Your ride today....

[Rickshaw Phil]

Three rides to mention:

Yesterday morning: With the day being nice I thought it would be a shame not to get a ride in by myself before joining @gavgav later in the day. The long version of my Acton Burnell loop was favourite as I can get plenty of miles covered in not too much time, so I set out. It was the usual flat way to Condover then I headed along Lyon's Lane to do the route clockwise for a change. The light wind was coming from the north west so after Berrington I had a bit of a boost on the way to Cound and took my mind off the moment when an impatient motorist squeezed between me and the car coming the other way. Flag of the day at Cound was one I haven't been able to identify. I thought it might be one of the African nations from the colour scheme, but it appears not.

The climb up to Harnage went well with the wind behind me and the descent was taken steadily on the wet roads. Turning onto the long straight to Cound Moor the wind seemed to be against me, which was expected, but then it still seemed to be against me after turning southwards at the end, which wasn't.

There was a small flood to wade through on the way to Acton Burnell followed by the trundle up the gentle but long climb to Frodesley. Reaching the crossroads before Longnor I paused for a drink and the air appeared to be almost completely still - good news as I was about to turn northwards. The lane to Ryton was pretty quiet as was the road to Condover. I knew though that it would be the lunchtime rush when I got to the A49 though so opted to take the hillier way back via Lyth Hill.

24.7 miles at 13.6 mph average.

The Wrekin hides its head in the cloud.

The view over Venus Pool.

A frivolous snap near Ryton.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Yesterday evening: As Gav has reported we met up later on and had a good ride through the suburbs of Shrewsbury before heading out into the dark countryside to Upton Magna and Atcham. I'll admit that sailing past the long queue for Heathgates island made me feel a bit smug. Being out at rush hour though did make it tricky to chat until we got to the old canal path then onto the lanes.

19.7 miles for me by the time I got back at 11.5 mph average. A nice ride in good company then I had a pizza to look forward to when I got home.

-----------------------------------------------------

Today: I had the chance to get out in the morning and there was weather window after overnight rain, so it would have been rude not to. I thought I'd do my route to Melverley this time and set out over Lyth Hill heading for Exford's Green, Plealey, Pontesbury and Minsterley. The wind was more brisk this time, so progress was nothing special. I took the back roads through Pontesbury to get off the main road for a bit even though the traffic was quite light really.

At Minsterley I turned onto the usual road through Horsebridge but, on meeting a tractor hedge-cutting by the turning for Asterley, thought that a change of scene might be good this time. Going to Westbury this way is more scenic but involves more climbing. A highlight was having a red kite fly low overhead - I stopped but couldn't get my phone out quick enough to get a picture, as usual.

Nearing Westbury I didn't like the look of the clouds that were gathering to the south west. It was difficult to tell if they were coming straight for me but I thought that if they did I wouldn't be able to cut the ride short if I continued to Melverley. Reluctantly I decided to shorten the ride here and turned along the road to Nox. On the plus side I now had a (mostly) straight road with a tailwind for about three and a half miles, which was quite enjoyable. The clouds were still far enough away when I reached Nox that I didn't want to take the direct route home so I took a left and headed up to Ford Heath then round to Cruckton and Hanwood. On the climb up Pound Lane I pulled in for a driver to overtake as it was narrow - they didn't acknowledge my politeness so I took a little bit of evil pleasure from the fact that shortly afterwards they met a van and had to reverse down the hill again.

Reaching Arscott it started to rain from a clear blue sky - fortunately it wasn't very heavy and didn't last too long so the waterproofs weren't needed. Returning through Exford's Green I didn't retrace my steps but carried on to Hunger Hill. Having an articulated lorry overtake just as I was about to start off from a photo stop was great as I knew I could let the bike go into the dip at Westley without worrying what might be coming the other way.

The A49 was quite busy when I reached it so I abandoned the idea of extending the ride through Condover and headed the hillier but (from here) more direct way through Little Lyth instead.

