My alarm sounded at the unearthly hour of 0525 on Saturday 17th May, I'd felt it necessary to wake up this early as I had to first get to Ashton Way car park in Keynsham where the SAS crew meet every week at 7am. The city was all but asleep as I peddled through Clifton down and towards the Stokes Croft roundabout, then, after a few sneaky detours, I found myself on the deserted motorway more commonly known as The Bristol-Bath Railway Path. This is by no means the most direct way to Keynsham but the thought of the A4 even at 6am wasn't at all pleasant. Fresh and raring to go, I made swift progress along this well established and widely used track, passing the many old stations and of course racing through the tunnel. I then suddenly realised I was cycling away from a town which could only have been Keynsham. I'd overshot the Willsbridge turning! Feeling like a numpty and now far more conscious of the time I raced back and turned off to Keynsham, at which I luckily arrived in good time.
Before I knew it I was surrounded with many experienced regular cyclists. I joined the slowish group, and embarked on the standard North Somerset circuit, taking in Chew Hill and West Harptree. This group proved to be anything but slow and I was suitably knackered as we stopped for a quick break at Chew Valley Lake. It was at this point that I decided that instead of looping back to Keynsham and going back to Bristol the same way, I may as well make the most of the hottest day of the year to date, and take on the Mighty Mendips.
I joined 2 chaps at West Harptree who were heading for Cheddar and set off up the main steep B road onto the Mendips. It was now hot in the strong, mid morning May sunshine, and water supplies were already falling short. Before long, after beautiful rural hilltops and began
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