340km Bikepacking adventure of the Westcountry Jul 25 (Part 2)

Join me on a bikepacking adventure of the West Country starting at Winchester in Hampshire. The plan is to travel towards the coast traversing Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall 750miles. My bike of choice is a hardtail mountain bike with tailfin panniers and I will be wildcamping throughout.
In part 2 I leave the bird hide near Glastonbury after fixing an ongoing puncture and head towards Stonehenge then make my way to the epic Cheddar Gorge perfect for epic drone footage. Then I pass through Wookey Hole and reach the City of Wells where I checkout the historic Cathedral and surrounds. After spending another night wildcamping I traverse the stunning Quantock Hills.
Conditions were good albeit too hot in the middle of a heat wave. Great for filming and getting the drone out.
Join me for 3 as I reach the coast and head towards Devon. Enjoy!

Well, I hope you enjoyed part one of this bike packing adventure in the West Country. Thank you for joining me for part two of this adventure where I leave Bath behind and head towards and traverse the spectacular Cheddar Gorge before reaching the amazing Wells Cathedral and the historic town of Glastenbury. I find a wild camping spot at a bird sanctuary whil trying to sort out my never-ending puncture. The next day, I head towards Mine Head, negotiating the Quantok Hills in 30° heat, where I end up getting another puncher, but eventually arrive at my destination, Mine Head, where I get my first view of the coastline. [Music] Hello. Good morning. Um it’s day three and this is my camp spot from last night. It’s um the first day I’ve had morning dew in my tent for a little while. On my last trip it was bone dry every day which was too good to be true. So back to wet tents again today. I’m about 5 miles away from Bath heading towards Mine Head. Um, I should be stopping at Wells, um, Cheddar Gorge and possibly the Wookie Hole Caves if I can leave my bike somewhere, but that’s always an issue. You never know what’s going to happen. It’s going to be an absolute sculpture today. It’s going to be in a region of about 29°, so maybe 30, which is too hot on the bike, to be honest. Uh, it was already too hot yesterday, so we’ll see how I get on with that. But, uh, I think I’m going to be suffering somewhere along the line. Anyway, I’m going to head off in a minute, pack camp, and um I will report in soon. [Music] Hello. Good morning. It’s quart to 9 on day three. I’ve made it to a place called Chew Magna, just outside Chew Magna on a medieval bridge. I’ve just been told by some locals. It’s really nice setting. And um I’m heading off towards Wells at the moment. I’ve just stopped at a church in Chew Magna um for a light breakfast, a nice cup of tea that was more than welcome, and um had a quick shave at this church tap as well. So, uh, you’ve got to think of these things every now and again. So, I’m not staying on a campsite, so you have to improvise where you can. Churches are a good place because they often have water, um, a nice bench to sit on, and um, just generally pleasant places basically. So, yeah, I tend to try and stop at churches whilst I can. Okay, I’m going to report in a little bit later at Wells. I’ll see you soon. Bye. Hello. Just a quick one. I’m at the uh Woodford Lake Cafe and uh I’ve just uh had to soak myself with water cuz it’s so hot already at quart 9 in the morning. But it’s such a gorgeous setting. I couldn’t resist um getting the drone out here. Absolutely stunning little place. Okay, onwards and upwards to uh towards Wells now. See you soon. Bye. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] Cheddar Gorge is a stunning natural landmark in Somerset, known for its dramatic limestone cliffs, extensive cave systems, and historical significance. It’s the largest gorge in England, formed by glacial meltwater over millions of years, and houses the famous Cheddar caves, including Goff’s cave, which contains the remains of Cheddam Man, Britain’s oldest complete human skeleton. [Music] Cheddar Gorge is a river gorge, not a collapsed cavern. Carved by meltwater floods during the ice age. Perafrost during the ice age forced melt water to flow on the surface, eroding the lime stale and creating the gorge’s cliffs. The Cheddar River gradually moved underground, forming the caves within the gorge. The gorge is part of the Mendip Hills, an area known for its limestone geology. [Music] Could I sit somewhere over there so I can see my bike? Yeah. Okay. Anything else? That’s all. Thank you. All right then. You pay for that now or after? I’ll pay for it now. Thanks. Yeah. Yeah. Ready to pay? 12.95 then, please. Thank you very much. Do you want the receipt? Uh, no. That’s fine. Thank you. All right. Do you have um a couple of powerpoints that I could use to charge my phone and things? I can plug it in just back there if that’s all right. Oh, okay. There’s nothing in the vicinity. Um, there might be one. I’ve got a few. Oh, no. There was a free one actually. Just over down there. Is it okay? Yeah. Thank you. Thanks very much. Thank you. Hi. Hello. Good afternoon. It’s half past 1 on day three. I’ve just stopped because my punches turned into a slow puncher. And uh yeah, you got to take uh a bit of care when it comes to these sort of things. I could feel feel it getting a bit squishy going around the corners. So, what I’ve done is pumped it up. Um, I’ve actually focused on where the the dino