Greenfly bra!

Determined to do a big bike ride today. So after dropping the sproglet off I set off on my journey.

Wasn’t entirely sure where I was going yet but I took my usual route towards Findern, a pretty little village not far from me and it’s on the road is nice and quiet, mostly.

I love going past this cottage. It’s so pretty. Pity the sun wasn’t shining on it.

From here I travelled towards Willington. Past the marina, which has a beautiful cafe looking out over it. Sadly, I had no time, or money to stop for some of their lovely cake.

Through the village and on towards Eggington and Hilton.

My Dad lives at Hilton but being a fine day he was out working so I rode over to where he works, at a residential home near the Tara Buddhist centre. The centre is an old school house set in beautiful gardens and woods. It’s a very relaxing place and I have had many a session meditating there but cannot subscribe to the Buddhist theory so stopped going. It made me feel terrible to think I had to be mindful of everything. I have to saw I wasn’t mindful of the greenfly stuck down my top today!

After a quick natter with pops it was onto the village of Sutton on the hill then Longford.

Coming out of Longford and heading back towards Radbourne is a killer ride with lots of hills. I tried to photograph them but the photographs don’t do them any justice.

They are truly evil!

The brow of the hill in this photograph is actually just opposite the house you can see in the distance. The last little bit in the foreground of the photo is very steep and an absolute killer!

Off then towards Kedleston Hall where I stopped for a wee while with the sheep (and their poo) and thistle up my bum! I didn’t actually go to the hall as it was further up the path and I was keen to get moving.

The hill I had just coasted down for ten minutes was absolutely mobbed with greenfly. They sounded like torrential rain hitting my jacket. At the bottom of the hill I stopped and was covered. Wish I’d zipped my jacket up to the neck as I had a ton of them in my cleavage :-0 I could feel them crawling about, so forgive me Buddha but they got squidged!

I decided then in my wisdom to head back up the hill I had taken ten minutes to coast down! What?? It was like an out of body experience. Maybe I have a split personality with masochistic tenancies?

Anyway it was a gradual incline and looked worse than it actually was.

I then headed towards Radbourne again and on towards Mickleover where I joined the Sustrans route 54 towards Egginton. This is a disused railway track and makes an excellent ride through some beautiful countryside. Quite busy with cyclists today too.

Getting off at Eggington Junction I headed back towards Willington and I was running out of steam and had finished my water too so decided to head home for a well earned cuppa (a couple of biscuits)! I think I deserved it as I had clocked up 70k.

Willington.