After a mild autumn it seemed a good idea to book a few days away, Jordans being my first destination. A sudden change in the weather brought a headwind as I set off in the general direction of Dunstable. After the village of Streatley I begin to ascend 'Sharpenhoe Clappers'. Up this hill I am going like anything but the clappers. In fact, I have to admit to pushing the bike. Not that the hill is to steep to ride, but with a fierce headwind progress is so slow I am being blown all over the road, it is safer to walk.
Dunstable Downs is my next challenge (more 'ups' called 'downs') but here I have a surfaced cycle track away from the road. At the top of the climb the wind is so strong I am blown onto the grass on several occasions - I'm glad it is not blowing towards the cliff edge. The visitor centre at the top of the downs, at just over half distance, is a good place to stop and eat.
From here onwards the route is via wooded country lanes with not a lot to see but plenty of protection from the winds. The descent into Berkhampstead is welcome, not so the steep climb out, by which time the rain has started and I need to put the lights on. I stop to read my map in the village of Flaunden and lean the bike on a street sign for Hogpits Bottom. I am at the foot of a hill so I suppose the top of the hill lends itself to 'Upper Hogpits Bottom' jokes.
Jordans youth hostel is a welcome sight, not that I can see it in the dark but I am soon comfortable in front of the wood burning stove.
Friday 9 December - Oxford.
Jordans Youth Hostel
The village of Jordans, in Buckinghamshire has close associations with the Quaker religion, I believe the hostel and grounds are leased from the Quaker Friends, but then again I may be wrong on this. Area's close to my previous home in North Nottinghamshire also have close links with this following, several families who sailed on the Mayflower coming from that area. Part of the timbers in Jordans village hall are reported to have come from the Mayflower. I was unaware that the boat sailed back from America, I always thought once it was there that was it. It is also stated that Ozzi and Sharon Osbourne have a mansion in Jordans, but I see nothing of them. Most of the houses around seem to be mansions, if there was less spent on property and more on repairing the road it would make for ideal roads.
My journey to-day is not very far, around 40 miles I think. The down-side is that I have to cross the Chiltern Hills from one side to the other and the climbing starts almost straight away with the Chiltren Hundreds and after Marlow the Chiltern's themselves. The hills are more long and steady than short and steep. High in the hills at the village of Northend the bus shelter and road sign are both decked out in Christmas decorations. I head into Christmas Common, it's early December and I certainly agree, Christmas is comin'. I am not sure what the birds of prey are that live around this area but there are lots of them, they are very large and slowly riding by give me a good chance to look at them - I have since found out they are Red Kites.
In Christmas Common a left turn gives me a view of nothing but sky, then a view over Oxfordshire. I may be able to see Oxford itself but with a cross-headwind and a greasy, pot-holed road to contend with I do not get the chance to look as I make the most of the two miles of downhill.
Oxford is crowded, with cars at a standstill and Christmas shoppers out in large numbers.
Saturday 10 December - The University Way.
Not the start of Sustrans Route 51 from Oxford to Cambridge, but outside Oxford railway station. A much better picture than the unmarked 'official' start of the route on a street corner a quarter of a mile further on and outside the Job Centre.
This morning the city is quiet as I leave. Passing many fine buildings along the way it is not long before I am rattling and banging my way along the pot-holed back streets of Oxford giving me a chance to see parts of the city I would not normally visit and perhaps some parts I would not want to visit.
It is a cold, frosty morning and I stop for a chat to a Sustrans volunteer sweeping leaves and glass from the route in Kidlington - he refuses to go all the way to Bedford with me doing the same job.
The route is well waymarked and the map stays in my pocket most of the way. With a break for food in Bicester the paths and roads are still frost covered. There is a very stiff climb out of Bicester, at the top of which I pass a high-security area, double fenced and barbed wire. Maybe it is or was a prison, nothing to say, no 'vacancies' signs to be seen.
The route into Milton Keynes
The network of city cycle paths takes me towards the shopping centre of Milton Keynes where Red Bull Racing, who are based in the city, have a promotional event blocking some of the roads, I make steady progress through it all.
From here it is out through the parks, where some of the cycle paths are more bumpy than the green lanes I rode earlier in the day, before emerging onto the road through Salford and Cranfield. Here the road turns right onto what the route description advises is 'suitable for mountain bikes only'. Having ridden this section previously I know it is about a quarter of a mile of gravel and half a mile of rolled stone and all fairly smooth. By the time I arrive darkness is beginning to fall and so is the temperature, if I puncture on this section I will be making the repair in the cold and dark. With this in mind, after almost 60-miles on the route I decide to give it up, head for home (another 13 and a half miles by road) and return in daylight to complete the next section and then on to Cambridge.
Monday 12 December - Cranfield to Chawston.
