Punt renters are busy in the sunshine, some "chauffeured", others less skilfully propelled under the low bridges by enthusiastic amateurs.
Location:Cambridge
Friday, 1 May 2015
Cambridge
The first "stop in your tracks" sight in Cambridge is a sign "Stephen Hawkings Building" on Gonville & Caius college, then the view of Kings college chapel across manicured lawns. Most of the colleges are shut to internal inspection as the exams are still on, but we can appreciate the exteriors. Magdalene College resplendent, with flowering lilac over the river side elevation. Tubs of enormous bright tulips decorate the porters lodge entrance at the oldest Peterhouse College (founded 1284!).
Punt renters are busy in the sunshine, some "chauffeured", others less skilfully propelled under the low bridges by enthusiastic amateurs.
Punt renters are busy in the sunshine, some "chauffeured", others less skilfully propelled under the low bridges by enthusiastic amateurs.
Route 51 and Politics
Leaving Oxford North East through the old Jericho area; terraced streets with bikes chained outside every house. Families bike the school run.
Route 51 takes us nearly all the way to Cambridge, interrupted in Bicester where they felt the need for even more shops so have closed the cycle path to build over it! Electioneering posters beam with the grinning face of the Speaker John Bercow. The editorial in the local paper indicates that not everyone is happy having him as the local MP, as this means they get no other main stream candidates to vote for.
Bedford centre is a bit like Exeter, dominated by a wide river. Then the path dips into fields, around cricket pitches on village greens.
We cycle on, through the National Trust's magnificent Wimpole Estate. I'm wary of their big horned Highland cattle, lying by the path, but they and the chocolate brown lambs in the next field ignore us.
The tourist office in Cambridge provides us with a map of the sights and we set off to explore.
Miles to date 267
Route 51 takes us nearly all the way to Cambridge, interrupted in Bicester where they felt the need for even more shops so have closed the cycle path to build over it! Electioneering posters beam with the grinning face of the Speaker John Bercow. The editorial in the local paper indicates that not everyone is happy having him as the local MP, as this means they get no other main stream candidates to vote for.
Bedford centre is a bit like Exeter, dominated by a wide river. Then the path dips into fields, around cricket pitches on village greens.
We cycle on, through the National Trust's magnificent Wimpole Estate. I'm wary of their big horned Highland cattle, lying by the path, but they and the chocolate brown lambs in the next field ignore us.
The tourist office in Cambridge provides us with a map of the sights and we set off to explore.
Miles to date 267
Location:Oxford to Cambridge
Wednesday, 29 April 2015
Locks and rail path
A slight shower of rain soon passes as we take the canal towpath to Devizes, where we leave it as it is closed for refurbishment! Now we terrorise pedestrians on the pavement, as the town roads are too intimidating to cycle.
At Marlborough the path meanders through Marlborough college grounds. We take the rail trail North, crossing the M4. Through pretty villages to Oxford centre and my brother's house on the Thames.
A beautiful sunny evening so a walk around Christ Church meadows and Oriel colleges, and a quick look at the rowing teams practising on the Isis. It is the end of exams so the cobbles around the exam building are covered in celebratory confetti and streamers. A Red Kite is mobbed by crows in a cloudless sky.
Miles to date 169
At Marlborough the path meanders through Marlborough college grounds. We take the rail trail North, crossing the M4. Through pretty villages to Oxford centre and my brother's house on the Thames.
A beautiful sunny evening so a walk around Christ Church meadows and Oriel colleges, and a quick look at the rowing teams practising on the Isis. It is the end of exams so the cobbles around the exam building are covered in celebratory confetti and streamers. A Red Kite is mobbed by crows in a cloudless sky.
Miles to date 169
Location:Trowbridge to Oxford
Tuesday, 28 April 2015
Churches and Manor Houses
There's a shower of rain overnight but the Met office App promises (and delivers!) sunshine the rest of Tuesday.
A circuitous route to avoid any main roads takes us past ancient village churches, the occasional handsome manor house, and bumping along an unmade bridle path. Somerton is an attractive stone town, followed by lunch on a bench in a churchyard near Downhead.
Over the hilly Mendips, the Westbury White Horse is sunlit in the distance.