26.8 miles at 12.3 mph average.

A lovely day after the early morning rain has gone through.

Plenty of water in the brook at Pontesbury.

On the road from Asterley to Westbury.

At the top of the climb.

Nearly at Westbury. I don't like the way those clouds are flattening out at the top. Those showers missed us but it's quite wet out while writing this later in the day.

Much later on, looking towards Lyth Hill.

 

[bluenotebob]

As of last weekend, I’d only missed three days on the bike since the end of February – but this week started badly and I failed to get out on either Monday or Tuesday (combination of poor weather, tiredness and other priorities). Wednesday and Thursday were wet and very windy but I managed a couple of short rides both days. Today looked like the only decent day of the week so a fairly short local loop on the Shaper 200 was followed by a very short local loop on the RAID mountain bike. Gave up on the idea of having any lunch and put the Urban Shaper in the van and drove to Mauron. Cycled down the V3 Voie Verte between Mauron and Lézonnet – stopped for a while by the shores of the Lac au Duc and then headed back to Mauron.

56km in total today so this week looks a little bit better.

The chateau at Bois-de-la-Roche

The Lac au Duc north of Ploërmel

On the V3 near the old station at Bois-de-la-Roche, heading north

 

[Jameshow]

Sunderland, to seaburn, whitburn, south shields, ped tunnel, Hadrian way, millennium bridge, Sunderland.

Lovely ride.

First part along the seafront was lovely nice tail wind!

Check phone to see if son was half way done nope, under the Tyne, up the steps and the lift is broken 150 steps thankfully ends at step 15!🤣
Hadrian way nice and sheltered,
Should have taken longer route back but came back via dual carriageway way cycle lane. Not the best! Should have found a cafe in bladon colliery.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Sunderland, to seaburn, whitburn, south shields, ped tunnel, Hadrian way, millennium bridge, Sunderland.

Lovely ride.

First part along the seafront was lovely nice tail wind!

Check phone to see if son was half way done nope, under the Tyne, up the steps and the lift is broken 150 steps thankfully ends at step 15!🤣
Hadrian way nice and sheltered,
Should have taken longer route back but came back via dual carriageway way cycle lane. Not the best! Should have found a cafe in bladon colliery.

View attachment 669255

View attachment 669258

View attachment 669259

View attachment 669261

View attachment 669262

View attachment 669264

View attachment 669265

View attachment 669266

View attachment 669267

Lovely pictures, thanks.

 

[Jameshow]

Lovely pictures, thanks.

I had to stop regularly to check my route so taking pics was easy.

I felt rough so I took it easy.

Glad I don't live there though, the area is criscrossed with dirty great big dual carriageways .

 

[Dave 123]

I FELL OFF!

A mountain bike ride on mucky lanes and bridleways after yesterday’s deluge.

Good autumn colour on the beech and oak. Riding along a slippery track through Flete I approached a gate…. I stopped a touch quicker than expected, my right shoe refused to release from the pedal and there I was in a heap! I lay there laughing out loud.

lots of birds- little egret, wigeon, heron, mute swan, sparrowhawk, kestrel and woodcock.

I also saw a massive puffball and some white slime mould

Almost 15 miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8175279767

 

[cyberknight]

usual sunday metric century today .
The roads were still flooded in places and the lanes were very muddy so it was a case of taking it steady at the dodgy parts and even with mudgauds i still got plastered .Got dive bombed by a crow , about 3 close passes by the half awake sunday drivers and found it hard work due to the weather as the damp affects my shoulder and reynauds in my hands was bad even though i had good gloves on and was sweating .
Only one other person with me that met me after about 20 miles and turned off for home not long after the cafe stop ay Tuppenhurst Farm Rugely after about 40 miles so pretty much a solo ride for me .About 6 miles from home i had to take a gel as i was struggling

 

[wafter]

A brief summary of this week's almost unfathomably exciting excursions..

