Wednesday, 11 April 2012

Easter in the New Forest

We had a family wedding to attend near Lymington on the Easter Saturday so rented a cottage/studio near Boldre from Friday till Weds. Nicky and I took our hybrid bikes on the roof rack and did a 10 mile ride to the coast and back on the Friday, then a longer 25 mile ride on coastal roads, in towards Lyndhurst over heathland, then through some forest tracks. There are over 100 miles of gravel forest tracks that are ok for hybrids and mountain bikes. I was hoping to cycle a bit more, but Easter Monday was a wash out - so we donned our waterproofs and had walks in the woods and a brief walk on Bournemouth beach (with our son and girlfriend).

On the way back Nicky dropped me near Theale (S of Reading) and I cycled the 41 miles home, via Pangbourne and the Chilterns. I was glad I was on my hybrid as the hill N of Pangbourne was long and steep, requiring my lowest 0.9 ratio gear. I then had to negotiate parts of the Chilterns I was unfamiliar with, without a map or phone signal for much of the way. But this added to the adventure and I eventually made it to Christmas Common, over the M40 and down to Chinnor and familiar territory.

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