is an iconic lmar and an eccentric folley it was the brainchild of the great 18th century Landscape designer capability brown but the architect was James Wyatt who completed it in

1798 it was designed as an eccentric amalgamation of Architectural Components from turrets and battlements to gorgol and balconies each level is decorated with beautiful Georgian interiors and if you climb to the roof viewing platform officially the highest point in the cot walls you find breathtaking views spanning 16 counties

And 62 mi in each Direction at 312 m above sea level the hill was a natural place from which to send longdistance signals and was used for this purpose long before the tower was built such as warning of the Advent of the Spanish armod in May 1588 that was Brit T folks um yes the views were fantastic great views well worth a look around and now it’s over time it’s we’re overdue for a coffee stop so I’m going to pop into this little cafe grab a coffee before we head for our final destination

And our final destination of the day was only a short 4 Mile ride to the crown hotel in the little village of blockley she was out there long on the highway broken wing she’s trying to Have and I was much too old to act on a Feeling then again I ain’t never had someone to hold I wrote song for iing take them all even my know that she her songs for a Ming bir looking at me she sing every word songs for a Ming

Boo oh you giving you taking you living you learn songs for oh We were out on the beach covered in Midnight she made love to me under the Star but now I’m sure I wasn’t worth believing there ain’t much room for Love on the bath in songs foring take them all evil my know that she heard for looking at me she’s saying every word songs for a my bir oh how could you fake it is that

What you were songs for a Oh We arrived here at our final destination of a little cotswald town s Village of Bley and we’re staying at the crown hotel which is an interesting little place so let’s go have a look at the room and compare it with last night’s room shall We here we are I’m 20 wow cozy it’s cozy cozy to be fair nothing with was going to be last night was it but but we still have a four poost of bed I don’t know they have shoe this four Pooler into this tiny room but and thankfully there’s a fan

There not a massive amount of space for us and uh shower CU too hot for a bath anyway well it’s fine and it’ll be even finer after beer: beer o soon check in later Tanker seil excellent so we’re not in Ireland but I’m having to clock with this weird Contraption and it’s still don’t know how it works so pour a flat pound of guine in a glass yeah put it on that but it definitely should be dropped yeah dropped uhuh and then the magic

Works I don’t know how it is how does that how does that work anyway it does here we be o00 we’re at the crown hotel in a little Village called blockley in the cops walls actually it’s not really a hotel it’s more of a pub but more interestedly it’s run by a Sri

Lankan family a SRI Lan family and tonight coincidentally it’s Curry night Curry night so being being fans of Curry it’s really exciting look at that so we’re going to go for the well I’m going to go for an authentic Sri Lankan Lam and potato Curry drinking can you

Believe it it yes this is loger I know it’s a it’s a crime against humanity but I’m drinking ler because it’s been crazy hot all day and they haven’t got any proper Els or Guinness on proper Guinness really yes sadly the black magic in a can it

Doesn’t really quite cut it so needs must I know we’ve got papadums we got I don’t know what we got we got loads of stuff there and it looks so good I’ve got to get on start eating it what you have well this is a an authentic Sri Lankan prawn Curry which looks

Amazing and I’ve got um the lamb and potato Curry namb bread and rice it smells fantastic it smells amazing let’s get into It so if you’re coming to this part of the cops walls is the crown hotel in blockley worth a visit the crown hotel is in the small village of blockley about 5 m miles Northwest of Morton in Marsh in gloustershire we had a walk around the

Village it didn’t take long and found a grocery store a church another Pub and a school but not much of anything else our room was clean but very small Bri decided to upgrade us to a deluxe room which did make us wonder how small a standard one would have been I think the

Extra charge was probably for the somewhat out ofpl fourposter bed which looked nice but wasn’t especially comfortable the bathroom had a small and very weak shower and a small glass Shelf storage the Inn is run by a group of Sri Lankan friends and we arrived on a

Friday which is curry night we’re both partial to a curry and with only one other option in the village available we decided to eat at the crown that turned out to be a good call the food was really delicious and there was lots of it sadly the beer didn’t live up to

