Keeping the Pedals Turning.

Whilst I have no ambition to try and rival the gentleman who has cycled a million miles I too am a bit of a number cruncher. The tally for this week is 138.4 miles giving me a total so far this year of 4,543. Seven weeks still to go to get my total to 5,200. My best annual total over the last few years was 5,822 in 2016. That included my best ever tour across France which was about 800 miles.

However, the main point of cycling isn't to break records but to have fun and enjoy the countryside. This week has been good for that with three very different rides. The first with The Pedallers, the second with Simon to join the HCMF meet at the George, St. Mary Bourne, and the third a solo ride to the south of Alresford. The weather has been kind to us here in Hampshire. We shouldn't complain about the few spots of rain we have had when some folk in the north have been flooded out of their homes.

Today, with all the memorial events taking place I looked out for interesting sightings as I rode. This was the Lychgate at Swanmore.

Tuesday 5th November 2019.

Thursday 7th November 2019.

Chinook hiding in the woods.!

Sunday 10th November 2019.

My Lunch Break Spot.
Where is it?

Gridironman.

Loops

It has definitely been a more wintery week. I have been wearing four layers and gloves as well as tights over shorts and never got very sweaty except for on the return from Medstead on Thursday. When I peaked in South Town, Medstead my average speed (on Paris) was in single figures. I couldn't have that so went like the clappers on my way home. I managed to push the figure up to 11.2 mph, Result.

Travellers' Rest.

Wednesday 30th  October 2019.

Another of my make it up as I go rides. Decided to go south and had an idea to check out the cafe in the Manor Farm Country Park. There is a stretch of about 100 yards of gravel road to enter the Park from the Botley side but anyone with delicate tyres could easily walk that. Entrance to the Farm is subject to a fee but the cafe is outside that area. I discovered that it was not only open but very busy so I did not stop, also it was a bit early for a coffee break. The bad news is that from 1st November it will only be open at weekends. 

I carried on through the park enjoying the autumn colours in the trees. A couple of steep short pitches which needed bottom gear. Then I emerged onto Dodwell Lane, very close to the M27 junction for Burslem. I dived down a lane and joined the A27 to cross the River Hamble. Rode past NATS on my way through Swanwick. In Curbridge a massive housing development is taking place.

I returned to Botley for a coffee at Mrs. Potts by the River where I had taken the pedallers on a very hot day in the summer.

Not wanting to waste a perfectly nice afternoon I meandered some more, climbing over the shoulder of Old Winchester Hill to enjoy the very fast descent into East Meon. Rewarded myself with coffee & crumpets in Cuppacheeno in West Meon.

Footnote. HMS Mercury is a special place for me as I spent about a month there in 1953 when I was training as a Coder (E) in the Royal Navy. 

Thursday 31st October 2019.

Sunday 3rd November 2019.

A couple of photos taken with Simon's camera on Sunday.

Outside The Handlebar Cafe.

Now, what was the combination?

Gridironman.

Autumn Colours & Sunny Sunday.

Paddy Power.
At North Waltham.

Wednesday 23rd October 2019.

A somewhat dull day but at least it was dry. I found a somewhat lumpy route to and from the QE Country Park and was glad I had chosen Txiki for my mount of the day. 

The trees are really showing their autumn colours now and it was a shame there was not a sunnier day to show them to their best. Still a few odd flowers about and plenty of old man's beard to decorate the hedgerows. 

I even found a road I don't remember ever having ridden before, maybe I just forgot it. Will check with my maps.

Two red kites soaring over me as I climbed Wheeley Down. I think they had spotted a dead pheasant on the road. A little further on a buzzard took over the soaring duties.

I notice The Cricketers on Tichborne Down is still closed with some fencing round. I wonder if refurbishment is in progress or has it been bought by developers?

Thursday 24th October 2019.

With rain forecast over the next few days, I felt it would be good to ride to the HCMF meet at Easton despite the rain forecast for the middle of the day. As I rode the first few miles the roads were almost dry and apart from a spot or two of rain it was dry but just as I was riding out of Sutton Scotney it started to rain more. Fortunately not very heavily. When I got to the Cricketers I found Simon and Andrew on the doorstep so we went in together. It was good to meet up with them both as I'd not seen either for a while. The rain came heavily for the next couple of hours and it was gone 3 by the time it stopped and we headed home. So overall a good day out despite the weather.

Sunday 27thy October 2019.

A beautiful sunny day but rather chilly at around 6 deg C when we set off. Warmer in the sunshine. We had planned to go to Jolly Ollie's in Oakley but when I realised they were closed on Sunday we changed the plan and we stopped at the Old Barn Stores in North Waltham. We had to wait a while for our coffee and cake but it was well worth it as it was a lovely day to sit by the duck pond in the sunshine while other customers from the shop sat on a nearby bench and a lady and her two boys fed the ducks.

Many thanks Paddy, for making my day so enjoyable and for a post-ride dinner "en famille" with the entertainment of premier league football and "Strictly"!