Wednesday (I think) saw a quick trip to see a client in the city. First time out on the Routier in weeks; saddened to see that it has a bit more rust for having been stored outside (under a cover) but it is what it is and I can't get too prissy about it. In addition the freewheel's got really temperemental in the cold (my fault for inadvertantly filling it with wax ) but it's manageable. When the weather's better it wants stripping and re-lubing, no doubt.

Having failed to account for the possibility of a ride I had minimal gear, and set off with bare hands and nice poloneck. After all of about ten feet I instantly felt tangibly better and took the longer route along the tow path; lamenting the cold on my exposed digits. By the time I'd got there, collected what I had to and started on the return leg I'd warmed up a fair bit and (since most of the return is uphill) actually got a bit too warm. Only about 8 miles total I think, but a very welcome excuse to get out - bike-specific-issues notwithstanding.


Friday we'd run out of eggs again, so I popped to the farm shop who were predictably out. Word on the street was that there was potentially another source in the next village so I set off in that direction - verbally abusing the knobhead boomers who'd inexplicably parked right in the gateway to the farmyard and in doing so preventing anything wider than a bike from getting in or out

Sure enough I managed to get one box of eggs in the next village - £1.50 for some reasonably-sized ones having left the £2 "large" offerings alone. Back the way I came for 8 miles total.


On waking this morning I felt grotty following yet another weekend of binging on stuff I know I should leave well alone.. feeling both disconcertingly detached / disassociated as well as extremely mentally blunted and generally hopeless I knew I'd achive very little if I stayed in.

The looming spectre of an empty egg enclosure was a good enough excuse and after some mincing and general confusion I was out. I'd initially planned to take the DSLR and get some pics, but instead swapped this out for the phone and decided to push on to the supermarket post-eggs, were I feeling up to it.

Upon arriving at the farm I was shocked to find that there were actually eggs available, so tucked a couple of boxes in the pannier bag and continued on my way. Down the hill out of the village and along the road that formed a raised causeway through the flooded lowlands..

I stopped to take a few pics; allowing the poorly-propped up bike to fall over thanks to my inattentiveness and the draft of a passing car Thankfully nowt was obviously damaged (other than a few more puncture wounds on the already tatty bar tape and my Polar mount bending under the need to decelearate the unit's modest mass as the bike hit the deck) so I tried to put it behind me and carried on.

On to the supermarket via a less-well-rolled path into town..

Entering town at the wrong end I rode through what had once been a middle-class stronghold mid-last-century, now a poster-child for urban degeneration and mediocrity. I made my way through the town centre and its "Victorian Christmas market". I declined to buy any of the plastic tat on offer, nor any of the far more appealing food from the various wagons; feeling very much like an old, irrelevant outsider.

Once at the supermarket I decided to try a different approach; leaving the bags on the bike and grabbing a basket. Having negotiated the gamut of non-situationally-aware muppets I finally got to the self-service checkout; and only then did it dawn on me that (unlike when using a trolley, which live outside) I had limited means of carrying my spoils to the bike.. an obvious oversight and hardly surprising since at that time I still felt very much "elsewhere" and able to muster about as much cognitive ability as a potato.

Having made it back to the bike with my precariously balanced stack of provisions everything was packed away and I was off again; dodging more oblivious muppets in the car park on my way out.

I took the usual route back, which was fairly uneventful. I decided to take a stretch of bridleway in preference to the road that connects a couple of villages. This started off OK but quickly degraded to the point where I had little choice but to ride through many puddles; the tight clearances on the brakes causing lots of lovely, rhythmic scrapy-scrapy noises..

By this point I was travelling very, very slowly.. fairly content to just be wafting along in my own little world. I made full use of the granny ring to slowly wind myself to the top of the hill at the end of the bridleway (about 12%, conquered at around 3.5mph while remaining under 80% max HR).

After that it was back into the village and home, for a little under 26 miles and 1100ft at 10.4mph and 120bpm for 1200kcal burned.

