Today’s idea was to go up to Kilburn, a few km north of my old place in Derby. Only been there once on a bike before, in July last year. Up through Coleorton, Castle Donington, Shardlow, Elvaston, Borrowash.
After Spondon I took a different route up to Kilburn this time, a more sensible one I think, to match the one I used to take when I went there in a car, in the early ’90s. And instead of coming back down the A38, I continued on toward Belper, then came back down to Derby through Makeney and Little Eaton.
To extend the ride to a fondo I took a detour over to Swarkestone, then swung back to Isley Walton, on the way back down.
Interesting run out. Nice to see old haunts from the ’90s again. But I was home about an hour later than I’d normally expect from a fondo. A lot of climbing in the Derbyshire part of the ride. Generally quiet and scenic, though.
Mostly cloudy. Decently warm, mostly. Spotty light rain for about an hour later on but nothing troubling.
Saw a woman wiping her child’s publicly exposed nether regions in Spondon. Looked like said child had just had a wee by the side of the road. I’ve seen that in France a couple of times, but never in dear old Blighty.
Listened to more of the Luke James Fashi0n memoir, Stairway to Nowhere. But I also started Ungovernable: The Political Diaries of a Chief Whip by Simon Hart. Very good. Eye-opening.
Back on 100.31km, and that’s 25 fondos done this year now.