I've just got back from a little two-day ride. I had planned on Tuesday to go out for a long day ride following the direction of the wind - so westwards - and get a train home, but then decided I could go a bit further and stay overnight before coming back today. There is a youth hostel in Cirencester, I live near Cambridge, and that makes about 120 miles so that became my plan.
Unfortunately the first 50 miles of the outward ride are the least interesting, mostly flat and through a string of semi-suburban villages across Bedfordshire, and were enlivened only by a puncture near Ampthill where a large staple pierced two clean holes in my tube a centimetre apart.
The Milton Keynes conurbation didn't appeal, so I skirted south through the Woburn estate and some surprisingly hilly lanes through the Brickhills (Little and Great), then across to Bicester, and things got more scenic after this. I decided I needed to increase my pace somewhat, so took the A4095 to Witney, which was the most trafficky road of the two days. It was now looking very Cotswold-y, and I stopped in daftly-pretty Burford, which is full of well-heeled folk in vast fat cars. The B4425 to Cirencester is a lovely road, and I briefly paused at Bibury, which even at 6pm under grey skies had its share of Japanese tourists who come for its connection with Emperor Hirohito, and no doubt because it is so darned pretty.
Bibury with bike
I got to Cirencester at 7 and found the hostel. I had done 122 miles, but towards the end I was just slogging to do the distance more than enjoying the scenery. There's a place for that, but maybe today (a bit) less would have been more.
Today, day 2 of the ride, I had a pre-booked train ticket from Oxford to London at 3.40pm, so that gave me half a day's riding to get there from Cirencester, and I went south first towards the Wiltshire Downs south of Swindon, to revisit some of the lovely routes I discovered while working there last year. Both days were overcast but warm and muggy, and today even more so than yesterday.
The first part, to Wootton Bassett, was flat, and I stopped at a café to complete my breakfast after a rather meagre affair earlier on. I then climbed to Broad Hinton, and Hackpen Hill with its white horse (probably 19th century), and was then right on the top of the downs.
These hills were steep, but the toughest climb was out of Ogbourne St George, on the Aldbourne road. The riding and the scenery here were the highlight of the trip. After a quick coffee at Lambourn I topped the downs again going north and flew down into the Vale of White Horse at Childrey. I approached Oxford through Netherton and Cumnor, on quiet roads that are near the Thames although you never see it, and was in Oxford by 2.30 with an hour to spare. I'd done 67 miles to here, and enjoyed it more than yesterday, probably a combination of the scenery and the more relaxed pace, knowing I didn't have another 50 miles to go!
Oxford - St Aldgates. I picknicked on a bench here as bikes were barred from the nearby meadow.
My train took the new route from Oxford into Marylebone. Having quite a while to kill before my next booked train, I did what any cyclist would do in this part of London, ie. a full circuit of Regents Park, then wandered down Baker Street to the Mall, along the Embankment cycle path to Tower Hill, and finally back to Liverpool Street station and home. What with my tour of London and getting to my door, the total mileage today was 80.
The Regents Park perimeter road passes London Zoo, where you can see the giraffe house through the railings
My route
We had mudguards, the three cyclists coming the other way didn't so I hope they understood my shouted warning.
