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Anti-climactically, this is my last photo before we jumped on the M3 at Basingstoke and went home.
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He blamed the wind. I'm not sure if he meant intestinal or meteorological.
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Finally, on the last day, on one of the last trails, Roni crashed!
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Post-Salisbury it got all leafy again as we zipped through Bucks up to Basingstoke
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A week ago we'd have been in the left rut. We've both already had wet boots all week...
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So it was straight back to the ranges! Sending Roni out first, just in case.
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Found a shop and got it fixed, took no photos
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It'd felt funny for a while, but now was making that sort of metal-on-metal noise that means a wheel bearing needs to be replaced
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On the last day, finally the Mighty XT needed a break
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Sensibly, I rode round this...
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Finally, Roni got some of the wet and sticky mud he was pleased to have avoided for the past week.
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The alternative route, though, had some stunning views.
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That red flag prevented a left-turn here. We stopped, hoping the white hilux was opening the ranges to us. It wasn't :(
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Much of salisbury plain's not the most *exciting* lanes
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The ridgway was closed because of a seasonal TRO, but it's hard to imagine that it's better than the alternative here.
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From Swindon to Salisbury, the lanes are long, clear, and a bit flat-out. Need to frequently stop to calm down...
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The National Trust's HQ is very much not a National Trust building. Good cafe, though!
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Proof, post-taffy, that I can cross puddles without drowning the bike
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Sometimes, when you stop and wait for a horse rider you get a delightful view to look at
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Sometimes, when you stop and wait for a horse rider you get a delightful view to look at
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Since the DRZ was *working* we had to contrive oil-level checks to keep up the pretence of it being a bit knackered
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This is not the Holloway Road I know
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The cotswolds does have the od abrupt descent, though
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Where Wales has dramatic scenery, the forest of dean and the cotswolds is just really *nice*
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Like something out of kids TV, this is a small red Royal Mail van waiting at a level crossing for a steam engine...
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Naturally, when Roni fixes his bike the test-ride is to a steam railway
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... and it's all fixed!
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Couple of crimps (well, three crimps and a chocolate-block in the end)...
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After *hours* of carb fettling that, in hindsight, couldn't possibly have been the actual required-fix, Roni finds a clear and definite problem - two out of those five wires are broken! One is one of the phases from the alternator (hence no battery charging) and the other is the low-tension for the coil (hence barely-running)
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Roni's got comfortable for some diagnosis. This is why he has the hi-viz booties.
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Ah, yes, a hostel!
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This, apparently, is a hostel. Despite obviously being an English Heritage castle.
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New battery in, Roni starts wondering why the bike's *still* not running right...
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Halfords couldn't get a battery for the DRZ, but this man could get one delivered within 3 hours!
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20 minutes down the road, the DRZ picked another wonderful spot to conk out!
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Soft panniers slowly becoming hard panniers....
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Bit of cut-up water bottle to keep the tyre out of the pannier...
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When we got to the hostel, it became clear that Roni's pannier had failed in some way that meant yesterday's leftovers had been eaten by his rear tyre
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With enough shaking, the bubble mixture starts working...
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The top! Nice view, though the hills kept dropping in and out of the clouds
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This climb was a complete arse, only made better by the realisation that it's meant to be a descent
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Also, sheep
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Welsh TET meant welsh weather
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Yesterday the panniers needed readjusting, today they were reconstructed
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Scenery and pleasantness-wise, this is pretty far up there as trails go
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