Jean and I awoke to wind and driving rain and a bit of worry over each of our outdoor plans for the day. As Jean headed off for her garden club outing, Ray and I killed a little time by driving to the bike shop so I could buy a tube and patchkit and see what the weather did in the meantime. As he predicted, the rain stopped and the sky cleared by mid-morning. We hopped on the bikes after a cup of tea and hit the Chiltern hills. The scenery was what I would describe as proper English countryside; wooded sections with sunlit meadows shining beyond the trees, pastures of horses and cattle punctuated by tudor-style farm houses and white-washed stone pubs with cascading petunias and geraniums. We alternated between bridalpaths through forests, dirt singletrack, trails running between open farming meadows, and steep, narrow country roads. Ray likes the hills and there were plenty of grunts around here! He did his best to incorporate the steepest climbs in the area into our ride, which had me out of the saddle to push over the bigger gears of the cross bike while he spun along on his mountain bike. After a couple hours of riding, it was time for lunch and we stopped at a pub for a pint (or half) and a sandwich. Yes, that’s right, Jilayne Lovejoy, supreme-lightweight, had a half-pint of beer with lunch in the midst of a bike ride. (Peter will be so proud.) What can I say, when in England…

Fortunately, there were no steep hills directly after lunch, although I suffered for my sins nevertheless, while Ray, who imbibed a “real” pint, was un-phased and kept the same brisk pace. Apparently, one needs to train for this part of the riding too. We hit a different canal trail, more bridalpaths, and more steep hills after lunch. We worked our way to Berkhamsted castle ruins for a quick peek before heading back to Chorleywood, sticking to the roads in order to get back faster. Arriving back at Ray’s with just enough time for a quick cup of tea, I fixed a slow leak on my front wheel and then to the train station to get me back to London. (If you are counting, that would make for puncture #5, as Ray also had a flat early on in the ride.) The half-hour train ride brought me to the center of the City and a half hour ride back to the flat, where I promptly collapsed on the couch and reported to Shane that I can now say I have been worn out riding with a 13 year old and a 65 year old in less than two weeks time. Perhaps I should pick on someone my own age.

Ray had already emailed me with the data for our sojourn: just about 40 miles and 3:20 ride time (plus my extra half hour of dodging-cars-for-sport). No wonder I feel tired!

--- we had the pub patio all to ourselves ---

--- Berkhamsted Castle ruins ---