June 26 – June 30, 2023

Sunday, June 25 (Day 96). We went into  Bakewell with the goal of running along the Monsal Trail. It was going to be an out and back on a ‘rails to trails’ segment. As we passed a car park enroute to the trailhead, we noticed a couple pinning numbers on their shirts. We learned that a local run was set to go off in twenty minutes. “You can still register if you fancy a go!” We did fancy! £5 and £2.50 secured our entry into the Bakewell Pudding Fell Run and Fun Run. When I completed my entry form, one volunteer noted my USA address. “Ooh,” he said, “Now we’re an international event!”

Moments later, 213 locals and one American set off to climb the ridge above Bakewell. It was 6 1/2 miles of rough (at times muddy) single-track through the woods, ridge running with expansive views, and even a stream crossing. Sharon’s run included many of the same features on a slightly smaller scale.

We loved it! It was extremely well organized – and extremely nonchalant. People were handing over their pound notes to enter minutes before the start of the race. Easy as you please. No T-Shirts or medals to finishers, just some tasty Bakewell tarts from the race sponsor. My only complaint? They had trophies for the top male and female runners. No recognition for being the top American finisher!

It was great fun and gave us an excuse to enjoy a Cornish pasty and the fruit of a local microbrew. The exercise and food coma also gave us an excuse to laze around the rest of the day.

Monday, June 26 (Day 97). During our stay in the Peak District, we very much enjoyed time away from the bikes. It was fun – and painful – using different muscle groups. Now however it was time to head back south in the direction of London.  The town of Derby lay in the right direction at an agreeable distance. For no other reason, we landed there at day’s end. It was nice enough with loads of  pleasant bits. Empty store fronts and “To Let” signs littered the main streets. Many of the folks out and about also had a ‘worn around the edges’ look. England is not all quaint “move set” villages. It is filled with real people, living in real cities, facing real challenges – just like people everywhere.

Tuesday, June 27 (Day 98). We set out to cover forty some miles today. We hadn’t gone half that, and we were looking to tap out. Cycling was lovely as ever. But, it was also a cold, moist day, with the wind coming from the wrong direction. Given our distance from London, and given that cycling into a city of twelve million is cycling suicide, we’ve planned to do the last bit by train. Knowing that we will at some point take that option, we see no need to flog ourselves. Here’s the funny thing – just when we had decided to cut short our day…England pulled in the welcome mat. There were no campgrounds nearby. OK! We looked at hotels, guiest houses, B&B’s – NO VACANCY!  We tried and exhausted countless options. By the time we found lodging, we had covered our forty miles, and ended up in Leicester.

We did have fun along the way.   

Wednesday, June 28 (Day 99). Leaving Leicester was a lengthy affair. We wound through back alleys, side roads, crossed parking lots and along sidewalks to avoid almost certain death on the car-centric city streets. In the city center, we ran into James and Sashi. In short order, they knew about our trip, and James was showing me holiday photos from a family visit in Antigua. Sashi was sharing with Sharon that he moved from Lisbon to Leicester from a desire for a larger Indian community. Cool guys and a fun chat.   

“Fool me once…” right? Since the Brits apparently can’t abide our spontaneous style of travel, we buckled and made plans. We left Leicester with reservations in place for a Bed and Breakfast near Long Buckby. I will grudgingly concede that it was nice to know where we’d be at day’s end.

From the center of town we were able to pick up a bike trail, then a network of quiet lanes and small villages. After a bit of a down day yesterday, this was just fun. 

Stanford Hall was built in 1690 for Sir Roger Cave. In the 1890’s, an early aviation pioneer named Percy Pilcher built gliders there. He also built a powered flying machine that many historians believe would have been capable of flight. Unfortunately Percy died in an accident beforehe could try it. Curious little bit of history. Another interesting feature of Stanford Hall, is that the River Avon flows through the property. The village of Stanford on Avon is 30-ish miles from the somewhat more well known Stratford upon Avon.