With half a day to spare in my busy retirement schedule I return to Cranfield to ride another section of the route. With only tools and a camera to carry I image progress will be a little swifter than when carrying a full load. This illusion is soon shattered when I find myself fighting into a headwind, yet again, the ascent of Milton Hill into Cranfield does not help either. At this stage I realise I have forgotten to bring my front light and estimate I have another two hours of daylight before I become 'illegal'.
Picking up the route and ridding the 'off-road' section I come out onto country lanes with no problems in the puncture department. The headwind is now a tailwind as I head towards Marston Moretaine and pass around the edge of the country park. After six miles of riding I return to the main road about two miles from were I started the route.
A mix of main and minor roads takes me to the outskirts of Bedford, at which point the route follows minor roads through housing estates and back allies before taking me into the town along the side of the river Great Ouse.
The river at Bedford is usually graced with swans, to-day it is seagulls!
From here the path follows an old railway line through Willington before it turns off to Great Barford.
As I reach the bridge at Great Barford daylight is beginning to fade and yes, I do ride home in the dark with no front light. The route now crosses the bridge before passing through the village, on to Roxton and then a left turn to Chawston were my route ends for to-day.
So far I have covered just under 83 miles on the University Way and have another days riding to get me to the finish in Cambridge and then back home - or half a day and a night in Cambridge. Before I can do all that I have a room to decorate before Christmas!
Now, just eight miles to get home - in the dark.
Tuesday 28 February - St Neots and Hail Weston
Decorating, Christmas and a few weeks in Cyprus are now behind me and it is time to think again about completing this route and with a 30-mile ride planned for this morning it is an ideal chance to cover a little bit more. Although the roads are wet from overnight rain the day is very mild considering it is almost the last day of February.
From Chawston I take the short ride through quiet lanes to Eaton Socon where a cycle path behind the church takes me straight to St Neots. Like a lot of Sustrans routes this one does not go into the town but 'clips the corner'. It is a pity really as St Neots has an attractive riverside walk and an abundance of places to buy food and drink.
From here cycle paths take me through an estate of private houses - do not be fooled, there are some short but stiff climbs to negotiate.
Back on the roads again I travel over the A1 and on to the village of Hail Weston where again the roads are quiet, Sustrans have done a good job. After 8.62 miles on the University Way to-day I head for home. The Royal Oak in Hail Weston, at twenty minutes past nine in the morning is not open so no drinks there, just 15 miles to home and yes, once more it is a headwind all the way!
89.76 'University Way' miles covered so far. I have an overnight stay in Cambridge booked for early May in order to finish this route before I travel on to Bungay in Suffolk to continue along the North Sea Cycle Route (see June 2011 for details of the NSCR so far).
Wednesday 18 April - Godmanchester
The idea behind riding this section is to cover the off-road sections between Hail Weston and Grafham Water without a load on the bike, the reasoning being there is less chance of a puncture - and one would be easier to mend not having to take luggage off. I'm not sure why I chose to-day to ride, having ridden 36 miles in the rain yesterday. The rain eventually stopped but not so the cold wind.
From the village of Hail Weston, along the ominously-named 'Ford Lane' I decide, based on past experience, to walk over the bridge and not ride through the ford. Shortly after this the route follows farm tracks, passing Little Paxton Wood and on towards Grafham Water. A very pleasant ride through open countryside.
Around Grafham Water the 'off-road' alternates between rolled stone and tarmac path, dipping to the bottom of the dam wall to avoid riders being 'hooked' by the back-cast from fishermen - there are none to-day.
From Grafham it's quiet lanes through Brampton to Huntingdon where a network of cycle paths avoids the town centre and dips under the main roads to take me into Godmanchester.
Almost 13-miles covered to-day, 102.51 in total since Oxford, 21 still to ride - on 3 May.
Thursday 3 May - Cambridge
For a day in May it is quite cold, but at least the rain has stopped.
My route takes me along the Pathfinder Long Distance Walking Path and on towards Hemingford Abbots and Hemingford Grey, a route I know well having ridden it several times. Shortly after this point the on-line mapping indicates I should follow the St. Ives to Cambridge guided busway. The waymarkers on the ground tell a different story and I spend a pleasant if sometimes bumpy afternoon passing through several delightful villages before reaching Cambridge. Here I face a dilemma - what point do I call the end of the 'University Way'? I have been following Sustrans NCN Route 51 from Oxford but that continues on from Cambridge to Harwich (I will no doubt meet up with it again in a few days time as I continue on the next section of 'The North Sea Cycle Route' and arrive at Harwich). For now I call the end the bridge over the River Cam on Magdalene Street, for no better reason than the location makes a pleasant picture that typifies Cambridge - and it has just started to rain so I can find a bit of shelter!
On the journey from Oxford to Cambridge I have recorded 123.08 miles, if I had stopped at the other side of the bridge it would probably have been 123 miles exactly.
Now, in the rain, off to Cambridge youth hostel and a bed for the night.
Monday 12 December - Cranfield to Chawston.