Miles to date 103
A circuitous route to avoid any main roads takes us past ancient village churches, the occasional handsome manor house, and bumping along an unmade bridle path. Somerton is an attractive stone town, followed by lunch on a bench in a churchyard near Downhead.
Over the hilly Mendips, the Westbury White Horse is sunlit in the distance.
Miles to date 103
Location:Curry Rivel to Trowbridge
Monday, 27 April 2015
Rapeseed and Bluebells
Not a cloud in the sky as we load the bikes, setting off on a familiar route, with Pauline catching up with us up the hill out of Clyst St Mary. P was off to Escot to meet the rest of the Monday "ladies".
A stop to scoff a cheese scone in the sun at Talaton, then up the long hill to Hembury Fort.
Farm lanes through fields of rapeseed, lambs, and a llama sticking his head through the hedge! Bluebells and Stitchwort, line the route. A hair-raising dash through the traffic on the Hatch Beauchamp by-pass, then peace again and coffee at the little Post Office cafe at Curry Mallet. Our wonderful "WarmShower" hosts are at Curry Rivel. Their 19 year old son Ed is currently in Germany,1000 miles into his round the world trip on a unicycle! His fascinating web site is
http://www.worldunicyletoir.com/
(Our tour miles to date 49!)
A stop to scoff a cheese scone in the sun at Talaton, then up the long hill to Hembury Fort.
Farm lanes through fields of rapeseed, lambs, and a llama sticking his head through the hedge! Bluebells and Stitchwort, line the route. A hair-raising dash through the traffic on the Hatch Beauchamp by-pass, then peace again and coffee at the little Post Office cafe at Curry Mallet. Our wonderful "WarmShower" hosts are at Curry Rivel. Their 19 year old son Ed is currently in Germany,1000 miles into his round the world trip on a unicycle! His fascinating web site is
http://www.worldunicyletoir.com/
(Our tour miles to date 49!)
Location:Exeter to Curry Rivel
Sunday, 26 April 2015
Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Mini-tour to Lynton
Our route North takes us the familiar path upstream along the river in Exeter, then the back road to Cowley. A "road closed" sign at Exwick roundabout is a challenge. Being Sunday there are no workman, so we edge round two big holes and have the road to ourselves. After Upton Pynes a farmer riding one very frisky horse, and leading another, trots alarmingly towards us. He calls out reassuringly that the horses are scared by the pigs in the field, not us. Thankfully he disappears down a side lane.
By 10.00, at Cheriton Fitzpaine, we eat our snack out of the cold, in the bus shelter. A man in the doorway of a cottage says "the next bus isn't 'til Tuesday".
On northwards, lanes pass through orchards behind trimmed beech hedges and snowdrop verges. A dozen ewes and lambs escape under a gate, dashing ahead hysterically. At last they run into a farm yard.
A discreet Exmoor National park sign and then we are on top of the world. Long bleached grass stretches for miles with the very occasional wind-bent tree. A solitary memorial stone provides shelter from the cold breeze as we eat our sandwiches. A freezing whizz down a beautiful but bleak river valley finishes at The Sportmans Inn!The car park is full of carvery customers, but the hosts are happy to just provide us
with coffee.
Our frozen feet thawed out, we make easy work of the big hill through Simonsbath.After sweeping down to the sea there is one last very steep climb through ancient woods to our Guest House - Pine Lodge.We are early at 3:00pm, but are given a very warm welcome, and the bikes are installed in a shed. There is time for a stroll around the town, including inspecting the cliff railway, on its first day in use after a winter break. Supper follows a hot bath. We can hardly keep our eyes open.
9(!) hours of sleep later, we eat the tastiest scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, watching nuthatches, coal tits, siskins and goldfinches breakfasting at the bird table, just outside the window. The drizzle stops before we walk down through the stunning Valley of the Rocks, dodging Cheviot wild goats (and their endless goat poo!). The vertiginous coast hugging path is empty, apart from a peregrine, more goat poo and then a goat with enormous horns, protecting a pretty kid, which we give a very wide birth.
After inspecting the harbour, a plod up the 25% Countisbury Hill for stupendous views, we then find a Dipper to watch along the East Lyn river. Before it gets dark we tackle my rear tyre slow puncture, just as a short shower sweeps across. Mike swaps the inner tube, in the confines of the garden shed.