Not the best or most transformative ride in the world, but of use and it's probably put me in a better place than I'd have been in had I stayed at home. Still feel like a bit of a space cadet though, tbh..

 

[geocycle]

The rain had finally stopped and the wind had given up blowing in from the Atlantic so an opportunity for a ride presented itself. I also wanted to try the new chain and cassette that I’d replaced in the week as I thought I’d got the chain a bit long. Did a three peaks ride, first off was Jubilee Tower on the flank of Clougha Pike which is a good pull up to 300 m from sea level. Murk, to use the technical term, reduced the opportunity for views but quiet roads and an exhilarating descent made up for it. Next up was Trough of Bowland, again quiet except for buzzards, red grouse, pheasants, redwing and a flock of over a hundred assorted finches. Followed the Hodder south then Chipping for lunch at the farm shop. Back home via Beacon Fell and the flatlands of Garstang and the Wyre. 87 km or 54 miles with 1200 m of climbing.

picture of Jubilee Tower

 

[Spiderweb]

A 10.30am meet up with friends Martin & Gaynor in Ulleskelf for a ride out to York city centre. So busy today, lots of visitors for Christmas market/shopping. A coffee stop by the market followed by a second coffee stop at The Lemon Tree in Tadcaster. A bit nippy but a great ride out. 35.9 miles with an average of 14.2 mph.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

With the weather being better than the last couple of days (dry, not too windy, a bit on the misty and overcast side though) I thought I'd have another go at the route to Melverley that I cut short last time. I set out to ride it anti-clockwise this time so headed round the old bypass to Shelton then to Bicton and Montford Bridge. Traffic was fairly light with it being a Sunday morning. I got overtaken by another cyclist on the descent into Montford Bridge but he wasn't that much quicker than me when the road flattened out.

I headed for Montford and Shrawardine next and found far more people walking along the lanes than motor traffic. Not long after Shrawardine I was accosted by a dachshund which came baying towards me while I was moving then looked very disappointed and didn't seem to know what to do next when I came to a halt. The owner was very apologetic as he put it back on the lead.

After straying from the signposted cycling route to come out near Wilcott I spotted a couple of riders ahead of me and pushed on a bit to see if I could catch up. I did slowly reel them in but my next turning came up before actually catching up with them.

There were a handful of riders about on the road to Melverley, which was nice to see. I took a right at Crew Green for a change and then tackled the climb towards Bulthy. A warning ding of the bell before catching up with a horse and rider seemed to be appreciated, although the rider said she thought it was her phone going off. I had the descent the other side completely to myself until after Stanford.

The A458 was completely clear when I came to cross it at Halfway House then I found the road between Westbury and Nox to be busier than I'm used to. Edit: I completely forgot to mention the red kite that flew alongside me for a short while just before Nox - it was only about 20 feet away before banking away across the field - a lovely moment. A football match was going on at Lea Cross - the field will have been horrendously muddy for them, certainly not up to world cup standard.

The wind seemed to be picking up a bit as I passed through Arscott and Exford's Green but was a crosswind so didn't cause much bother. By Hunger Hill I felt like I was running low on energy a bit so took the more direct way back via Little Lyth again - the A49 was relatively busy so only riding the one short section on it was preferable anyway.

34.6 miles at 13 mph average.

Shrawardine Castle. Much of the stone from the castle was taken to repair civil war damage in Shrewsbury.

At the Royal Hill - too early for them to be open.

From the same spot; the view towards the Breidden. The river was just over the flood level here a couple of days ago - we've gone from one extreme to another this year.

A bit further on and I've just crossed the river and the border into Wales.

A new sign on the climb to Bulthy - I don't recall seeing the horse-drawn vehicle warning in the wild before.

The view back down to the flood-plain.

The sun is attempting to break through as I look towards Earl's Hill on the way to Lea Cross.

