Castle Combe and North Wiltshire

[boboneleg]

A ride drive report by Bob the boober , aged 63 and 45 days

 

What a beautiful day it was today, bright sunshine and although a bit colder than recently it wasn't too chilly.  So time for a drive around North Wiltshire and see the sights.

Approx 16 miles from my house along the A420 is the village of Castle Combe.  This is one of the most photographed villages in UK with it's chocolate-box cottages running alongside the By Brook .

 

The village is not very big but it can take a while to drive through because of all the tourists trying to get 'that' shot.  Even in these covid times there were still quite a few about today although I didn't see any coaches up in the public car park.

 

 

Safely out of the village without running anyone over I headed up the Fosseway.  The Fosseway is a roman road which starts at Seaton on the south coast and runs up to Lincoln in the north, a distance of approx 235 miles.  I expect @Mawsley knws about the Fosse as it runs through Leicester on it's way North.

Most of the Fosse has a tarmac surface nowadays..........

 

 

But in this part of Wiltshire there's about 20 miles where it is unsurfaced.  Normally I would be going straight on at this point if I was on my bike but I thought better of it today as I was in the car..........

 

 

I tuned left instead and drove into the village of Sherston which was famous for it's wool trade in times past.  There is still a link to that in the village as it's the home of 'Stretchline' who make knicker elastic 

 

A bit further down the road I passed Grittleton House which is now a party and event facility.  If anyone's getting married soon I'm up for a party in that pad

 

 

Later on I passed this.  Fuckmine, it's even bigger than @Buckster bike and looks just as heavy

 

 

I was a bit hungry by now and spotted a McMerd in Chippenham so I went through the drive through, unfortunately I was dissapointed as they had no McFlurry or milkshakes due to supply problems.  I really like a McFlurry, it's about the best thing they sell but I had to be content with a cheeseburger and coffee

 

 

 

[XTreme]

Nice one Bob! 

What are house prices like in Castle Combe these days?

[boboneleg]

3 minutes ago, XTreme said:

Nice one Bob! 

What are house prices like in Castle Combe these days?

I haven't seen one for sale in the village for years but to give you some idea this is about the same size for sale in the next village

https://www.primelocation.com/for-sale/details/57898169/?search_identifier=7acfddc1b7f79c3b9ab4b6bb432e137f

[XTreme]

7 minutes ago, boboneleg said:

I haven't seen one for sale in the village for years but to give you some idea this is about the same size for sale in the next village

https://www.primelocation.com/for-sale/details/57898169/?search_identifier=7acfddc1b7f79c3b9ab4b6bb432e137f

Holy shit.....I thought they'd be pricey but nothing on that scale! 

[Pedro]

Pretty village!
 

How are you liking the new car, Bob?

[boboneleg]

17 minutes ago, Pedro said:

Pretty village!
 

How are you liking the new car, Bob?

Absolutely love it Pedro, I've lost 2000cc and about 180bhp compared with the Honda but it's such a hoot to drive.  Light steering, turns on a sixpence , loads of space and good fuel economy.  On the down side, it does rattle like a van

[Pedro]

15 minutes ago, boboneleg said:

Absolutely love it Pedro, I've lost 2000cc and about 180bhp compared with the Honda but it's such a hoot to drive.  Light steering, turns on a sixpence , loads of space and good fuel economy.  On the down side, it does rattle like a van

Some carefully placed sound isolation inside some panels to sort it? Or will it no longer matter once you can ride?

[boboneleg]

10 minutes ago, Pedro said:

Some carefully placed sound isolation inside some panels to sort it? Or will it no longer matter once you can ride?

It is what it is Pedro, I'm fine with that

[Clive]

I keep threatening to have a ride to Thornton le Dale (where Bangers & Cash if you watch it...Mathewsons Auctions is filmed ) in Yorkshire, I used to drive through the edge of the village on deliveries.

Lovely little village, with a stream running through it............one day I will.

[boboneleg]

11 minutes ago, Clive said:

I keep threatening to have a ride to Thornton le Dale (where Bangers & Cash if you watch it...Mathewsons Auctions is filmed ) in Yorkshire, I used to drive through the edge of the village on deliveries.

Lovely little village, with a stream running through it............one day I will.

You must Clive, go in and ask if you can take photos.  I like that programme, they are always selling something interesting.

[Six30]

3 hours ago, boboneleg said:

A ride drive report by Bob the boober , aged 63 and 45 days

 

What a beautiful day it was today, bright sunshine and although a bit colder than recently it wasn't too chilly.  So time for a drive around North Wiltshire and see the sights.

Approx 16 miles from my house along the A420 is the village of Castle Combe.  This is one of the most photographed villages in UK with it's chocolate-box cottages running alongside the By Brook .

 

The village is not very big but it can take a while to drive through because of all the tourists trying to get 'that' shot.  Even in these covid times there were still quite a few about today although I didn't see any coaches up in the public car park.

 

 

Safely out of the village without running anyone over I headed up the Fosseway.  The Fosseway is a roman road which starts at Seaton on the south coast and runs up to Lincoln in the north, a distance of approx 235 miles.  I expect @Mawsley knws about the Fosse as it runs through Leicester on it's way North.

Most of the Fosse has a tarmac surface nowadays..........

