Cycling adventures across Yorkshire, Britain and beyond
Last week, amid cycle-route research round Swindon, I cycled round a few of Wiltshire’s White Horses – giant figures cut into the chalky hillsides (plus Uffington’s famous, and much older, example). So today I cycled up to Yorkshire’s own White Horse, at Kilburn, on the southwest edge of the North York Moors about twenty miles…
My last day of route research in Swindon. The lazy, uninformed opinion of many is that the town is pretty rubbish for cycling and lacks any decent network. Well, let me tell you, I’ve actually come and investigated the place by cycling round it for four days. I came to the same conclusion.
Day 3 of cycle route research round Swindon way. I trusted the Met Office’s weather forecast of sun and dry, because I know they’re right 9 times out of 10. This was the tenth time though. It rained all day.
Day 2 of cycle route research round Swindon took me past four White Horses, none of them pubs, all of them hill figures. It’s a Thing round here.
Cycle route research today north of Swindon, which town is every bit as beautiful – and well-provisioned with good bike routes – as I expected. Not very, in other words.
Day 3 of cycle route research round Tunbridge Wells. I cycled through two different hamlets called Iden Green, each near a hamlet called Four Wents, also unrelated to each other. So you can guess the surreal theme of today’s route. Yes: fish.
Day 2 of my cycle route research round Tunbridge Wells involved visits to Sevenoaks, Four Elms, and One Tree Hill. So you can guess the day’s theme. Hills.
Cycle route research round Tunbridge Wells, and yes, this is necessary work.
Final day of route research, doing the loop round the coast of Arran.
Continuing route research today, on the gravel roads of South Arran.