Outside the grocery store in Long Buckby we met the Librarian! She had toured years ago, so we started the conversation with cycling. We quickly moved to life in this lovely, bustling community. Budget constraints had the library slated for closure. Folks were not ready to let that happen. So currently, forty some volunteers run the library. City funds allow them to buy a few books and hire one half-time staff member. Sad, but also inspiring! Way to go Long Buckby. We would have loved to spend more time here, but our home for the evening was an old farmhouse a few miles outside of town. Peaceful and perfect!

Thursday, June 29 (Day 100). Today we found a campground just outside of Banbury. Why Banbury you ask? We found a train from Banbury to Heathrow Airport that allows bicycles and has room for ours. Thus, this will be our last day of touring! Bittersweet to be sure. We thoroughly enjoy life “behind bars“ and will miss our nomadic life. We are also very eager for time with family, friends and our next adventure. With all that in mind – today was the perfect “last” day. One last bit of dodgy route suggestions, beautiful countryside and, as always, amazing, friendly people. I think today I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking.

Rolling into the campground I ran into Cliff. He’s the third generation looking after these grounds. He said the campground was closed for the weekend for a large private party on Saturday night. Since we were just looking for one night, we were welcome to stay! Not only that, we were invited down to for a beer later. Turns out the private party was a 75th birthday bash for James, Cliff’s father-in-law. We actually met four generations and were made to feel part of the family.

Friday, June 30 (Day 101). After a short ride back into Banbury, we caught our train. A short time later, we were dropped off near the airport hotel. We quickly found bike boxes, settled in to relax, and planned our tourist campaign in London. One notable event today. Three miles from the hotel, my rear rack broke! I’d say almost perfect timing for a gear failure like that. Zip ties brought us home. I’ll take that as a sign that our trip is rightly over.

I’ll give some London details and a final wrap-up next week. But for now, this seems like a good place to pause. So until next week from the States, cheers from London!

June 18 – 24, 2023

Sunday, June 18 (Day 89). Imagine driving from Flagstaff to New York City. That’s basically the distance we’ve covered in the last 88 days. People say, “You must be in really good shape!” Thank you! Most days we do feel in good shape…for “biking.” We’ve lost some weight. We may have toned up a bit. But – I can’t say the whole body has gotten on board with the program. Seems like any movement other than cycling causes a great deal of grunting and groaning. So the forecast of heavy rain today was more than enough excuse to spend an extra day in Oxford doing as close to nothing as possible.

Monday, June 19 (Day 90). Sarah and Sharon first met in grade school in Neenah, Wisconsin. After high school their paths diverged, with Sarah landing in England. After a career and lifetime in London, she and Julian have settled an hour north of London. We set off from Oxford, and fifty beautiful, tailwind assisted miles later, we arrived at 35 Church Walk Lane.

If we were in a movie about American cyclists on an adventure in England, this is how Hollywood would have portrayed it. Sarah and Julian live in an idyllic little village, in a modern home with 300 year old bones. Their view is a broad, neatly trimmed park. Across the way a properly old church rests amid centuries old gravestones.

Sharon and Sarah had fun playing catch up, recalling people and events from their childhood together. Finally it was time for a pint at the village pub.  With Sarah as our point of contact, we quickly fell in with the local cast of characters. I felt like we were in the English version of “Cheers.” Again, Hollywood could not have scripted a more perfect evening. It was magic!   

Tuesday, June 20 (Day 91). Yesterday was catch-up day with the ladies taking a leisurely stroll down memory lane. Today, we got to know the Sarah and Julian of today. Sarah pursued a career in telecommunications. As such, it was fascinating to learn of her role dealing with the crisis of 9/11. At the time, almost all lines used for airline communication were routed through the World Trade Towers. When the buildings came down, crucial links were disrupted. As you can imagine it was rather important to be able to talk to airlines and airplanes! Sarah spent the day helping coordinate the effort to re-establish those critical links. For his part, Julian has had careers in both military and industry. I was blown away by mention of a true “007” moment during his military career. With classic British understatement, he passed it off as “interesting.”

