Last week we were back at home after a holiday in the USA, and we managed to get back to our handbell project by ringing a quarter of Preston on Monday; just before going away, we had scored a quarter of spliced Wembley, Yorkshire, Jersey, Lincolnshire, Glasgow and Belfast. The next step in the 23-spliced training programme is a quarter of spliced Preston, Ashtead, Uxbridge, Cray, Rutland and Bristol. We attempted it on Saturday morning while we were in Inveraray for the annual ringing festival, but after five parts it became clear that there had been a swap. Never mind - it was good practice and we'll probably get it next time.

It's interesting to see what we find difficult about each method on handbells, so here is a brief review. All the grids come from Martin Bright's method printer.

Preston (here is a link to the line)

Preston is Glasgow above the treble, with 2nds place at the lead end. We've rung a lot of Glasgow now, so the backwork has become manageable, although I sometimes forget that 5ths place bell starts by going in. What we are all finding tricky is the way that the double dodges in 1-2 and 3-4 overlap. This happens in the 7-8 course, when ringing 2nd and 3rd place bells or 3rd and 5th place bells, and in the 3-4 course when ringing 2nd and 5th place bells. One way to get it right is to remember that the place notation is 34 when the treble dodges in 5-6, and 12 when the treble dodges in 7-8. This naturally emerged as an effective structural conducting comment for Preston.

One thing I didn't expect is that Preston has Plain Bob half leads, which means that all the bells are hunting in the correct coursing order at the half lead. So far I have not been able to make as much use of this fact as I do in Yorkshire, although the appearance of reverse rounds at a half lead is a reassuring landmark.

Cray (here is a link to the line)

Cray has a certain notoriety because of the 11-pull dodging across the lead end, which is considered boring on tower bells. The method is hardly ever rung except in 23-spliced, where there is only one lead at a time, so you only actually ring a 6-pull dodge at the back and a 5-pull dodge on the front. On handbells, far from being boring, this becomes a stabilising feature. The only question is when to stop dodging, which ideally should be determined by following the position of the treble but can also be done by careful counting. Like Preston, there is the possibility of overlapping dodges, this time on the front and back. Jonathan commented that the long dodges at the front and back overlap by 3 dodges, which he found helpful.

The structure of Cray is essentially the same as Double Norwich. This becomes more obvious if the 2nds place at the lead end is replaced by 8ths place, which produces a method called Norfolk. This is a double method, and if you look at the line you can see it as a kind of slowed down Double Norwich. Because it's a double method, it has Plain Bob half leads (for reasons that I haven't completely understood, this is a general rule), and so Cray also has Plain Bob half leads. (The other way to make Cray into a double method is to ring 7ths place at the half lead, producing a method called Derwent, which is even more static).

What we're finding tricky about Cray is the long places in 5-6 and 3-4, especially when ringing both of them simultaneously, which happens in the 7-8 course when ringing 3rd and 5th place bells or 7th and 8th place bells. Like in Preston, this is another place where structural ringing is useful. I tried ringing explicitly by place notation, and it works, although it takes concentration not to skip anything. The place notation of Cray is rather regular, which helps.

Ashtead (here is a link to the line)

Ashtead is another double method, so again the half leads are the same as Plain Bob. The place bell order is unfamiliar; I think of it as "alternate Cambridge". The four-pull dodges are a stabilising feature; ideally one should develop the skill of starting and finishing them according to the position of the treble, rather than by counting. Like Cray, there is an overlap of three dodges between the front and the back. The long places extend from the lead end or half lead to a dodge with the treble. Overall, we have found it easier than Cray.

Uxbridge (here is a link to the line)

We are not finding Uxbridge too difficult. On tower bells, two points that need attention are (1) getting the 4ths and dodge the right way round in 2nd and 4th place bells; (2) getting the single and double dodges on the front the right way round. The first point is helped by noting that the place notation is 34 when the treble is in 5-6. For the second point, remember that the double dodge is closest to the half lead. The work at the half lead feels different from many of the methods we ring, because it's possible to be hunting with one bell and dodging wit the other bell.