Springtime is well and truly here.

Tuesday 21st April 2020.

What a lovely day for a ride, if a bit breezy. I set out to do a short ride around our local circuit but then got lured into a longer one by the lovely smells, first the oilseed rape then the bluebells and ramsons the latter tending to overpower the former. With a whiff or two of flowering shrubs and the rapidly greening of the woods and hedges I felt really alive.


As I climbed Gander Down a hare shot across the road just ahead of me and a lady driving the other way in a 4x4 enjoyed the moment too and we exchanged grins of pleasure. I tried to get a photo of the hare as it sped away across the field but never managed to get it in focus. The half-mile along the A272 was not quite so daunting as normal with little traffic.

Here is my map of the day along with a couple of pictures.

Duckpond Curdridge.

Ladies Smock.

My Picnic spot on a grassy sward.

Should I be worried I might be reported?

Jack by the Hedge
Yellow Flag
Buttercup.

Flowers Seen.

Bramdean Manor.

Bramdean Church.

View from near Bramdean Church looking North West.

Saw the first migrant birds, Swallows and House Martins.

Butterflies too, quite a few orange tip and some cabbage white as well as brimstone.

Do you know which church this is? It is very near to one of our HCMF regulars.

Another good week for cycling, we have been incredibly lucky with the weather, though it looks like it might change over the next week.

Take Care, Keep Safe and best wishes to you all,

Gridironman.

My Fourth Week of "Exercising"

A change from Spring Lambs!

After four weeks of sunny spring weather it finally rained on Friday 17th April. That will make it a little easier to "Stay at Home"!

However by careful choice of quiet lanes I have managed some good rides meeting very few people and very little traffic.

Headed south on Tuesday via the ford. Had to queue to get across the footbridge. Fortunately there is enough room either side to keep a safe distance. The roads were lovely and quiet, so much so that there were pheasants on them everywhere. 

Looking East from the road to Bishops Waltham.

I have seen a number of butterflies including Cabbage White, Brimstone, Peacock, Tortoiseshell and a small blue, probably Holly Blue.

On Thursday it was time to head East. So I went to Privett. 

Privett Church.

Brockwood Ridge from near Privett.

Pause for refreshment after climbing the hill from the A272.

Another good week for me. Even managed to do some housework and gardening.

Gridironman.

Exercising!

The sun has got his hat on,

Hip Hip Hip Hooray.

Heron in a tilled field.
I was pleased with this telephoto shot taken from 200 yds.

Spotted this elegant bird near Preston Candover, accompanied by two white egrets.

Social distancing was taking place at the Candover Valley Stores. 

I decided to turn up to Bradley to explore the village a little more having spotted two small lanes on a previous ride. The first one ends at a farm and the church, here I paused for a break. Have since discovered my friend Algy did the same thing a few days earlier. 

The little church at Bradley.

 The other lane turns into a track so being on my road bike I did not follow that one any further than the first 100 yds or so. I know it does come out onto the road up to Burkham which I where I went next.  The woods here were delightful with the cherry trees coming into blossom. The woods are managed by the Woodland Trust and make an ideal spot for a walk.

I soon reached Bentworth and paid homage to the HCMF pub of the week, The Sun. 

The Sun.

 I took the tiny lane from there across to Theddon where I encountered this tricky little climb which defeated me and I had to walk about 50 yds. This lane is always a bit of a challenge with lots of rough patches and masses of loose grit.

Alton from Theddon.

A tree!

Just took my fancy.

Theddon Grange.

Another busy farm worker drilling.

The machinery is massive compared to the ones

I remember when I helped on farms in the 1950s 

Looking back from Wivelrod.

Support team,  tractor with trailer and bags of seed.

(& Paris)

First wild garlic flowers.

The English Partridge at Bighton.

Are they are preparing for a re-opening in due course?

This was only a short ride to keep fit so I did not stop to take any pictures.

However my next one was a longer one and I took my time. Here is the map and brief details followed by many pictures.

St. Peter & St. Paul Church, Shalden.

View from the churchyard across the valley.

A rather hazy view from Medstead Looking towards Alresford.

View from the Medstead road to Bighton towards the Hattingley ridge.

I guess you may be wondering how |I came to be in Bishop's Sutton after entering Bighton. If you check my map you will see I diverted from the obvious way back to Alresford by going over a couple of hills through Gundleton.

The Watercress Line seen from a bridge near Bishop's Sutton.

I thought it was deserted but shortly after I'd left the bridge much to my surprise a train ran along it. Surely this should not be active under the lock down rules.

The River Arle near Bishop's Sutton.

It is only about three miles long, first feeding into The Pond at Alresford and then joining the River Itchen just west of Drove Lane. It is remarkable that there is so much water in it after such a short distance.

On a personal note, when updating my mileage records I was please to discover that since I started self isolating nearly 4 weeks ago I have clocked up 200 miles on my carbon road bike Paris while exercising. (I think Txiki my E-bike is sulking in the bike shed!).

I also discovered I have also now clocked up 50,132 miles since my comeback as a born again cyclist a few years ago. Mostly since 2007. About 4,300 of those miles have been E-power assisted.

Gridironman