Lovely day. Coolish in the morning but sunny with very low winds. I planned to do a fairly long one, partly a repeat of a ride I did a few years ago in which I entered Rutland from the eastern side, then pedalled through England’s smallest county east to west, for about 20km. I did that one on a sunny day in 2021 (four years ago yesterday actually) and have always remembered it as being delightful – scenic and very quiet.
I’d hoped to set off at about 0930 but I slept in longer than I expected, no doubt due to the clocks going forward at the weekend. I set off at 1040. I did the usual eastbound route as far as Buckminster, where I stopped at the village shop to stock up on food and a Maltesers drink. Then I dipped south and east to South Witham, then decended into the rightmost bit of Rutland.
Rutland was just as I remembered it from last time – almost spookily quiet and very pleasant. Idyllic villages with very little traffic passing through them. Normally when I tick off Rutland I penetrate it only superficially – just over the border for a bit and back. But it’s a lovely part of the country. I missed a turn after Thistleton and looped back up tthe way I’d come, but I recovered.
I re-entered Leicestershire just after Whissendine and came back what I might call the “usual way” from there, except that I’ve only been over that way four or five times. Through Little Dalby and Great Dalby. Then up to Six Hills and the usual eastbound route via Asfordby and Shoby. Home through Wymeswold, Rempstone, Zouch, Belton as usual.
Setting off a bit later was probably for the best as conditions were a bit warmer by then and I was able to wear lighter clothing. I stuffed a pair of tights and a fleece into my backpack after the first couple of hours. I was home long before sunset anyway, in fact I did ponder extending the ride to make it an “imperial fondo”, or 100 miles. I didn’t but in any case it was a glorious day out on a bike, probably one of my top ten favourite rides ever.
Listened to LBC, 5 Live, Jeremy Vine on R2 for a bit.
Back on 146.12 km and that’s a pleasing 1141 km this month, which is my highest ever monthly total for one of the first six months of the year, and my fourth highest monthly total overall. I did seven fondos in March and interestingly I’m 300 km ahead of 31st March 2024.
That was my first visit to Rutland this year and the final neighbouring counties box ticked for 2025.