 

[Mike_P]

Three outings for the ebike on Friday and Saturday took it to over 65,000ft of elevation for the year so far in just under 950 miles. Two trips to Morrisons, Fridays with cool bag in the rucksack and no panniers, initially drizzly conditions, was a mistake as it meant going back on Saturday for a bag of oranges at the bargain price of 5 for 99p. Those oranges then had a visit to Waitrose for a free copy of Saturdays Times and a bar of Lindt chocolate for just £1.10. The other Friday trip was one with a pannier to Sainsburys and its weight capacity potentially tested by three x 2 pints of milk at the Nectar price of 98p each. A bit of a drenching going – the day was forecast as dry and sunny.

Sunday and the Defy headed south east, by flipping between NCN67 and the A661 to avoid muddy with fallen leafs sections of the NCN and the twisty section of that A road, to Wetherby and onto Wighill for a snack break.

A weak sun tried in vain to break through the cloud as I headed east and then north to the second word ABC of Hutton Wandesley.

(Need to tweak that rear mudguard - has adjustable horizontal stays and I had eased them out a bit but obviously those stays need unbolting and the stay reangled)
Thereafter to adjacent Long Marston and via Tockwith and Knaresborough last done with a strong headwind so an entirely different ride, with a variance further on of avoiding the Starbeck branch due to its muddy with leafs condition that resulted in the ebike having a clean this morning.
42.05 miles 1969ft climbed 13.2mph avg

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Yesterday: I got my brother out for a ride again. After his last ride with me being on the hilly side he wanted a flatter one this time, but longer, so the extended Acton Burnell loop seemed to fit the bill.

We had a little bit of a wait to join the A49. The traffic behaved fairly well towards us and once past Condover it was quieter so made for some pleasant cycling. The lanes after Ryton were a bit muddy after all the rain we have had lately. When we paused after Longnor we could see it was raining over the Long Mynd, which I wasn't expecting from the forecast, however from the direction and the speed that the cloud was moving I was fairly hopeful we wouldn't get wet.

The climb to Frodesley was taken at a relaxed pace and the descent to Acton Burnell was swift without pushing on too hard on the damp roads - conveniently the two sharpest corners on the way had both been in the sun long enough to dry out.

Doug said that the section to Cound Moor was hillier than he remembered it, but he did enjoy the long straight which is slightly downhill in this direction. When we paused for a drink near Harnage the air seemed completely still and only the sounds of nature could be heard. The flag at Cound was unchanged from last time I was here. With no wind to stir it I couldn't get a good look to have another go at identifying it.

When we reached Cound Stank I gave Doug a choice of routes to get back. He preferred the quieter way, although it is a little hillier, so we headed towards Pitchford and Cantlop. The sun was starting to set at about this point so we had a decent view of it on our way back to Condover. We headed back the direct way - traffic wasn't too bad with the school rush having finished and the evening rush just about to start.

22.7 miles this time at 12.7 mph average.

The view to the Stretton hills as we approach Ryton.

Near to Harnage. The log across the gateway is a recent addition - I wonder if they've had a bit of unauthorized off-roading.

I assumed this was geese on first sight but as they got closer it appeared to be seagulls. Yes, they are heading south.

Sunset near Cantlop.

 

[footloose crow]

30 Nov. Mid week riding

There is always a sense of sneaking out of school on a mid week ride. This is despite being retired for a few years. I still haven't got used to the fact I am not working. I keep expecting a tap on the shoulder..."shouldn't you be in work today?". I wasn't the only skiver today though. The Lost Gardens of Heligan car park was full as was the cafe and this is mid week on a cold November day outside the tourist season. Was anyone at work today?? If you were at work today, thank you. I feel guilty.

I have met some other retired guys and we meet up in random places and then decide where to go. There are no ride leaders and often no real idea of the destination or indeed any plan. We take it in turns to be in front - or sometimes we don't. Sometimes we wait at the top of the hill and sometimes we don't. Occasionally not everyone gets back to the start. It is anarchic, disorganised and often rib breakingly funny riding with them and I like the sense of danger, of never knowing what may happen next or where we will end up.

