So I booked
a day off work, and wandered off to Guildford to have my new 2-up seat fitted,
before heading from there to Lower Weare, Somerset.
The stop in
Guildford meant there was no particular value in going up to the M4, so having
found my way with no stops or errors (for once) through central Guildford and
reached the dealer with 10 minutes to spare – also a novelty – I spent my time
while waiting in browsing and asking about ways to get to the M3.
It’s just
as well I have no qualms about asking for directions as the recent heatwave had
quite literally collapsed the usual feeder road as it was still partially
closed and under repair.
I took
their advice and backroads to the M3, then picked up the A303, which was fairly
pleasant going up until Stonehenge.
Near
Stonehenge, the road narrows rapidly from 3 lanes to 1, and it always causes a
tailback. Luckily, most people were not in a mad hurry or a bad mood and they
let me filter through as much as they could.
Just after
Stonehenge, where it widens up again, I made the colossal mistake of pulling
off into the services. I have never met such badly sign-posted services. From the
road, they’re clearly marked. Off the road, they are a maze of roads and
roundabouts with little to no useful signage visible amid the competing café and
pub banners. I wanted fuel, dammit, not a pint.
When I got
back on the road, I nearly sobbed to discover a much simpler fuel stop only a
mile or two further on. However.
I got to
Lower Weare through the Mendips, incidentally discovering a bunch of little A and B roads I seldom encounter. Twisties are much milder and much more FUN on a bike.
