Rain most of the day yesterday, but today was forecast dry. I took the Tricross although there were only a few puddles around, all of them highly avoidable as it turned out.
I’m on call yet again today. Fortunately that’s only a one-week-in-four phenomenon now, but of course it meant I couldn’t go too far. I decided on a Twycross Bypasser.
I’ve started, prompted no doubt by better visibility allowed by the beautiful weather, to take more notice of the surrounding landscape while I’m out on a bike. Sometimes, while taking in the view from a high spot, I’ll find myself thinking – I wonder where that hill is, in the far distance? Or that tower, or distant clump of trees, or whatever. I wonder if I could find them on Google Maps, or Google Earth?
So I’ve bought myself a compass, with the intention of taking some bearings on distant objects, then nerding out on a map. It’s one of those flip-open ones; you line it up using an optical sight then peer into a little lens, and it tells you the bearing in degrees. To test it I stopped at a spot I knew I’d be able to locate on Google Maps, near Little Orton and lined it up on the Lichfield TV transmitter at Hopwas Hill, a little over eight miles away. I took a bearing. 274 degrees magnetic. I made a note on a piece of paper I’d brought along with me.
Then when I got home I used this site – https://www.acscdg.com/ – to check the bearing. Azimuth 266 degrees, or 274 magnetic! Lovely. It works. How handy that Earth has a magnetic field.
I also took a bearing on a distant pointy hill from the same spot (256 magnetic) and will see if I can find it on a map later.
I cycled past two teenage girls walking along Mythe Lane. One of them heard me coming at the last second, turned round then jumped about three feet into the air and let out a loud squeal. I wasn’t even passing them particularly close! I think that’s a first.
Cloudy and cool, so I wrapped up reasonably warm. I regretted not bringing a backpack later to stuff unwanted layers of clothing into after the sun came out and the temperature climbed a few degrees. I also regretted not having brought a debit card with me when I passed the Gate Hangs Well coming north of Bosworth. Would have been nice to stop for a cheeky G&T.
Nice run out, 37.29 miles, 342 this month. Hoping to another long one before July kicks in.