East Sussex was fabulous. The memories are many and very pleasant. Our legs won’t forget the climbs in a hurry. Our longest distance on Blue Belle was 53 miles – now if you do the maths you’ll realise that that is quite a distance.
We had fabulous walks and strolls around the place. If our Walk for Life routes went through some of these parts we’d be out walking 10k’s a day and not even notice – even with the hills. Tea at Duddleswell Tea Room was a very pleasant experience. It was raining – no – it was pouring outside which made taking tea in this character Tea house a very memorable and pleasant experience. This building once housed the local Post Office. Pet lovers would love this Tea Shop – it even welcomes your pets! And what’s more they get treated to real delicious doggy treats too. Let’s not forget of course that this is where Winnie the Pooh and friends used to hang out. The Pooh Sticks Bridge and the hundred acre wood are not too far away. AA Milne certainly had the right environment for his characters to come alive. Christopher Robin must have had fabulous adventures in his day!
We bade farewell to East Sussex and made our way to Woking where we spent a very pleasant afternoon and evening with friends and enjoyed playing gran and granddad to their dear little girl. Carl of course had to get his camera out and in the space of about 10 minutes had taken over 200 pictures, declaring 3 month old Alex a photogenic beauty in the making! Lynn we so enjoyed the pleasure!
Our next week’s stay is in Tudor cottage in Romsey. Romsey is north of Southampton in Hampshire. This is also the gateway to the New Forest and of course Jane Austin country. The cottage we’re staying in is making Carl wonder why he is blessed with height. He bumps his head at every turn in this grade 2 listed building. Constant involuntary head banging seems to be the order of the day. Is this because the brain is being rearranged each time? Now instead of hearing “Mind the Gap” as one does on the underground he hears “Mind your Head”. I am thankful for my height this week. If Pippins was 5 star then Tudor cottage is 2 star – and that only because it looks cute and enchanting from the outside! Lighting is about as good as it was when the original owners built it which was definitely before electricity. Did they not read at night? There is 1 little window and the entrance door to the cottage (shared by the people in the next “flat”) opening onto the pavement – a busy one at that – it has to be because the pavement on the opposite side is non-existent. Instead it has a babbling brook of crystal clear water ambling down to the beautiful River Test less than 100 meters away. Inside the cottage, which is snug and warm, there is an inglenook where I imagine once would have been the hub of the household – sitting around a fire with bubbling pots and sizzling meat. Today it houses a telly. Oh well it’s the 21st century, the cottage is dear and different and we love it!
Our first ride out and into the forest came to an abrupt end when a dear biddy who for some reason felt it necessary to maintain her speed of 50 miles per hour and stay in a straight line in spite of seeing – or clearly did not see – an arm clad in bright lumu pink with a black gloved hand sticking out indicating a right turn. Well yes you guessed – she crashed into us and Carl and I very politely, as if rehearsed, fell to the ground. We’re both fine and have no scratches and scrapes to tell the tale. Blue Belle of course had the back wheel buckled and totally destroyed. Now said lady could not get off that easily so we politely asked her to give Rita a lift back to the village to collect the car and carriers. She clearly obliged albeit reluctantly.
Monday saw us searching for another wheel. Tandems and their wheels are almost as scarce as speeding old ladies. After many phone calls we drove off to Oxford where we managed to purchase a pair of wheels. Carl was so keen to get Blue Belle well wheeled that he forgot all about lunch!
Tuesday we packed our picnic blanket and picnic fare into our new bags and off we rode on a newly back wheeled Blue Belle. 73 miles (for the metric freaks that nearly 120 kilometers!) later we had picnicked beside a stream and criss crossed many of the roads in the New Forest with a detour to New Milton and Lymington. We rode through places like Nomansland, Bank and Tiptoe – who lives in Tiptoe? Actually I wouldn’t mind. We stopped for afternoon tea at what was once a railway station. The horses (and donkeys) of the New Forest roam freely. Edna I thought so much of you and Lianne and Chelle when I saw all the horses. We rode over at least 2 dozen cattle grids. The entrances to the homes in the New Forest have cattle grids to stop the horses from invading their properties. The bluebells in the forest look like a thick carpet on the ground. On our way back we thought it a good idea to photograph the horses. Well not a good idea because Carl managed to get the cleat of his shoe caught on the top bar brake cable, over balanced and we BOTH went for a tumble down the little slope into a trench of really soft lawn – Rita landing with the tandem on her knee! She was grumpy and sore after that! What a pleasant day in a beautiful environment, in spite of the spills and wrong turns. No – we don’t do wrong turns, only a change in plan or a detour. This is an adventure after all.
We are using this time too to catch up with family and friends. It’s been good to spend unhurried time with such wonderful people.
Till next time, take good care
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