plug was stabbed in cuz a little bit of it sticks out. So, I’ve burnt that with a lighter and I’ve put some super glue on it in the hope that that might do something. I’m just waiting for that to set at the moment. So, this is the diner plug that I was talking about. So, just so you can see that. This is actually a larger version of the one I stabbed in yesterday. You basically stab them in and it’s supposed to seal the hole. The problem is there might not be much sealant left inside the tire, which means it might not be sealing the tiny little hole that there is. So, let’s see what happens with burning it combined with super glue. I’ve just come from Cheddar where I had a nice full English. Um really needed that. I felt a little bit empty earlier on. It’s absolutely boiling now. So um hydration’s going to be the order of the day. I’m not far from the Wikihole cave. So I’ll be there shortly. Whether I go in or not will depend on circumstances. How long it takes and um where where if anywhere I can leave my bike. Anyway, the show goes on. So uh I’ll see you soon. Bye. [Music] [Music] Hey. [Music] Heat. Hey, Heat. [Music] Thank you. Thank you. So, I’ve just left Wucky Hole. Unfortunately, there was too much of a wait really. It’s about 3/4 of an hour. I don’t really have that sort of time to hang around. So, I’m going to move on to Wells, which is only a mile and a half up the road, and hopefully check out the cathedral. So the c I’m sure the cathedral will be waiting there for me. So no problem there. Okay, it’s boiling hot. Just had a a nice refreshing Dr. Peppers drink. So ready for action again. See you in Wales. Bye for now. [Music] [Music] Hello. It’s quart 3. I’ve just spent the last half an hour, maybe more, uh, fixing my puncher. Finally put a tubalito in. And hopefully that’s the end of that cuz it was just going down and down and getting squishy around the corners. So, had to sort that out. Uh, now I’m I actually fixed that in the grounds of No, it’s not Wells Cathedral. It’s actually a parish church, which um actually fooled me because I thought it was Wells Cathedral. I thought it’s a little bit on the small side, but it’s still very uh magnificent, but uh no, it’s just a parish church. So, um still good. I might send a drone up because it’s still very nice. And then I’ll head to finally head to the cathedral, which isn’t far away. Okay, see you soon. [Music] Heat. Heat. So this is world [Music] Yeah. [Music] [Music] Heat. At last, the Wells Cathedral. What an amazing place it is. There’s more than the cathedral here. I don’t know everything about it at this stage, but I’m sure I’ll look into it for the video. and uh got some nice aerial footage with the drone and um the approach up to uh Wells Cathedral. Well, that’s all for me for now. I’m going to head off um towards Mine Head now. Not sure what’s next around the corner. I’ll update as I go along, but I’ve got to do about another 30 mi in this searing heat. Absolutely sweltering. So, I’m drinking buckets at the moment, but uh it’s going to be a hot one tonight as well, so I can’t wait for that. Okay, that’s all for me. Bye for now. [Music] Wells Cathedral, located in the heart of Wales, is a remarkable example of English Gothic architecture, notable for being the first English cathedral to be built entirely in this style. Its construction began around 1175, replacing an earlier church and continued for over 300 years with additions and extensions occurring until after the English Civil War. The cathedral’s west front is particularly celebrated featuring intricate carvings and sculptures. Here we go again, another puncher. So yeah, this is the third puncher now. and I’ve it’s really sort of trashed my day really. I’m not going to make the miles that I wanted to make today. So, I’ve just stopped and um I’ve taken the tubito out. You’ll see that behind me. I’ve put a patch on it. I’ve checked the tires for thorns and I did find a thorn in there. So, I’m hoping that is it now. And we’ll be on our way soon. I’m going to um eat some porridge now because um I’m in the middle of nowhere and I’m actually quite hungry. So, I’m going to eat something just to keep going and uh maybe top up the food later if I um get to Glastonbury. Anyway, that’s all for now. You’ve got to smile because these things happen. I’ve done plenty of trips where nothing like this happens at all. I apply the oats and the ch the chocolate protein once the milk is boiled. Otherwise, it kind kind of burns the pan and uh burnt pans out and sticks are no good to me. So, this is the way I do it. It looks a little bit lumpy, but it tastes nice, so I’m not too worried about that. I’ve got a few donuts as well, so I’ll fill up on some donuts at the same time. How to live in style bike packing. Eating porridge whilst you’re fixing your bike. Can’t beat it. [Music] [Music] Hello. Good morning. It’s quart 7 in the morning on day 4. Uh this is my camp spot. It’s uh not a bad place actually. Um it’s in the woods and it’s not far from a bird life sanctuary. Um and I’ll just show you around a little bit. It’s um going to be another scorchio today. It’s going to be about 32°. So how I’m going to cope with that, I do not know. I haven’t checked to see whether my puncture is uh holding up yet. So uh that might be the next clip. But um yeah, you can see that there’s a bird hide behind me. I did check that out last night. Um but um it was a little bit too hot in there. So I gave it a miss. It was like