My usual route to Wales is an extension of the Lower Westbound route, but a while ago I devised a route that would extend from the Upper Westbound route, instead.
A critical component of this new route is a mile-long stretch of cycle path running along the A50, about 30 miles from home, leading into Uttoxeter.
So, on a dry day with the wind coming from the west, I thought I’d go and check out the cycle path, go into Uttoxeter for a mile or so then come back the same way. Usually I don’t like to use cycle paths. They can be poorly maintained sometimes, with indifferent surfaces, thorny vegetation, sharp stones and bits of broken glass. But sometimes they’re OK if there’s no alternative. And certainly, the A50 itself is not an option. The coroner would probably return a verdict of suicide.
So I set off at about 10:30 and pedalled up through Coleorton and Melbourne, west along the Beloved A Road, all the way on to Doveridge and onto the cycle path. I realised when I got there that I’d been there before. It’s not too bad. A bit concretey in places. A little bit of debris, but no conspicuous puncture bait.
I went into Uttoxeter, but instead of turning back, I followed a sign to Abbots Bromley, which is on my Lower Westbound route, or one of them. I think I’d taken this same road a few weeks ago when I went into Uttoxeter via Marchington. Came back the usual way from there, through King’s Bromley, Alrewas, Croxall, Netherseal et al. I took the pic at Lullington.
Cloudy and cool in the morning, but – unexpectedly – a lovely warm, mostly sunny day in the afternoon. Fortunately I had a backpack so I could stuff clothing into it.
Listened mostly to 5 Live. I listened to James O’Brien on LBC for a while; I think a psychiatrist would find him a fascinating case. And I listened to Rush’s 2112, a personal favourite of mine since the age of 16.
Back on 68.16 miles. I didn’t manage 600 in June but I’ll be happy with 450 for July.
The night before I set off on my 200 miler, I put a fresh pair of Duracell Plus AAs in my DAB personal. It’s now got about 32 hours from them, and they aren’t dead yet! Very nice to know I wouldn’t need a spare pair on a long ride. In fact I could put the same pair in an LED torch on a long ride with the last couple of hours in the dark, and use my phone or MP3 player for in-flight audio.