ABC Towns and Villages

[TheDoctor]

In a change of plan, I've scrapped my Belgium ride and booked for doing Carlisle to Newcastle instead.
My Z might have to be a Whipsnade Zoo...

 

[Aravis]

Yesterday I reprised my visit to Exhall. Confirming what I thought back in March, it's now not so easy to get close to the sign at the western end:

 

[EltonFrog]

I’ve blagged my Y today. May I present Yelford, if you’re interested it’s where the black ring is on the map.

45 mile round trip to get that.

It may be a while before I get Z if ever, it’s 75 miles away.

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

My ride out today included the letters I, J and K:

J was a bit difficult as there was only one boundary sign and I couldn't get to it due to the extremely busy road - so I took a photo of a it'll-do-the-job sign with the bike, and zoomed in on the unreachable sign:

And today's final letter was K (and the village's fantastic pre-Norman name):

 

[EltonFrog]

I’ve been informed by the Fragrant MrsP that we are going to Devon next week for a couple of days to visit her mother.

It would appear that there is a place called Zeal Monachorum about 15 miles from where we are staying.

I may go for that.

 

[lazybloke]

Just didn't have my cycling mojo this morning.
Was really just that bit too tired (4 hrs sleep last night, no better the night before), cold (shorts were a bit chilly at 8 C), and then the rain arrived. Probably my least enjoyable ride this year, but at least I got "T".

Edited with a different version of the photo.

 

[Houthakker]

Got my N, O and P earleir this week.

 

[Dogtrousers]

The story so far Addington Village, Biggin Hill, Cudham, Downe, Edenbridge, Fordcombe, Groombridge, Hartfield, Ide Hill, Jevington, Kingston, Lingfield, Maresfield, Nutfield, Outwood, Paddock Wood

And now: Queenborough, Rushenden, Sheerness, Tonge, Upchurch, Vigo, Wrotham, PlaXtol, Yalding.

Rode out to the Isle of Sheppey to get Q and R. I'd found some potential signs on Streetview but they seemed to have gone. After much to-ing and fro-ing I settled on some rather uninspiring signs.

I got a standard boundary sign for Sheerness, but this was much better. This mural by local artist Dean Tweedy refers to the munition ship SS Richard Montgomery which lies in the Thames just off Sheerness and contains enough explosive to obliterate Sheerness and send a mini-tsunami up the river towards London.

Next up was T. I rode through the hamlet of Tonge, braved heavy traffic on the A2, and clambered into a thicket of thistles and got a rather rubbish picture of the Teynham sign. Returning through Tonge I found I'd ridden straight past Tonge Mill. So that's what I've chosen. Upchurch has a nice village sign. Vigo I'd previously recced and knew that the rugby club was the best option.

Then a trio of village signs for Wrotham (pronounced root-um), Plaxtol and Yalding.

9 letters in 180km. Next up Z. I have some friends who live within striking distance of Zouch, so maybe I'll visit them.

 

[EltonFrog]

Just didn't have my cycling mojo this morning.
Was really just that bit too tired (4 hrs sleep last night, no better the night before), cold (shorts were a bit chilly at 8 C), and then the rain arrived. Probably my least enjoyable ride this year, but at least I got "T"

What happened to the image?

 

[lazybloke]

What happened to the image?

Erm, I can see it???

 

[EltonFrog]

Erm, I can see it???

Odd, I can’t.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Oddly enough I found a few locations where there were posts but no sign. In Queenborough the ex sign was on streetview. I saw empty posts in a couple of other locations (Vigo and one other that I can't remember)

Is sign removal a thing maybe? Is it part of the current WW2 obsession? Maybe the "local people" are living in fear of parties of German tourists dressed as nuns.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Odd, I can’t.

Neither can I

 

[lazybloke]

Neither can I

I could see it even in @CarlP's quote. However, have edited my post and pasted it differently.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Can see it now

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