Category: Other

Another very nice half-day cycling the South Downs, on the East Hampshire Cycle Route. We got back to the hotel just as the heavy rain started, as forecast accurately by the Met Office. As opposed to the BBC website, which was hopeless as usual.

Ace day researching cycle routes in the South Downs, down Hants way. None of your Northern mud here. It’s posh Home Counties mud.

Our annual between-Christmas-and-New-Year ride round Ladybower Reservoir, but I’m calling it ‘cycle route research’ to make it tax-deductible. Fine weather and a spectacular sunset which, it turned out, had to be best viewed from the Yorkshire Bridge Inn.

Cycle-cafe article research in Saffron Walden, which sounds like a singer-songwriter rather than a well-to-do Essex town. It has a Wetherspoon, a Waitrose, a castle, and quite a lot of cafes. Something for everyone, then.

Another very good, if puddly, day researching cycle routes round Stevenage in Bucks, Herts and Beds, which sounds like a dating agency.

Excellent first day researching bike routes with Nigel around Stevenage, a traditional New Town with a modern Old Town. And two Wetherspoons.

Excellent first day researching bike routes in the Chilterns. Good job Nigel got his low gears fixed up beforehand. They’re hilly. Fine picnic lunch at Dunstable Downs, but no, we didn’t have those mushrooms. We had sandwiches from Tesco.

Cycle route research in Edinburgh town centre…

Cycle route research round Edinburgh, one of my favourite Scottish capitals.

Finished my route research in Dartmoor, so I had a spare morning to explore Exeter, and one of my favourite ‘maths rivers’, the Exe. Hmm: Dee, Exe, Wye; there could be a promising ‘Differential Trail’ consisting of Dee-Exe over Dee-Wye.