Gridironman.

Another good week cycling despite various distractions.

A good start to the week with a Pedallers ride in the New Forest but then on Thursday rain delayed my start and then a flat tyre curtailed my ride. On Saturday with rugby and a family celebration, I didn't ride with the Winchester CTC as I had planned. So I made up a bit for that with a solo ride on Sunday between watching two more WC Rugby matches.

Tuesday 15th October 2019.

Thursday 17th October 2019.

Sunday 20th October 2019

Gridironman.

Welcome back to the Pedallers International!

Pedallers International having returned from their trip it was time to resume normal service. With other matters to attend to we were still only four on the ride on Tuesday 8th October. Sometimes small is beautiful, so it proved on this occasion with a most enjoyable ride. We were back in time to miss the rain too!

Thursday 10th October saw me out on my own again but meeting up with lots of friends en route, both during my visit to NH and in the pub at lunch. It was good to hear from June Morton that having learnt to ride as an adult recently she is now thriving on the bike and has joined her local Breeze group.

Sunday 13th October 2019.

It seemed to rain all morning so i was in no hurry to go out on my bike. However, after being entertained by the Japanese V Scotland rugby match while I had a delicious lamb steak for lunch it started to brighten up so it was time to get cycling again.

Still not quite averaging a ton. (99.8). Just 8 miles short. 

The most important thing is I am still greatly enjoying my rides thanks to a little assistance from Txiki! I still work hard but don't feel knackered when I get home. Today I used less than 50% of the battery.

Gridironman.

Pinging Nuts & Acorns & Scrunching Beech Mast.

As my friend Bob observed last Thursday there are plenty of hazelnuts littering the roads recently and every now and then as one runs over one it pings across the road! I can remember as a child going "nutting". It was an important source of food like blackberrying and gleaning at a time when we had rationing.

Tuesday 1st October

For a second week running the morning was wet but the afternoon dry so a late start enabled an almost dry ride.

Thursday 3rd October.

We are really into Autumn now, the temperature into single digits early on and not much into double later. Fortunately I'd checked before setting off and I was wearing my winter tights and gilet for the first time.

Saturday 5th October.

Not having any of the Groupetta to ride with I opted to join the Winchester CTC ride led by Bob. A good choice as the ride was much easier than my other recent rides with the elevations being more modest and plenty of flatish going along the valleys. I took Txiki because I knew I'd be covering over 50 miles, but I could have managed on one of the others having covered over 45 miles on the first 25% of the battery. 

Bob had planned a good ride with coffee at Leckford and lunch at St. Mary Bourne, where we had a lovely chat at lunch with the others, taking care not to overhear the rugby in the next bar.

Another over the "ton" week. My average weekly figure now 99.5 miles. Need to beef that up during the better weather.

Gridironman.

Some days wet some days wetter!

Some good rides despite the unsettled weather. At least getting wet was not too uncomfortable as it was quite warm. 

On Tuesday most of the Pedallers were playing away abroad, so with the rain coming in the morning, I went out on my own after lunch.

On my way home on Thursday from the HCMF meet I came the scenic route along the south side of the River Itchen riding past Avington House. I was reminded that is where some 29 years ago we celebrated the wedding of Sarah and Steve.

Avington House.
A special place for our family.

Fields greening up 
again after the harvest. 

Just after I had descended from Farley Mount I had the pleasure of watching a bird of prey for several minutes. I believe it was either a Merlin or Hobby. It flew fast and quite low overhead and then across the fields before it circled around a group of trees flying low over the branches. It then came back passing just ahead of me before disappearing behind the hedges. It was a lovely experience.

I used the e-power for most of the ride to see how much it used. The answer: 40 miles completed before 50% was used. I was pleased with that.

On Saturday I decided to go for a ride having no clear idea of where I was going but decided to head East.  When I got to Alton I followed a group of cyclists to Holybourne. A lot of them were wearing Jerseys with WHV on the back. When they stopped at the White Hart Pub I decided that they must be the White Hart Velos. I Can't find any reference to them on Google. 

Near Wyke, I passed another cyclist who may have been a friend but it is always hard to recognize other riders when they flash by unexpectedly.

I had lunch in the very smart cafe at Gilbert White's. I was a little disappointed by the food and the service was very slow considering they were not very busy. I wish I'd gone to the little Tea Shop just along the street.

In the week I managed another ton and my weekly average is now hovering just below a weekly average of 100 at 98.9. I am actually targeting 4,500, rather than 5,200, which I think is more achievable with the winter weather likely to intervene.

Gridironman

Indian Summer.

It has been another lovely sunny week encouraging us all to get out on our bikes. I have only managed two rides as it was also time I made good use of the weather to attend to other tasks which needed to be done in fine weather. E.G. demolishing the Wendy House, clearing out the garden shed and reorganizing storage.

I have been busy attending to the administration for the HCMF including the Festive Lunch which has been ably arranged by Trevor and Paul. Always a good excuse to meet at a pub! 

