Managed a fashionably late entry into the Metric Century-a-Month Challenge today, taking advantage of a weather window to get a 105km (65 mile) ride in for January. Staying local, I headed out from Quedgeley to Eastington before making a bee-line for Arlingham. After that, I carried out a series of various sized loops in the triangular area in between those three places. First photo stop was at Stonebench, where the Severn was close to breaching its banks:
Next up, the riverbank at Arlingham, opposite Newnham-on-Severn:
Here's something you don't see every day ..... traffic on the A38 stopped because of a house dangling above the carriageway:
The weather was unseasonably mild and, in large parts, quite sunny. You can see the line of white houses on the hillside in the distance in the Forest of Dean ..... Cinderford in the sunlight:
After about 75km, with Swissrail timing I met up at the canal bridge with my mate Simon at exactly the agreed time, and we headed off for an obsolete canal crossing at Hardwicke:
After a bit of meandering around (including going back there again for Simon's sunglasses!), we headed off through Longney to take an unmetaled track that I'd never been down before, and which led to the point exactly opposite this on the other bank:
After that, we looped around through Longney, bringing up my 100km on the way. Nice to have some company for the final leg, which was at a very welcome leisurely pace. Back home and hosed now, and struggling to move after making short shrift of a roast chicken dinner, courtesy of Mrs Donger. Back in the game!
Cheers,
Donger.