I spent a few days in London catching up with Timo and Kath and getting over some mild jet lag. The next week was spent catching up with friends near London and I combined that with a few rides.
It was 50kms to Jen and Lewis’ house in Digswell. It should have been less but I didn’t always make the right turns or take heed of my GPS. There was also a flooded subway under a motorway that necessitated a fair amount of backtracking. That didn’t matter as I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
I hadn’t been to their house before and I could immediately see that they were both designers as it’s a stunning place to live. We talked for hours. Rating – 5 stars 😁
The next day, I met up with Claire and Miles, (whom I’d met in Luang Prabang) just a few kilometres up the road – for a coffee and toastie at SpokeCC. That was such a nice thing to do before the beautiful ride to their place in Letchworth, along with their friends John and Julian. There, I met their kids and enjoyed their fantastic hospitality. But I forgot to take any photos – aaaagggghhhh !!!
The ride itself was everything I like about cycling here – old forests, rolling farmlands and narrow, quiet country lanes. I can’t tell you how nice it was to catch up. These two are serious cycle tourists who are planning far more adventurous trips than I’ve contemplated – to India and South America. Rating – 5 stars 😁 (could have been more but for the effects of the beans in the very very tasty dinner !)
On Monday, I caught a couple of trains and went to Reading. I caught up with my old Seer mate, Steve, in Wokingham. As usual, it was great to catch up and hear the latest on our friends, kids and QPR. The dinner at the Rose was the best, but the 30 minute wait on the train platform while the temperature headed to zero was character building. Overall, it was another 5 stars for sure. This catching-up-with-friends business is a lot of fun ! No photos this time either. I think I’m out of the habit.
Next was Peter, Fiona and Georgia who are at Binfield Heath near Henley. It was a short 7km ride up the road from Reading.
The weather was stunning and we spent most of the day in the beautiful town of Henley. Nothing beats a pint by the river in this place with such great company. Thanks folks. 5 stars again !
The next day, I rode to Oxford along forested narrow country lanes which opened out to go through farmland and finally back to the Thames for the last 10 kms into town.
After visiting three bike shops who were too busy to look at my headset issue on my bike, I was told about a bike maintenance collective called Broken Spoke.
I went there on my rest day and used their bike stand to disassemble the headset completely. Out popped a washer that was in the wrong place and jammed up out of sight. Problem solved very quickly. I really do need a better bike mechanic, … but that’s me 😁
