My 50th ride of 2015, at the end of one of the best days of weather we've had this year. Lovely warm sunshine, but a fairly keen easterly breeze.
I set off through Bayston Hill, passing a chap playing a steel drum!! Seemed a bit odd, if he was busking, that he was on the opposite side of the road to where the shops/footfall are?
Continued up Lyth Hill and then dropped down to Exfords Green, before heading up Long Lane, having to stop twice for tractors and today's farm animal in the road was a Chicken. Much rather that than the Cow!!
I then climbed up the hill to Oaks, scaring the life out of a chap who was collecting up comes from some roadworks. I was going quite slowly up the hill and he turned round and jumped out of his skin when he saw me
.
Lovely sunny view from Oaks
From there I took the descent down to Plealey for the 1st time and then around to Annscroft and followed the main road through Hook-a-Gate, as far as Nobold. I was in 2 minds whether to head straight home or do a loop of the Town, but as it was such a nice evening I took the decision to do the loop, heading through Radbrook, Porthill and into the Quarry, where the American Circus was setting up. It was very busy in The Quarry and I had to have my wits about me to avoid being fetched off by dogs that were running loose all over the place.
From there I followed the River to Castlefields and then took the cycle paths back home.
23.2 miles with 970ft of climbing
, but not before I'd been out and done another hundred 
. I did however make the schoolboy error of not looking at what was at shin level when I moved along the bushes & found some rather annoying stinging nettles that are still stinging now, 3 hours later!
12.54 miles according to bike computer 9.6 on strava at 15.4 mph in lovely sunshine making the most while the light night last
(Welsh apparently http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=popty+ping)
