If there are two things I love, they're biking and Charlie, right? So, now that Charlie's off doing learning in The East, what better way to feed those two loves than to cycle there. To Cambridge, from Bath. Right?
So I did.
The facts:
170 miles (272 km)
Two days (with absurdly short daylight hours. Oh! This Northern Land! Sunrise: 7.18am. Sunset: 4.26pm)
One friend (Sue! Violinist in Stringbeans/partner in bike crime with whom I did John O' Groats to Land's End)
It seemed like the perfect formula. The prevailing winds here are always from the West, and we'd be headed East. And everyone knows it gets flatter and flatter the farther east you go. And, there's nothing I like more than just going and going and going and going for hours and hours on the bike. Really. There's a kind of smooth perpetual motion of life that overcomes you and it feels so very right. Also, all you can eat candy and protein bars. YES.
The big issue was 1) not reeeeally knowing where we were going, apart from East and a bit North, having just guessed at highlighting some "smaller-looking roads" on a old AA map. The result of this was twofold, both: Happy surprise! We passed through some really gorgeous towns and villages that I'd never heard of before and, amazingly, managed to avoid any real big hills both days. Even in the Cotswolds! Whoop! And, also, sometimes finding ourselves faced with a road too scary-with-traffic for me (not for Sue, she's made of steel. Like the robot in that safety advert we had as kids, "I can put my arm back on, you can't, [bike] safe.") which meant some extra mileage as we'd detour to smaller, prettier, safer, and loooonger roads... .
2) The dark. Man! There really is nothing but dark nowadays, here. And for another month.5! This meant our rides both started and ended in blackness. Which meant, for super biking safety me, turning myself into a Christmas tree. Three blinking (not in time) red lights on the back, three blinking white lights on the front, a high-vis vest, anklet, and reflective everything. I also brought twenty glow-sticks for emergencies, but didn't need them. This time.
Tiny issues, really, all things considered. And, all things considered it was awesome. I can't wait to do it again. In the spring. In the daylight. Everyone is invited!
