I was supposed to be kayaking on the river Usk, but I seem to have lost my paddling mojo so I went for a ride....
I set of at 9am, just about dressed right. I headed over Barrington hill, there were plenty of people coming the other way. It took me an age to cross the A505, then it was a drag up to Great Chishill. Through the lanes of Essex I passed a young lady roller skiing in the opposite direction, that made me smile. She was giving it some welly!
At Saffron Walden I stopped at the market and bought a custard Danish from this stall
Very good it was too!
Off I went in my custard fuelled state toward Ashdon, then on past my old house in West Wratting. There were hundreds of Fieldfares in the hedges, and I must have spotted a good dozen Bullfinches too!
I took the indirect route to Newmarket via various villages, I soon reached the Legoesque land of the stud farms. This is one of the gate houses to Cheveley stud-
Inside there isn't a blade of grass out of place.
I stopped at Newmarket for a bite to eat before heading in the direction of Brinkley. From ther there is a series of hills down to six mile bottom.
I eventually found myself in Haslingfield...... Do I make my second assent of the hill to Barrington? If I did this I'd have to go up Old Wimpole hill too, and I was approaching 75 miles.... In for a penny!
As I entered Barrington I had that familiar airless feeling from my rear wheel.... If only I'd gone the other way..... Something even worse could have happened!
The sun was rapidly sinking as I got to the top of Wimpole hill, it wasn't too arduous...
I was looking for treble figures today so at Longstowe I turned for the Gransdens.
At 88 miles my thighs started to cramp, so I eased up. At a gated track I got off to stretch, one foot went on top of the gate.... Ooooh, bliss! As I raised the other one it started to spasm quite badly, so I got it back down sharpish, otherwise I may have got stuck! I'm not sure if it was the crooking down from puncture fixing that brought it on, but I had some medicinal jelly babies!
I'm so glad I had the cramp as what happened next was the best bit of the day...
In a field to my right was a Barn Owl flying with me at eye level, he went down and came straight back up. At this point a Buzzard flew just over the top of my head then over the Owl, they exchanged looks. Not 50yds down the road I flushed a Sparrowhawk from the hedge, he went low from his perch, then shot up to about 20 feet, then stooped leaving me for dead!
The sun was now bidding it's farewells
I did the last 10 miles at a reasonable pace in lovely dusky orange light.
101 miles at an average of 15.6mph.
A splendid day!
yes 10 hrs and 50 mins apart...
