The Barns on the Plain

[boboneleg]

This morning the weather didn't look to bad compared with the doom and gloom forecasted last night so I decided that ride was on the cards.  Didn't get away until 10.45 but skirted around the edge of Bath and down through Dilton Marsh to get to Westbury.  From there I travelled along to Edington where turned up here to get onto the Plain .............

 

 

As soon as I got to the top there was a sign of things to come 

 

 

I carried on over to Lavington and then took a byway that is normally closed to the public but today was ok as the Army are now on holiday (shhhhhhhhhhh don't tell Putin ).  After a while I came to one of the observation towers in the bombardment area ................

 

 

and then headed north across more of the bombardment area, the weather was still holding up at this point ..........

 

 

Got to love a 'Tank Crossing ' sign  

 

[boboneleg]

Next I headed towards a track I had seen on the map , when I arrived there was a gate but it was easy enough to ride around.  I climbed up the hill and it started to get a bit slippery on the wet exposed chalk, then through another gate and across a field 

 

 

I came to another gate and on inspection there was no way I was getting around this as it had a chain around it and they had welded the chain together .  To make matters worse it was now chucking down with rain , I had no option but to backtrack down the hill and find another way up onto the Plain 

 

I found another track a couple of miles down the road and set off up the hill, it was really slippery and not helped by the fact that the rain was coming at straight at me.  After a while I saw a barn on the side of the track and turned up there to take shelter

 

 

But as I walked down to the entrance I did a quick turnaround, the inside was about 6 inches deep in cow piss ............

 

 

But about a mile up the track I came to a empty hay barn and rode straight in .  There is a god after all , thank you @Buckster ...................  So while I waited for the rain storm to pass I got my sandwiches and coffee out and sat on some hay bales to have lunch  .............

 

 

I decided to cut short my intended route now as I was already soaked and you see bad weather all around so I just decided to try and dodge the showers.  I rode down towards Westdown camp on the tank tracks , some of the surfaces were good for 50 mph and some was as slippery as an Otters pocket ............

 

 

 

Now I decided to head towards home as there seemed to be a break in the showers,  Oooooooh pretty  

 

 

There was only one more dodgy part as I came to this  ....................

 

 

There was no telling how deep that was so I skirted around the edge and took another route .........

 

 

 

I got home about 16.30 and hung up all the wet gear in the garage, it can stay there until Xmas is over ..................  

 

 

[Pedro]

Good stuff, Bob.

are those plains the Sainsbury Plains? I know nothing of the UK but that name I read often on forums.

Eating sandwiches on a barn cover sittingon hay bales sounds very Christmassy, might as well have a donkey and a cow for warmth too.

[boboneleg]

Just now, Pedro said:

Good stuff, Bob.

are those plains the Sainsbury Plains? I know nothing of the UK but that name I read often on forums.

Eating sandwiches on a barn cover sittingon hay bales sounds very Christmassy, might as well have a donkey and a cow for warmth too.

Yes Salisbury Plain , most of it is owned by the Army and they use it for bombardment, combat exercises etc 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salisbury_Plain

[XTreme]

Great report Bob!

But I have no idea how an ordeal like that is enjoyable!

[boboneleg]

29 minutes ago, XTreme said:

Great report Bob!

But I have no idea how an ordeal like that is enjoyable!

Oh come on , you'd have loved having a nosey in that first barn, trampling around in all that cow piss 

 

 

 

 

[yen_powell]

1 hour ago, Pedro said:

Good stuff, Bob.

are those plains the Sainsbury Plains? I know nothing of the UK but that name I read often on forums.

Eating sandwiches on a barn cover sittingon hay bales sounds very Christmassy, might as well have a donkey and a cow for warmth too.

Its also where Stonehenge is.

[Saul]

Great ride report Bob.  

 

[Sir Fallsalot]

15 hours ago, Pedro said:

Good stuff, Bob.

are those plains the Sainsbury Plains? I know nothing of the UK but that name I read often on forums.

Eating sandwiches on a barn cover sittingon hay bales sounds very Christmassy, might as well have a donkey and a cow for warmth too.

Well he did ride a donkey in there but he's no virgin Mary LOL

[Sir Fallsalot]

Have i said before me no likey riding on wet chalk

[boboneleg]

41 minutes ago, Sir Fallsalot said:

Well he did ride a donkey in there but he's no virgin Mary LOL

 

[boboneleg]

39 minutes ago, Sir Fallsalot said:

Have i said before me no likey riding on wet chalk

It was hilarious in places Fred, I've got a well worn TKC80 on the front so steering was 'optional'  at times  

[Six30]

Great report ….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and nice play for MOTY

[boboneleg]

3 minutes ago, Six30 said:

Great report ….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and nice play for MOTY