00:00 - Pontypridd
04:43 - Whitchurch
08:13 - Llandaff
And so, after a fantastic week of Lilliputting in South Wales, the final day was upon us. However, before setting out for home, there were three last towers to take in, before hanging up the ropes for another Tour.
First of the day was the 1913 Taylor eight of Pontypridd where, in the absence of a local band, we rang for the Sunday service. These bells felt like they hadn't been rung for some time, the ropes were ludicrously long, and the ringing chamber was dark, dirty, and smelly. Despite this, these were easily my favourite eight of the week; they sound fantastic. The camera has done them little justice.
Within three blows of the raise however, there was a now-familiar snapping noise, Ashley and the 7th bell this time being culpable! Thanks to Jimmy's masterful splicing skills, the rope was soon back in one piece, and a fresh start was made. Fortunately, no other breakages here, although the black spots on the ropes and damp-mould smell meant there could easily have been. Indeed, a visiting peal band a couple of weeks later suffered a similar fate with the tenor!
With the frail ropes, shortage of time, and trickiness of the bells in mind - the front three were extremely flighty - the repertoire reverted to basics here, with lots of call changes, and Grandsire Triples featured here. For the service touch, a course of Stedman Triples was brought round successfully.
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Post-ringing, we were treated to coffee in the church rooms before heading back to Miskin for the end-of-Tour award ceremony, and the inevitable mass-cleanup operation. We had enjoyed our time here, and were sorry to be leaving.
I should have learned by now not to squeeze too much into the final day, as the time shot by and we were soon packing cars off to our penultimate tower, Whitchurch, piecemeal. The last of us - Harry, Michael, Emily and I - arrived in good time to hear the back six being rung, with a text from Euan telling me another rope had broken! Naughty boy - this turned out to be untrue! We enjoyed a good few touches here, including a very respectable half-course of Superlative Surprise Major. For me, this was a taste of home; the back six were cast by Llewellins & James in 1909! They were augmented to eight, and the now-6th recast, in 1979-80 by Whitechapel. We again here encountered ropes set for dwarves - even our shortest Members needed two knots a rope! - but otherwise I thought they were a very reasonable eight, which sounded well enough and handled smoothly, albeit very oddstruck.
https://dove.cccbr.org.uk/detail.php?...
And so it was onto our final tower, Llandaff Cathedral, where we were ringing for Evensong. As a special treat, we were joined here by a Joshua, who happened to be in town for other (choir) purposes! In 1992, the old ten bells (Tenor 20-1-0 in E) were removed and recast by Whitechapel into the present, slightly heavier, ring of 12. As one would expect, they handle well enough, although a touch flighty round the front, and sound pleasant - albeit a bit "bland and boring" for my taste. In the first touch however, disaster again struck as the second bell stay "jumped" the slider, meaning the bell became jammed up at backstroke! This restricted us to ringing on the back ten, meaning many Members have unfinished business here. However, we were not to let a little problem like this deter us and soldiered on masterfully, romping through call-changes and Plain Hunt on nine and ten, before the climax; a superb lower on the back eight to conclude a wonderful week.
https://dove.cccbr.org.uk/detail.php?...
This was of course not quite the conclusion, as the hardcore members ended up in the Black Lion for an après-Tour wind down before making our various ways home, back into English England, leaving Welsh Wales in one piece (barring three ropes!).
Here's to next year!
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