WTF is she on about??!! you may well ask. Well it all started with a bicycle and a friend…
Let’s go off and do a ride in the New Forest.
Like other rides I’ve done, recently it seemed like a good idea at the time. I’ve never been to this particular forest before and heard tell it was pretty cool. So, managed to find a B n B in New Milton, not too far from the start of the ride in Brockenhurst, in the heart of the forest. Turned out Beech Lodge was rather nice and the proprietors Kate and Adrian nice and friendly…
We went down the night before fully intending to do the 60 mile route (yes really we did). By the morning we’d decided that the 45 mile route was probably more appropriate for our respective conditions…
So off we set, first refreshment stop and running bike repairs 20 or so miles in.
20 mile stop
We planned to have our next stop at the 32 mile point which would have left us a nice comfortable but stretching 13 or so miles to finish. Oh no, the route splits…
Do we go long or short route?
(Signs for the medium 45 mile route had by this time disappeared so we assumed the short route was the one we wanted – the “keep going straight on until told otherwise” option didn’t occur to either of us…).
On the road again…
…Oh oh we seem to be alone…
Off we pedalled, with not many other riders ahead or behind, and suddenly… we were back at the start a mere hour and a bit later being congratulated for finishing and handed out our completion certificates… Mmmnnnn we think.
That wasn’t the plan. What to do? Go round again or find the nearest pub?
A few minutes later we were sitting in the beer garden in front of a nice steak and ale pie n a pint….
Great ride despite the unintended (honest) curtailment. The countryside is absolutely fantastic. Wild ponies and donkeys wandering at will, dappled sunlight through the trees, aaah, lovely.
Do not feed the animals?? Is this what counts as the local wildlife in Brockenhurst?!