 

 

But in this part of Wiltshire there's about 20 miles where it is unsurfaced.  Normally I would be going straight on at this point if I was on my bike but I thought better of it today as I was in the car..........

 

 

I tuned left instead and drove into the village of Sherston which was famous for it's wool trade in times past.  There is still a link to that in the village as it's the home of 'Stretchline' who make knicker elastic 

 

A bit further down the road I passed Grittleton House which is now a party and event facility.  If anyone's getting married soon I'm up for a party in that pad

 

 

Later on I passed this.  Fuckmine, it's even bigger than @Buckster bike and looks just as heavy

 

 

I was a bit hungry by now and spotted a McMerd in Chippenham so I went through the drive through, unfortunately I was dissapointed as they had no McFlurry or milkshakes due to supply problems.  I really like a McFlurry, it's about the best thing they sell but I had to be content with a cheeseburger and coffee

 

 

 

at least when i go out in my van the bike goes to .... you seen this shit @XTreme

[boboneleg]

11 minutes ago, Six30 said:

at least when i go out in my van the bike goes to .... you seen this shit @XTreme

Granted but what's the point as you never take it out and ride it

 

[XTreme]

2 minutes ago, boboneleg said:

Granted but what's the point as you never take it out and ride it

I think Six has confused going away on holiday on your bike with going away on holiday with your bike!

It's done like this......Babbacombe July 1976. No fucking van!

[yen_powell]

3 hours ago, XTreme said:

Holy shit.....I thought they'd be pricey but nothing on that scale! 

I mentioned in my stories about someone I know who bought a derelict house and did it up. He bought it for about 350k and added an extension to the basement and a mansard roof to get an extra floor. I did some of the plans for him, the last one was a retrospective planning permission because he had built a little bit too high on the roof part. I just looked it up to see how much he sold it for. Jesus, the inside wasn't like that when he bought it, it looked like Ebeneezer Scrooge's weekend place

I should point out, it is still in a dodgy area but London prices are silly.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=88282162&sale=88422162&country=england

[XTreme]

5 minutes ago, yen_powell said:

I mentioned in my stories about someone I know who bought a derelict house and did it up. He bought it for about 350k and added an extension to the basement and a mansard roof to get an extra floor. I did some of the plans for him, the last one was a retrospective planning permission because he had built a little bit too high on the roof part. I just looked it up to see how much he sold it for. Jesus, the inside wasn't like that when he bought it, it looked like Ebeneezer Scrooge's weekend place

I should point out, it is still in a dodgy area but London prices are silly.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=88282162&sale=88422162&country=england

1.5 million in a dodgy area? 

[Six30]

31 minutes ago, XTreme said:

I think Six has confused going away on holiday on your bike with going away on holiday with your bike!

It's done like this......Babbacombe July 1976. No fucking van!

look , the cunts got a color coded fucking topbox and matching lid 

[XTreme]

9 minutes ago, Six30 said:

look , the cunts got a color coded fucking topbox and matching lid 

And actually riding a bike!

[Six30]

Just now, XTreme said:

And actually sitting on  a bike!

fixed

[XTreme]

1 minute ago, Six30 said:

fixed

And how do you think it got from Swansea to Babbacombe?

[Six30]

3 minutes ago, XTreme said:

And how do you think it got from Swansea to Babbacombe?

where else you been apart from wales , spain and silverstone ?

[XTreme]

15 minutes ago, Six30 said:

where else you been apart from wales , spain and silverstone ?

All along the south coast as far east as Seaford, West Country inc Devon and Cornwall, Midlands, NE as far as Bridlington and Stockton, Circuits: Silverstone, Mallory, Oulton, Donnington, Staverton, Pembrey, Aberdare Park, Tonfanau, Llandow (ridden round that one actually on a Triumph 3TA), possibly a few others.....can't remember. Been to Guadix, Almeria, and Cartagena circuits here as well.

[Clive]

1 hour ago, boboneleg said:

You must Clive, go in and ask if you can take photos.  I like that programme, they are always selling something interesting.

Maybe a ride for next spring, only downside is it gets packed at the weekends, so a weekday trip.

[Motobiker]

I do like that part of the world, pre Covid it was kinda a yearly ritual, heading down the Fosse for lunch at the Red lion in Avebury.

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

I got spectacularly lost on a bicycle ride once, left the house at 9am and was still peddling at 7pm I blame the bloody fosse way (not my own incompetence of course). My phone and garmin went flat and I spied the fosse way, aha Im saved I thought, the fosse way is that old straight roman road, if I stay on that itll bring me out somewhere with a train station.

Turns out my info was a few hundred years out of date and I ended up carrying my bicycle trudging through deep mud n nettles cos only parts of the fosse way are tarmac and some parts no longer exist at all

[Motobiker]

2 hours ago, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

I got spectacularly lost on a bicycle ride once, left the house at 9am and was still peddling at 7pm I blame the bloody fosse way (not my own incompetence of course). My phone and garmin went flat and I spied the fosse way, aha Im saved I thought, the fosse way is that old straight roman road, if I stay on that itll bring me out somewhere with a train station.

Turns out my info was a few hundred years out of date and I ended up carrying my bicycle trudging through deep mud n nettles cos only parts of the fosse way are tarmac and some parts no longer exist at all

This is what "adventure" is all about. and without the expense and heartache of a BMW. you clever little monkey.