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MENDIP TIMES
Busy season is underway
YOU may be forgiven for thinking this might be Her Majesty on one of her Fell ponies out for a quiet hack, but it is in fact an honourable lady from Bishop Sutton, who is With JANE PATERSON just weeks away from becoming an octogenarian. Alison Adcock regularly rides her little mare, Libby, around the lanes near her home. Like all riders, she is glad of the new rules which require cars to take more care while approaching and passing horses. The hi-vis vest Alison wears is a great way to politely remind drivers to keep to the 10mph speed, two metres distance rule. The vest is a useful addition to anyone’s equestrian wardrobe. Alison and I went to look at the progress of the Chew Valley Lake recreational path. It is coming on apace, and should allow Alison to get off the road for a reasonable distance, to ride along a multi-user path with a good surface from Ham Lane into Hollowbrook, and along to the Salt & Malt. We are hoping that there will be no opposition to the route being used for riders out for a quiet hack, particularly those on unshod ponies or horses. The once narrow bridge has been replaced with a wide sturdy one, well capable of carrying weight, and the path then leads on to what will be a pleasant ride without worrying about traffic, as well as giving views across the water through the reeds which were wafting gently in the
Alison showing me the new route
PAGE 96 • MENDIP TIMES • APRIL 2022
spring sunshine while we were there. There will obviously be no place here for fast riding. The path will be used by walkers and cyclists, as well as wheelchairs, pushchairs, and mobility scooters, but in the Mendip area we are lucky we have Black Down, Wavering Down and Crook Peak for the more adventurous who prefer a bit of speed. Alison has been quite an intrepid pioneer in her time. She is a woman who Gets Things Done. “Back in the day”, she took up a challenge. To find a way to ride from Wales to the Thames Valley to validate a map which had been drawn up to make a route which would be called The Three Rivers Ride. Alison enlisted a few friends and they set off. The ride would cross the rivers Usk, Wye and Lugg, taking in some of the country’s finest scenery. Finding accommodation for hungry riders and their horses without the internet doesn’t bear thinking about. Does anyone out there remember having to ring the tourist boards to find accommodation? We have all got so used to everything being available at the click of a button, that those times seem light years away. The adventure took nearly three weeks in all, what with popping home to sort out domestic matters and connect with leftbehind family! Then, navigating blocked bridleways, negotiating with farmers, working out routes each day, charting everything, her efforts finally resulted in a successful completion of a new popular ride now usually taking three or four days. The BHS
helped to publish a leaflet of the Three Rivers ride, as well as others that Alison became involved with. A worthy achievement. Having got the pioneering bug, Alison went on to source more rides, finding suitable routes from Borth near Aberystwyth, all the way to Brecon, and then another from North Wales to Port Talbot. Riding as high in the hills as they could, Alison and her friends enjoyed the most fabulous scenery in Britain, and hardly met any traffic. What bliss. Maybe we could entice Alison to do one for the West Mendip Way? A fun ride with overnight accommodation suggestions so that people can take on the delights of the Mendips at a comfortable pace…. now there’s an idea.
Alison showing me the new route