With half a day to spare in my busy retirement schedule I return to Cranfield to ride another section of the route. With only tools and a camera to carry I image progress will be a little swifter than when carrying a full load. This illusion is soon shattered when I find myself fighting into a headwind, yet again, the ascent of Milton Hill into Cranfield does not help either. At this stage I realise I have forgotten to bring my front light and estimate I have another two hours of daylight before I become 'illegal'.
Picking up the route and ridding the 'off-road' section I come out onto country lanes with no problems in the puncture department. The headwind is now a tailwind as I head towards Marston Moretaine and pass around the edge of the country park. After six miles of riding I return to the main road about two miles from were I started the route.
A mix of main and minor roads takes me to the outskirts of Bedford, at which point the route follows minor roads through housing estates and back allies before taking me into the town along the side of the river Great Ouse.
The river at Bedford is usually graced with swans, to-day it is seagulls!
From here the path follows an old railway line through Willington before it turns off to Great Barford.
As I reach the bridge at Great Barford daylight is beginning to fade and yes, I do ride home in the dark with no front light. The route now crosses the bridge before passing through the village, on to Roxton and then a left turn to Chawston were my route ends for to-day.
So far I have covered just under 83 miles on the University Way and have another days riding to get me to the finish in Cambridge and then back home - or half a day and a night in Cambridge. Before I can do all that I have a room to decorate before Christmas!
Now, just eight miles to get home - in the dark.
Tuesday 28 February - St Neots and Hail Weston
Decorating, Christmas and a few weeks in Cyprus are now behind me and it is time to think again about completing this route and with a 30-mile ride planned for this morning it is an ideal chance to cover a little bit more. Although the roads are wet from overnight rain the day is very mild considering it is almost the last day of February.
From Chawston I take the short ride through quiet lanes to Eaton Socon where a cycle path behind the church takes me straight to St Neots. Like a lot of Sustrans routes this one does not go into the town but 'clips the corner'. It is a pity really as St Neots has an attractive riverside walk and an abundance of places to buy food and drink.
From here cycle paths take me through an estate of private houses - do not be fooled, there are some short but stiff climbs to negotiate.
Back on the roads again I travel over the A1 and on to the village of Hail Weston where again the roads are quiet, Sustrans have done a good job. After 8.62 miles on the University Way to-day I head for home. The Royal Oak in Hail Weston, at twenty minutes past nine in the morning is not open so no drinks there, just 15 miles to home and yes, once more it is a headwind all the way!
89.76 'University Way' miles covered so far. I have an overnight stay in Cambridge booked for early May in order to finish this route before I travel on to Bungay in Suffolk to continue along the North Sea Cycle Route (see June 2011 for details of the NSCR so far).
Wednesday 18 April - Godmanchester
The idea behind riding this section is to cover the off-road sections between Hail Weston and Grafham Water without a load on the bike, the reasoning being there is less chance of a puncture - and one would be easier to mend not having to take luggage off. I'm not sure why I chose to-day to ride, having ridden 36 miles in the rain yesterday. The rain eventually stopped but not so the cold wind.
From the village of Hail Weston, along the ominously-named 'Ford Lane' I decide, based on past experience, to walk over the bridge and not ride through the ford. Shortly after this the route follows farm tracks, passing Little Paxton Wood and on towards Grafham Water. A very pleasant ride through open countryside.
Around Grafham Water the 'off-road' alternates between rolled stone and tarmac path, dipping to the bottom of the dam wall to avoid riders being 'hooked' by the back-cast from fishermen - there are none to-day.
From Grafham it's quiet lanes through Brampton to Huntingdon where a network of cycle paths avoids the town centre and dips under the main roads to take me into Godmanchester.
Almost 13-miles covered to-day, 102.51 in total since Oxford, 21 still to ride - on 3 May.
Thursday 3 May - Cambridge
For a day in May it is quite cold, but at least the rain has stopped.
My route takes me along the Pathfinder Long Distance Walking Path and on towards Hemingford Abbots and Hemingford Grey, a route I know well having ridden it several times. Shortly after this point the on-line mapping indicates I should follow the St. Ives to Cambridge guided busway. The waymarkers on the ground tell a different story and I spend a pleasant if sometimes bumpy afternoon passing through several delightful villages before reaching Cambridge. Here I face a dilemma - what point do I call the end of the 'University Way'? I have been following Sustrans NCN Route 51 from Oxford but that continues on from Cambridge to Harwich (I will no doubt meet up with it again in a few days time as I continue on the next section of 'The North Sea Cycle Route' and arrive at Harwich). For now I call the end the bridge over the River Cam on Magdalene Street, for no better reason than the location makes a pleasant picture that typifies Cambridge - and it has just started to rain so I can find a bit of shelter!
On the journey from Oxford to Cambridge I have recorded 123.08 miles, if I had stopped at the other side of the bridge it would probably have been 123 miles exactly.
Now, in the rain, off to Cambridge youth hostel and a bed for the night.