Paul & Gridironman plotting our next move!

Today, Sunday,  Paddy and I had planned a ride but the rain put us off. I was actually quite glad as I had a bad night last night with my cough returning and keeping me awake a lot and after my exertions demolishing our Wendy House and reducing the pieces to manageable size pieces for disposal I was feeling quite tired. It was a good excuse to watch the rugby too!

One of the Droxford scarecrows with two admirers.

Gridironman.

A Disappointing Week.

It has been a week with only one ride thanks to a very debilitating common cold. I was lucky that on Monday I was OK and was able to visit my pals, Chris & Alex, at Badger Farm for lunch, but even then I had the beginnings of a sore throat and by Tuesday morning I knew I was not well enough to ride. I went through the usual phases over the next few days but was much better by Saturday mid-day so I was able to enjoy a meal with Paddy & Miranda in the evening and hear their news. When I got up this morning I was determined to get back in the saddle and I had a good ride on my own. Here are the details:-

Hopefully, by Tuesday I will be fit enough to join the usual Pedallers' ride.

Gridironman.

Tour of Norfolk Number 2.

TeeTee on site in Norwich.

My 8th away break to ride in other parts of the country. This time on some familiar roads and some I'd never been on before. My first campsite was the Camping and Caravan Club one at St. Neots. It was a very nice site in a lovely location by the river Ouse. The route into town just a short way away was along paths through a green country park. I arrived too early to get into the site so parked TeeTee and walked into the town for lunch. I had a 6" sub with coffee at Subway for the princely sum of £3.89 which was very good value. I have always been suspicious of these fast food outlets but this was good. I walked back through the park, stopping to talk to another cyclist who was sitting on a bench eating his lunch. Turned out he was 92 years old!

Back at the site, I got in the queue to register and once set up was away on my bike to explore. here is the report of my ride with data.

A good start to my tour. I was a little disappointed that although I could get WiFi it was not good enough to watch the Vuelta d' Espagne on the computer.

I went for a walk in the evening looking for a pub which the warden had told me about. I never found it but enjoyed my walk through the Pightle another green area by the river. Had a meal in TeeTee instead.

The next morning after some heavy overnight rain I set off to ride to Cambridge to visit a very dear friend of mine who I have known for some 60 years. Here is my report on that ride.

There is a new A14 being constructed near Huntingdon and I rode over it to get to the town. 

One of the towns I went through was the very pleasant one of Godmanchester. Here are two views of the river there.

I also rode through the centre of Huntingdon with a very colourful market. Just about five times the size of our local one but of a very similar character but without a cycle repair stall! Maybe you could expand here Andrew?

I could not find the markings for the NCR 51 which I was trying to follow so plotted my own route using my maps. Unfortunately I made a mistake in not noticing that the road I planned to follow did not have a bridge over the River Ouse! I was not worried about that as it gave me the opportunity of finding even more new roads.

I was only 35 mins behind schedule getting to Girton despite riding 10 miles more than planned and leaving 25 mins later than intended because of the weather.

I had a most enjoyable four hours with my friend, catching up with our news before leaving to return to St. Neots. My return was partly along the Cambridge Busway. A super use of an old railway line between Cambridge and St. Ives. Quite a few other cyclists on the path also a couple of walkers and a guy on roller skates. There were a number of attractive lakes on either side near St. Ives. I decided to revisit Houghton Mill. A lucky decision as it enabled me to find a short cut to Godmanchester.

Bus using the Busway.
The Cycle path running alongside on the left of the picture.

As well as the return being harder because of the wind there was also a number of fairly modest hills to cope with as I was getting tired. Paris got me up them without too much difficulty but I did miss Txiki!

Swavesey Priory Church.
Beside the Busway.

Time to move on. On Thursday I drove to Norwich by way of Oxburgh where I visited the NT property. Oxburgh Hall, a fortified residence with a moat. I had a pleasant couple of hours there before continuing to the C&CC site in Norwich.

The site in Norwich was a small one with good basic facilities including WiFi. The warden told me about a nice walk by the river so after getting set up I went and did it. On my way back picked up a bottle of milk for my tea. Later I walked about a mile to have dinner at a Hungry Horse Pub. Very good value meal here too. I do think I can be a bit prejudiced against some of these popular places for food. The first course of sausages, mash, peas & gravy was fine and the pudding of apple crumble and hot custard was delicious. All for £4.70. The service was swift and friendly and the beer was OK too. 

The only downside of the C&CC site was that it was near the railway and I was woken once in the night by a goods train.

The next morning I set off to join my pal Chris. who took me for a ride through some quiet lanes.

After a rest and refreshment thanks to Sheila and Chris, I decided to drive home rather than go back to the campsite as I felt that would be rather a waste of time. Turned out to be a good decision as the traffic although busy was very free-flowing and I managed the 190 miles home in just over 3 hours including one short stop. 

A most enjoyable week both riding and meeting some of my very best friends.

Gridironman.