Hi Guys, looking for some advice on an overnight stay somewhere near Cheddar Gorge. I have a newbie rider that wants to build their confidence in riding some distance with an overnight stay before committing to a Europe trip. Their only stipulation is it needs to have secure parking as they are very precious of the new bike. Any suggestions much appreciated.
I tend to use booking.com. Search the area and only select those that offer parking (see relevant part of the property facilities section for each listing) and you like the look/sound of, then enquire further with these about how secure the off street parking is. There's the capability to ask questions built into the listing, check first as this may have already have been answered. Experience here, as opposed to in Europe, may differ but I've had hoteliers letting me park in their personal garages, in courtyards and other suitable places etc. Even had a little old lady breaking terracotta roofing tiles to serve as side stand pucks for her gravel parking area and handing them out to the six bikers that had just pulled up. Staying at a B&B in Folkestone next week before heading across to France. It mentions, and I've confirmed, garage space for bikes in the listing.
As a youth I went on a camping trip to Cheddar Gorge with a group of biker friends. It was very early in the year and after an evening of drinking we retired to our tents. It was bloody freezing and I wore most of my clothes inside my sleeping bag. The clever soul I was sharing a very small tent with, woke in the night and decided it would be a great idea to light the small gas stove to warm up the tent. He then went back to sleep. I woke up thinking my feet aren’t cold, no hang on they’re hot! Turns out my sleeping bag and tent were on fire. My friend woke up and slapped his hand down on the gas store, that branded his palm. We managed to put out the rest of the fire but had to sleep under the stars for the rest of the night. My feet were saved by my thick socks. The next day we rode home with my mate holding his hand up without a glove to cool the burn. Then just to finish off the trip another friend crashed into the central reservation and head butted the crash barrier. After that trip I never wanted to go anywhere near Cheddar Gorge again
I went to the NW200 some years back with friends, as it was May we all assumed the weather would be pleasant enough to camp out. As I didn’t own a tent at the time i let my friend use his territorial army training and choose one to bring with us. Only when we arrived in a blizzard of sleet and sideways rain did he reveal his purchase. It was no better than a Wendy house and pink! We had to borrow a sheet of plastic to throw over it as it leaked the moment it was erected. Several times throughout the night we had to chase the sheet over the fields in the storm to retrieve it. The next day I rode into town and purchased a substantial two man tent, depositing the Wendy house in the bin. Later the same evening I was returning back to the tent after a few pints of Guinness and tripped over one of the guy lines banging my head off one of the many protruding sharp rocks surrounding the tent. Five stitches later courtesy of Coleraine General Hospital I returned battered and bruised and still have the scar to remind me what fun we had when we went camping
Another tip. Check the property and surrounding area on Google Maps, both aerial and street view. You can see how secluded the car park is, whether it is gated and whether in a rough neighbourhood or car park on a hill/shingle/mud.
Worth a look, just up the road from Cheddar and Axbridge but set back from the A38 so bikes not seen from the road. https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/ho...istol/bristol-sidcot-a38.html?cid=GLBC_BRISID
Thanks for the advice guys and your funny tales of camping trips…. I have found a lovely looking B&B near Wells that seems to fit the bill. I’ll let you know how it goes.
