It's The Bristol Board Meeting so business attire is encouraged, I picked up a nice M&S worsted suit in a BHF charity shop for £8, Jill converted the trousers into shorts for me.
I set off at 7:20 to West Byfleet to catch the first of 3 trains to Bath Spa, a gentle skate of 2.29 miles on wet roads/footpaths. http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/299514411
Changed at Woking and Salisbury and arrived at Bath Spa at 10:36 where I was adopted by a couple of teenagers with longboards who felt sorry for the slightly lost old man with a suit and board. The start had moved from the station to Green Park since the last time I'd done it. A short skate to the start where we milled about chatting.
After a few photos it was time to hit the Bath-Bristol Railway Path.
It was wet when we set off, a bit of dazzle but luckily a lot of the route is sheltered under trees.
Vans Hi-Tops with worn soles are not the best for pushing in in wet conditions or the best for foot braking in either!
I stopped halfway for a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows and a slice of very nice carrot cake, the nice people at Warmley Waiting Room did well to keep up with demand.
After a while we made it as far as Shiners warehouse for the finish/raffle/slide jam, really needed a "this way"sign on the path or it would have been missed, luckily I bumped into a group who were lost(ish) and showed me the way.
The slide jam and were raffle were great, good to meet too.
Picked up these in the raffle…
and these from one of the sheds at Shiner.
before a skate back to to Bristol Temple Meads with Dean & Keith…
total distance skated 19.4 miles, http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/299548717 I got home at 21:40 after a lot of waiting around for trains at Bristol and Salisbury.
£90 raised, it's not too late http://www.justgiving.com/lushlongboards2013