Bri’s beer o’clock high standards the service was excellent and everyone from reception the bar and the restaurant are clearly Keen for their visitors to have a good experience the crown has its own private tarmac car park at the back of the building and there was plenty of space when we arrived mid-afternoon it’s

Very secure blol in the crown Hotel was a convenient stop off point and somewhere we hadn’t stayed before even though we’ve been to the area many times it was okay but there are probably better cotwell villages to visit well good morning folks as you can see another scorching it’s going to be the

Hottest day of the year so far I believe and last night we had an amazing Shrine con Curry at the crown Hotel here in Block and today right now we’re off back to Broadway to go down a nuclear bunker so let’s go check it out you and I we’re trouble in

Sight beting Hearts Don’t Lie an empty page of story to write I’m in love you’re Divine and it’s all in our signs we’re going away get your back check the tag decision is made lock your door need no more it’s already paid cancel your ma

For a while it’s a journey for life and I’m your right hang on WE Bel long gone hang on I cannot go wrong God I’m praying I’m not alone in this air of Hope cuz I’m in love you’re a star burning bright in my heart we’re going

Away get your back check the tag decision is made lock your door need no more it’s already pain cancel your ma for a while it’s a journey for life I’m your right hang on we belong gone hang on I cannot go wrong Hey hey we’re going away I get you back check the tag Journey For Life already I cancel your ma for a it’s a journey for life and I’m all right hang on hang on be longone hang on hang on I cannot go wrong hang on hang on we be hang on I cannot

Go God I’m praying I’m not alone we checked out of the hotel this morning and now we’re here for breakfast at Broadway specifically Morris and Brown Cafe waiting for my slot to go down to the nucle bunker as you do on a day when it’s about 30° and we’re having

Breakfast here you’re having bacon butty and and that was a Brios yeah with a a sausage bacon and poach it look Great go nuclear bunker this way You see they’ve got little Outlet’s look so we’re at the bunker are you looking forward to going down it no I’m not I’m going to pass on this one and you can go there the bunker was built and made operational in 1961 and stayed a closely guarded secret until it was decommissioned in

1991 it was used by the Royal Observer core as part of a much wider Network designed to trike and record incoming nuclear weapons locate their blast points and measure how powerful the explosion have been originally one of B than 1500 such monitoring pulse it’s now just one of a handful that have been

Restored to the original condition so I was eager to go down and find out exactly what it was like what kind of people would do this job when the bomb goes off all of the bunkers in the surrounding area will be getting the same right right going down going down it’s a

Long way down it’s B tired I tell you what I know a lot of people won be able to get down here yeah well if few do do struggle you Said the obser a lot of some people are quite a lot nice and cool quite a long time to adjust their eyes to the to the light level is this it’s not very big is it no not at all and how many people would typically have

To live down here um three designed for three people and how long would the um be expected to stay down um up to 3 weeks yeah so that’s how that’s how the training they would do had to they had to be ready to do that yeah I mean

Psychologically it must be uh yeah quite for all of the bunkers in the country needed about uh 12,000 um Personnel or so to be able to man these things so they have to report the bomb drop to their local group control in in Dundee now they know the whole nation

Now knows of the impending they would just carry this uh in their shirt pocket on that all the time and that will measure the radiation what this is it yeah this is the toilet the toilet it’s Isel toilet paper I used to use it as a kid yeah I remember it good that’s

It yes up to 3 weeks using that to the left right to burning up I am How was that then babe oh God that was Grim well thank God that’s not uh of any use anymore that it didn’t sound like it was much use then actually it was just the most hideous place to be spending two to three weeks with a chemical toilet I all toilet

Paper yeah you know why they call it Isel you use it once and you say I I’ll never use that again do you recall When We Were Young running from all things at once without thinking twice and I knew it would cat up and that we would be the ones Left Behind the stories I’ve been told they never seem to leave my mind ooh this road that I am on I got to stay here for some Time Time has gone and I grew up and somehow made it through without loing sight and I still wonder where you are and if you found a way out from the dark M the stories I’ve been told they never seem to leave my mind and this road that I am

On I got to stay here for some BR say they come and they go and we have to try and keep up cuz this Liv so much more o and I still wonder with You