Tuesday morning forecast is for ice on the roads, so we ask the postman at the front door of Pine Lodge if he has seen any." No , but I have been snowboarding all weekend"!? He explains he is just back from the Italian Alps. The weather could not be improved on, startlingly blue skies and only ice under the hedge shadows at the very highest part of the moor. A man with a telescope, on the verge, points out a large herd of deer.
A oldish chap is in a spot of bother with his three horses.He has just been thrown off the one with a saddle and can't control the others.He asks me to hold a horse for him but luckily a couple of his mates arrive in a Landrover and take over. At the edge of Exmoor we take a more easterly route home through Dulverton .A little lane bypassing Bampton has a road closed signed and this time they really mean it. An enormous tree is being felled right across the the road.Undeterred we carry the bikes across a stream,2 barbed wire fences ,another stream and then through the hedge back onto the road.It would have been much quicker going back!
Soon we are in the pretty Loman valley and it seems to be downhill nearly all the way home.Our only coffee stop of the day is at the cafe in Willand, A bit of main road follows to snowdrop smothered Killerton, and then, just as light is fading a mile from home, along the Topsham road we pass our mate, Richard, returning from his micro-bus Tuesday ride.
Total miles 117
By 10.00, at Cheriton Fitzpaine, we eat our snack out of the cold, in the bus shelter. A man in the doorway of a cottage says "the next bus isn't 'til Tuesday".
On northwards, lanes pass through orchards behind trimmed beech hedges and snowdrop verges. A dozen ewes and lambs escape under a gate, dashing ahead hysterically. At last they run into a farm yard.
A discreet Exmoor National park sign and then we are on top of the world. Long bleached grass stretches for miles with the very occasional wind-bent tree. A solitary memorial stone provides shelter from the cold breeze as we eat our sandwiches. A freezing whizz down a beautiful but bleak river valley finishes at The Sportmans Inn!The car park is full of carvery customers, but the hosts are happy to just provide us
with coffee.
Our frozen feet thawed out, we make easy work of the big hill through Simonsbath.After sweeping down to the sea there is one last very steep climb through ancient woods to our Guest House - Pine Lodge.We are early at 3:00pm, but are given a very warm welcome, and the bikes are installed in a shed. There is time for a stroll around the town, including inspecting the cliff railway, on its first day in use after a winter break. Supper follows a hot bath. We can hardly keep our eyes open.
9(!) hours of sleep later, we eat the tastiest scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, watching nuthatches, coal tits, siskins and goldfinches breakfasting at the bird table, just outside the window. The drizzle stops before we walk down through the stunning Valley of the Rocks, dodging Cheviot wild goats (and their endless goat poo!). The vertiginous coast hugging path is empty, apart from a peregrine, more goat poo and then a goat with enormous horns, protecting a pretty kid, which we give a very wide birth.
After inspecting the harbour, a plod up the 25% Countisbury Hill for stupendous views, we then find a Dipper to watch along the East Lyn river. Before it gets dark we tackle my rear tyre slow puncture, just as a short shower sweeps across. Mike swaps the inner tube, in the confines of the garden shed.
Tuesday morning forecast is for ice on the roads, so we ask the postman at the front door of Pine Lodge if he has seen any." No , but I have been snowboarding all weekend"!? He explains he is just back from the Italian Alps. The weather could not be improved on, startlingly blue skies and only ice under the hedge shadows at the very highest part of the moor. A man with a telescope, on the verge, points out a large herd of deer.
A oldish chap is in a spot of bother with his three horses.He has just been thrown off the one with a saddle and can't control the others.He asks me to hold a horse for him but luckily a couple of his mates arrive in a Landrover and take over. At the edge of Exmoor we take a more easterly route home through Dulverton .A little lane bypassing Bampton has a road closed signed and this time they really mean it. An enormous tree is being felled right across the the road.Undeterred we carry the bikes across a stream,2 barbed wire fences ,another stream and then through the hedge back onto the road.It would have been much quicker going back!
Soon we are in the pretty Loman valley and it seems to be downhill nearly all the way home.Our only coffee stop of the day is at the cafe in Willand, A bit of main road follows to snowdrop smothered Killerton, and then, just as light is fading a mile from home, along the Topsham road we pass our mate, Richard, returning from his micro-bus Tuesday ride.
Total miles 117
Location:Exeter to Lynton
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