I can give you a list of places we passed through, some of which I can even remember passing through, but that would give the appearance of a plan. Afterwards one can look back at a journey and convince oneself that this was the plan all along and this was the route we meant to take which is self delusion.

They cycle fast these old men. They started racing as teenagers and somehow their muscles and lungs remember what to do. We compare heart rates and discuss prostates now in these golden twilight years. I stubbornly believe I will get faster if I keep trying but ' Time's winged arrow' has reached the top of its arc and is now dropping down. I cling on to the back wheel of anyone who is in front of me, breath rasping, heart exploding, chest heaving, the thunder of blood in my temples and I know I need to slow down - but I can't. I love keeping up with these old racers, of feeling I have life left in me yet. I like the rush of wheels spinning along tarmac, hedges flying past, edging the speed up, wind whistling in my helmet, bent low over the bars and knowing I can still do this. For another day, maybe another week. Beyond that who cares. One day at a time, sweet Jesus.

The sky is blue and the roads are dry and I am not cold or wet. That's all I need today.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Yesterday's ride:

December is here already? Time to get my challenge ride in. I have been eyeing up the first of the month for a few days as the wind looked like being calm and the bitterly cold air expected from the weekend onwards won't have rolled in yet. I got the Hawk prepared and, having trudged round the same areas far too often this year, decided to attempt a hilly South Shropshire route.

Getting out on the road at about ten to seven, it was chilly and overcast but we had been spared fog and frost. Knowing that this route needs some extra mileage added to get the 100 miles for the challenge I set out for Condover initially then along Lyon's Lane heading for Berrington, Cross Houses, Cound, Harnage, Cound Moor and Acton Burnell. The A49 had been relatively busy for the time of the morning but after that it was fairly quiet apart from the short section on the A458. The Scottish Saltire was the flag at Cound.

Having passed through Acton Burnell, Frodesley and along the old Roman road to Comley it looked like I was going to be climbing into the cloud as I ascended Folly Bank. I had a snack stop at the top of the climb then carried on to a misty Cardington and Longville. I climbed over Wenlock Edge via Wilderhope, climbing into the fog at the top but finding it thinned out on the descent, which was good as I hadn't been looking forward to the short stretch on the B4368 if the visibility had been poor.

As I headed to Broncroft and Peaton the mist did thicken up and apart from a couple of thinner patches, seemed to be getting worse as I headed towards Ludlow. It was pretty cold too in the damp air which didn't entice me to make many stops for photos. Reaching Ludlow I headed through the centre and, after getting a few snaps, dropped down to Dinham Bridge where it was sheltered from the wind (which was surprisingly brisk at this point) to have my next food stop.

When I got moving again I was straight into the big climb of the day through the Mortimer Forest. I climbed into the cloud quite early on so there were none of the views that I usually like on this road. I could have done without the driver who overtook only to swing straight across my path into a driveway, however that was the only incident of note on this stretch. The border with Herefordshire is just before the summit and it showed on the descent as the road surface became pretty horrible - Shropshire roads aren't brilliant at the moment but Herefordshire is worse. I found myself riding down the middle of the road for long stretches to avoid the potholes and the shoddy patches - thankfully there was hardly any other traffic on the way to Wigmore.

The Mortimer Forest climb had taken a lot out of my legs making me pretty slow on even the slightest climbs, so I hadn't been looking forward to the stretch on the A4110. Fortunately this wasn't very busy and the visibility was better as the fog had lifted into low cloud, but I was still glad to turn off towards Walford and the flatter road through Brampton Bryan, heading for Bucknell. I seemed to find a second wind after Bucknell and got along quite nicely until the road became more undulating near Hopton Heath. Finding unexpected road closure signs here was annoying. A local resident told me that the signs only went up that morning and he didn't know what the closure was for, so I decided to take the chance I'd be allowed through and carried on. On the plus side, it meant that only the one car passed me while tackling the sharp little climb here.

