On 15th August a number of members of the Veteran-Cycle Club attended the Moulton Bicycle Club’s https://www.moultonbuzz.com/ summer event at Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire to celebrate their 50th anniversary. The two clubs have a lot in common with some V-CC sections organising occasional rides for small wheeled bicycles which the Committee hope to expand to form a group organising regular events specifically for these machines.
We arrived at Bradford on Avon around 4pm on Friday and pitched our tents and vans at various points around The Hall where Alex Moulton once lived and where the Moulton Bicycle Company has its factory https://www.moultonbicycles.co.uk/. A visit to ‘The Spoke and Sprocket’ followed to sample a pint of ‘Full Suspension of Disbelief’, produced by the Kettlesmith brewery in Bradford on Avon specially for the event https://kettlesmithbrewing.com/. A chat with friends was compulsory prior to our evening meal which proved a little late that night.
The weekend was packed with activities so it was an early start on Saturday to set up the V-CC table selling Veteran-Cycle Publications at the morning’s jumble sale. A quick lunch was followed by a ride to Great Chalfield Manor https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wiltshire/great-chalfield-manor-and-garden where we were treated to tea and cake and a visit to the wonderful gardens. It was quite amazing to see so many varieties of the Moulton bicycle in one place. A quick ride back to The Hall then into the marquee for the wonderful evening meal supplied by Mrs B’s catering service.
All too soon Sunday arrived when 3 rides were on offer – a 30 miler through the famous two tunnels on the Greenway https://www.twotunnels.org.uk/; a 20 miler to Lacock and a 10 mile social ride along the Kennet and Avon Canal to the Angelfish café https://www.bath-narrowboats.co.uk/angelfish-restaurant-cafe/.
Those of us who took part in the 30 mile and 10 mile rides encountered runners taking part in the Two Tunnels Run which slowed down the 30 milers but had little effect on the social ride. I spent a lot of time at the back of this ride pausing to chat with anyone who would give me time, so stopping for the runners just gave me another excuse! After a large coffee and sausage roll at the Angelfish we were off again back to The Hall where we said our farewells and promised to return next year for another great meeting of Moultoneers.
Penny Cossburn
Publicity Officer and Moultoneer
Photographs supplied by Harry Clark and Nick Hando of the Moulton Bicycle Club