a greenhouse in there. But it would have been a potentially a good little spot for um if it was raining or something like that, you know, a bit like a both or something. You guessed it. I’ve got a a puncher again. Just tried to pump up my tire. It was flat as a pancake and um the air went straight through. So, I’m guessing the chubelito patch has failed. Um, I’m not going to buy chubelitos anymore. That’s the first time I’ve tried those. And, um, the chubelito has both tubilitos have failed me. I think they’re too thin and, um, not suitable for off-road and things like that. So, I’ve got a spare inner tube um that I bought from Halford last night. So fingers crossed that gets me uh to Bridgewater and um I can buy another tube or something like that. But um yeah, been unlucky on this trip. Started with tubeless. The tubeless failed. Run out of sealant. So I should have brought some of that perhaps. And um now the tubilits have failed. So I’ve never been unlucky before, but there’s a first time for everything. Okay, quick update on day four. It’s 8:00 in the morning. Back on the trail. I put the new inner tube in and uh it’s too early to say if it will hold up or not. Hopefully there’s no thorns in there. I think the tubalito hatch failed. So I’ll need to uh try and get another in a tube in Bridgewater. Hopefully it all works out otherwise I’m stuffed. Okay, that’s all for now. It’s a lovely hot day by the way. 32° it’s going to be a scorchio. So uh not too bad now though. I’ll enjoy it while it lasts. Bye. [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] Hello. It’s about half past 12, day 4. I’ve just stopped for a nice refreshing iron brew talked to a little old lady. It was very interesting. And uh so I’m feeling hydrated now. And uh I’ve got to go up a massive hill in the Quantook Hills, which is an area of outstanding natural beauty. But um yeah, I’m not sure I’ll see it that way when I’m going up the hill cuz it’s absolutely massive. But it’s a sign of things to come in Devon and Cornwall anyway. So, might as well get used to that. Just bypassed the reservoir, but it said keep out. So, um couldn’t go swimming in there. Otherwise, I’d have been in there for a dip. Anyway, I’ll join you on the hill. Join me on the hill. Bye for now. Bye. This hill is insanely steep. God knows how long it will go on for. There’s no way I can ride up here. So, hike a bike all the way. This is the Quantuk Hills. Hopefully, I get a nice view at the top somewhere. But this bike sure is heavy pushing. [Music] So, back on the bike now. I don’t think I’m at the top, though. So, there’s some temporary respite here. Oh, no. So, it’s not not going to stay flat for long. Yo, looks like it’s going to be a tough one. Okay, let’s keep going. [Applause] It’s barely ridable. Might not look steep, but it is. Lovely views from top of the Quant Hills. Stunning. A lovely day. Bit too hot though for me. Jesus. [Music] [Music] [Music] Hello there. How are you? Hello. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Hello, it’s past 2:00 in the afternoon. I’m uh taking a break for lunch now. I’m going to have my noodles in a moment. And what a what a lovely spot. It’s um I’m up in the quant hills. I’m at the highest point of the journey so far. About 350 m. I don’t think it’ll be the highest point um of the whole journey because I’m going to Dartmore later as well. And I think that’s uh 450 500 something like that. As you can see, I was I’m drying off my top behind me. It was a bit sweaty, but I’m going to have lunch in the shade. It’s um boiling hot, but it’s um a real pleasure to be here in the Quant Hills. Really beautiful. I understand now why they call it an area of um special um outstanding beauty. Absolutely amazing place. I’ll give you a little I’ve just done a few drone shots, but I’ll give you give you a whirl so you can have a have a look for yourself. It’s um really nice. Just seen one young couple, but I haven’t seen anybody else up here. [Music] Just the job. [Music] [Music] Hello. You got big horns. Heat. Heat. First sign of the sea. [Applause] [Music] Hello. It’s quart 8 on day 4 and I’ve reached the coast at Mine Head. What a day it’s been. I’ve been in the Quanto Hills most of the day. really slow going. It was uh really rocky, lots of hiker bike. And then um in the evening, I managed to get another puncher on the way down the hill, just a thorn. So I took the Thorn out and um I had to improvise cuz I didn’t have any patches. So I used some Gorilla tape and some glue that I have um for the jubilees. That seemed to do the trick. And um yeah, I’m on my way. So far so good. Off to find a camp spot now. So, um, if I get time, I’ll report in later. If not, see you in the morning. Bye for now. Bye. I hope you enjoyed part two of this bike packing adventure through the West Country. Please join me for part three where I leave Minehead behind and cross through the Xmore National Park towards Linton and Lmouth where I decide to find a campsite in order to take a few days rest and explore the local area. At Linton and Lmouth, I find myself trying to cool off in a rockpool in the extreme heat and explore the nearby spectacular valley of the rocks. I finished my journey by heading towards Barnstable in Devon where I decide to end the adventure due to the inclement weather coming in. Watch out in the coming weeks and months as I hope to return to finish off the Devon and Cornish coastlines. Thank you for joining me. See you next time.