Arwen's meanderings

Hi everyone and welcome to my dinghy cruising blog about my John Welsford designed 'navigator' named Arwen. Built over three years, Arwen was launched in August 2007. She is a standing lug yawl 14' 6" in length. This blog records our dinghy cruising voyages together around the coastal waters of SW England.
Arwen has an associated YouTube channel so visit www.YouTube.com/c/plymouthwelshboy to find our most recent cruises and click subscribe.
On this blog you will find posts about dinghy cruising locations, accounts of our voyages, maintenance tips and 'How to's' ranging from rigging standing lug sails and building galley boxes to using 'anchor buddies' and creating 'pilotage notes'. I hope you find something that inspires you to get out on the water in your boat. Drop us a comment and happy sailing.
Steve and Arwen

Sunday 8 September 2013

Stacey...our motovespa 125 super

Number one son rode his 1971 motovespa 125 super 100 miles to his grandmother's recently and he did it very well. It was his first long journey. I sort of followed pulling the scooter trailer or went ahead.....just in case but all went very well. Moreover, she did it on one tank of petrol as well which we thought was quite impressive. At the end all he had was a small oil leak which was easily fixed.

Our route was straight forward keeping to lanes, minor roads and smaller A roads. We went from Plymouth to Yelverton; to Postbridge and then across to Moretonhampstead. it was a fantastic ride across the moors in lovely early morning sunshine. Son had to contend with cattle lying n the road sunbathing; sheep crossing roads; a flock just sitting there. Then there was Darth Vader in Moretonhampstead - a somewhat surreal moment until we realised it was carnival day! Around the back of Exeter along the Exwick road, we then went north through Silverton, Willand and Uffculume. Here the countryside was stunning, gentle windy country lanes, bordered with lovely Devon banks rich in flora and fauna. One road had several white vertical measuring markers to show the flooding depths of the little stream. we did get lost once or twice in this area. From Uffculume we headed north to Wellington, around the back of Taunton and then on across the peat moors towards Glastonbury. It took around five hours but only 3 hrs were driving time. the rest were breaks and mini pit stops. My favourite moment? Watching my son disappear around a bend going the wrong way as he was boxed in and overtaken on the dual carriage bend so that he couldn't filter into the right hand turning lane. His face was priceless!

I think his next journey is to Land's End and back!

Steve

His first break at Postbridge on Dartmoor

The trailer we got on Ebay - old but serviceable; we added new wheels - difficult to get as they are the old 'bearings in the wheel rim' type

Next stop on outskirts of Exeter

Then in the lovely village of Uffculme

last stop in a lay by just outside Wellington


'The scratches'.........gained when the cover fell off one day. After that we fitted a lock!!
 

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