We spent the day touring the area. We were shown beautiful and historic sites, and treated to excellent pub grub. Along the way, we had long conversations about life, politics, issues facing both our countries, work, travel, and on and on. We ended the day with another trip for pints at the Elwes Arms pub. Thank you both for being the perfect hosts.

Wednesday, June 21 (Day 92). The clock continues to tick. We have more to see and fewer days at our disposal. With the aid of local knowledge, we chose to spend the remainder of our time in the Peaks District. After our farewells, we rode to Kettering and caught a train north to Matlock. It is a beautiful town on the edge of the national park, but a bit frantic. We were happy to find a quiet spot along the River Derwent to enjoy a pint. With that important piece of work done, we retreated to our camp site in a closed campground. (We had permission and paid for the privilege.) From there, we planned our next few days. With the numbers of tourists and a weekend approaching, we realized we couldn’t do our usual seat of the pants non-plan.

Thursday, June 22 (Day 93). For the next several days we planned to get off our bikes and onto the local hills. We found both a campground and several trails near the village of Bakewell. Upon arrival we realized that this village deserved a thorough inspection. Along a side street at a seeming dead end, Hazel assured us that we could, in fact, cut through a nearby court yard. That brief exchange led to a longer conversation. Eventually, we ended up in Hazel and John’s living room, sipping prosecco and trading stories. Like many Brits we’ve met, they are seasoned travelers. John has visited, lived, and/or worked in fifty different countries. Hazel has a similar resume and (among other places) lived a year in India and thirteen years in Paris. In the space of three hours, we talked and laughed like old friends. These are absolutely the best moments. Thank you, Hazel and John!

We arrived back at camp to watch the spectacle that is Friday night in a UK campground. A steady stream of vehicles rolled in. The caravans and vans were normal size, unlike the bloated Mad Max behemoths we see in the States. Car campers were a different story. From out of each vehicle came giant, multi-room tents, tables, lounge chairs, portable grills, wind screens. It was a sight to behold.

Friday, June 23 (Day 94) We took our first stab at English walking in the village of  Ashford-in-the-Water. We were pleased to learn that Ashford was not actually in the water, but so named because it was near the River Wye. Our walk took us over a ridge past grazing cows and sheep. After a few miles we dropped into the dale (a narrow river valley) and followed it back to Ashford. Thus, to quote the Bard, we walked “over hill, over dale.”

Saturday, June 24 (Day 95). We met James and Jane last summer in Central Turkey. A chance meeting in “Love Valley” led to an evening gathering of world travelers in Goreme. As so often seems to happen with fellow travelers, we formed fast friendships. Since then, we’ve kept in touch. So when we pitched up a short drive from their home in Sheffield, we naturally made plans to meet. They graciously picked us up with a full day plan in place to hike, picnic, pub, and chat.

We drove to the unique village of Eyam. During the plague in 1660-1665, death visited. In an incredible display of selflessness, the villagers voluntarily isolated in order to prevent the spread of the disease. Neighboring villages would leave food at a well in the countryside. Coins for payment would be left in a jug of vinegar to disinfect. Tragically, one-third of the residents would die, but the spread was checked.

James and Jane led us over hill and over dale, all the while offering up a running commentary. A Roman road here. Rock climbing there. The reservoir where the bouncing dam buster bomb was put to the test. And all around, expansive views of the countryside.

Our day with the Halls was a perfect end to this penultimate week here in England. We parted ways, grateful to have had this opportunity to connect, eager to follow their next adventure, and hopeful that our paths will cross again. We hope you’ve enjoyed this portion of the trip as much as we have. Until next week – Seize the Carp!