The closure turned out to be nearly at the other end of the road, just a mile before Purslow. I was able to walk the bike through alright - one of the workmen joked that; no, I'd have to go back and round the five mile diversion.

I had hoped to have done 60 miles before having my lunch but by Kempton (58 miles) I was hungry so took the opportunity to stop to eat at the little picnic spot by the brook. It was a little bit of a slow start once I got moving again but improved on the way to Lydbury North then Bishop's Castle (overtaking a couple of horse riders on the way).

It's a fairly steep climb through Bishop's Castle which the legs weren't overly happy with, but I was intending to stop and take a few photos anyway. I climbed into the cloud again on the way out of town but it started to clear on the way to Pentre and some hazy sunshine even managed to break through. There were more "road closed ahead" signs on the way but I already knew about this one and expected to be able to turn off and take a detour. The actual closure came about a mile before I was expecting it - I rode through and found fresh patches (Powys council, so these were done properly) but no workmen before the junction where I'd intended to turn off, so I didn't have to explain myself or ask permission. The lane I'd turned onto is completely new to me and brought me out in Churchstoke. I could have headed along the main road to rejoin my route but decided instead to take another new-to-me lane which links to the Montgomery road. I think that this was a mistake - not only was it more undulating than my tired legs were happy with, but I also managed to misread the map and ended up at a dead end in a farmyard. I then had to climb back up the hill to take the correct turning.

Having got back on track I took some pictures in Montgomery but didn't hang around longer than needed for that. Not far out of town the sky cleared and I had a view to the hills which were bathed in a lovely evening glow. The legs felt fairly good along the way and I'd almost reached Marton before I realised that I really ought to have stopped for another snack. An unofficial layby sufficed for this and I carried on as the sun started to set behind me. I made slow but steady progress through Brockton and Worthen and had another pause at Westbury where I opened the jelly babies to be sure of not running out of energy in the last few miles. I had been getting a bit concerned that I hadn't added enough extra mileage to be sure of getting the century, but seeing 90 miles on the clock at this point I was happy it would be enough by the time I got back.

It was getting properly dark by now and running into fog on the way to Nox made me rather nervous of what was becoming a pretty busy road as the evening rush got underway. Thankfully my lights and reflectives were good enough to make almost everyone give lots of room but I was still glad to turn off this road. Lit up farm buildings looming out of the fog at Polemere looked like the aliens had landed and shortly afterwards I encountered a cyclist pushing his bike due to a puncture - I offered to pump the tyre up and see if it would hold pressure for a bit but that was politely turned down.

The A488 at Lea Cross was quite busy but I managed to get across without incident. The climb at Shorthill was a bit of an effort with so many miles in the legs but thankfully as the name suggests it's not a big climb. There was a bit more evening traffic on the way through Exford's Green but it didn't cause any issues until I joined the road to Hunger Hill - an oncoming driver dipped their lights when they saw my lights, then put them back onto main beam when they realised it was "only" a cyclist. I'm afraid I wasn't in the mood for that kind of arrogance and they got a gesture and called a name.

Although I was pretty confident of getting the right mileage, I couldn't see the display in the dark to be absolutely sure, so finding a gap in the traffic at Hunger Hill I took the long way through Condover to add a bit and be certain.

103.26 miles at 11.6 mph moving average. I was out for 10 hours and 55 minutes overall. I'm really chuffed to have got the December challenge ride in early. By January I'll have forgotten what hard going it was and be ready to have another go.

Pre-dawn light as seen from Berrington.

It had been fairly clear at first but I climbed into the cloud up Folly Bank.

Ludlow.

Snack stop with a view of Ludlow Castle.

Wigmore.

At my lunch stop in Kempton.

Climbing up through Bishop's Castle.

Montgomery.

The sky cleared on the way to Chirbury.

The sun has set behind me on the way to Westbury