Once again the weather forecasters changed their minds, invoking a threat of rain at around 7pm in place of their earlier offer of a dry evening. So I took the Boardman instead of the Planet X after leaving work early.
I wanted to do 35-40 and something a bit different. I was in the mood for a run out to Parts West of Ashby, perhaps Kings Bromley and back. But I didn’t want to do the usual route through Clifton Campville, because the roads are too uneven over there. So during the day, I plotted a route that would take me through Measham and Coton in the Elms. It looked fairly straightforward on the route planner so I didn’t bother importing it into a GPX app or my eTrex.
So off I went. Lovely evening; sunny and warm. A bit of a breeze.
As I made my way west of Measham, I found myself thinking: why don’t I come this way more often? It’s pleasant enough, the roads are well surfaced and it’s not too hilly. Yet for some reason I feel out of my territory over that way; out of my comfort zone. That though is part of the fun, sometimes. Although I like the familiarity of a Twycross or a run up to Melbourne or over to Castle Donington, it’s nice to have an adventure.
Unfortunately I had to stop and check Google Maps a few times on the way out westwards, and I didn’t actually take the route I intended. I’d planned to go to King’s Bromley but found myself way off course for that. I saw a sign for Walton on Trent, a pleasant village on the river that I’d been through once or twice before, so I followed it. A couple of miles west of Walton I found myself at Barton-under Needwood – a place I recognised from a ride out to Stafford a year or three ago. I had planned to make do with a gel and an oat bar but I felt quite peckish, so I went into the Co-op there and bought a sandwich and a packet of Squares. I’d done 18 miles at this point and decided to turn back. I’d wasted a fair bit of time in map-reading.
I stuffed the sandwich and Squares up my jersey. There wasn’t a bench nearby, but I stopped at a signpost on the way out. Its brick base made a perfect seat.
The route back seemed to be simpler for some reason, but I didn’t quite come back the same way. Still very enjoyable though, and nice to be pedalling along roads I either vaguely remembered from years back or didn’t recognise at all.
Arrived back at Swepstone, just 3.5 miles from home and thought I ought to extend the ride a bit. I’d already had an idea to tack on the rest of a Twycross from Snarestone, but the lure of a Tesco ready meal and a glass of red proved too much. But at Swepstone I felt a tinge of guilt at doing this. After all there won’t be that many more opportunities to do 40 miles after work this year; not in daylight anyway. So – I decided to tack on the rest of my old lunch break route from Swepstone, calculating that it would give me another 7 miles or so. As indeed it did. I arrived home on 40.92 miles.
The rain didn’t happen, fortunately. Needn’t have taken the Boardman, although I am quite enjoying it at the moment.
Coming through Packington just four miles or so from home I saw a bird of prey standing over a blackbird it had (presumably) just killed, in a front garden. A sparrowhawk, I think. Its chest feathers were puffed out and it looked quite aggressive, as if defending its prey. I could hear birds in the tree behind it going mental. I stopped the bike hoping to take a pic, but as I sneaked closer it flew off, with the bird in its talons.
I’ll do that ride or a close variation of it again, but I’ll take the eTrex next time for ease of navigation.
88 miles done this month, that’s a decent start to August.