So Storm Doris has swept through, leaving behind a warm breezy sunny morning for a pleasant cycle ride out to Broughton and back. So out via the Red Rice road to Red Rice and then onto the Stockbridge Road, At the junction of the old and new Stockbridge Roads, took the byway across Danebury and Houghton Downs to Chattis Hill house. Onwards south to Broughton and then back along the Wallop Brook valley through the various Wallops of Nether, Middle and Over. At Blackbarn Farm took Mount Carmel road to Palestine and over the railway to the start of the Portway (Roman road). We didn't take it but turned east towards Quarley and home via Amport, Monxton and Anna Fields and Valley. Strava had a fit half way round, so didn't record the complete route. Which once checking using MapOmeter proved to be 40km.
Doris did leave her mark there was a lot of small twigs and branches blown down. In fact the N246 was blocked by a small tree just after the subway which run's under the A303. Manhandled the bike over without issue.
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So the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour arrived in Salisbury at the City Hall. The Tour consists of two different show reels - red and blue film programmes. This evening was the red programme which had a mix of documentaries and slick promo films:
Danny Macaskill's Wee Day out - Want to see what pro trials cyclist Danny MacAskill does on his day off? Dog Power - Get a rare view into the world of dog-powered sports and the special bond that forms between dogs and their humans as they live, work and play together. Fledglings - As longtime professional climbers who eat, sleep and live the sport, Cedar Wright and Matt Segal are used to being competent, comfortable and at the top of their game. When they take up paragliding, however, things are different. Four Mums in a boat - When four middle-aged working British mums announced they wanted to row the Atlantic Ocean, their families thought they had lost their minds. At times, the Four Mums certainly agreed… Max you days - Max Your Days reminds us to squeeze adventure into every last minute of the day. Metronomic - High above the Gorges du Verdon in France, a skillful blend of artists and high-level balancing athletes play a high energy symphony devoted to risk. Young Guns - Meet the new faces of climbing: 15-year-old Ashima Shiraishi and 16-year-old Kai Lightner. It proved to be a very entertaining evening's viewing.. Out in the pre-dawn gloom, unfortunately it wasn't going to be a glorious sun rise, due to the low hanging cloud that stretched from horizon to horizon. So out towards Stockbridge on the old and new Stockbridge roads, the cut down onto the Longstock road, via Bottom Road and back via the Test Way and N246. I'd stopped to listen to the Dawn chorus of the birds in the trees on either side of the Test Way, when an unusual high pitch chirp attracted my attention to the river, to see an Otter zig-zagging against the current of the Test, as he moved up the river to eventually disappear under the bridge I had been observing him/her from. The otter was in full view for a couple of minutes and I got a good look at this master fish poacher. We'd found lost of evidence for the present of Otters in the past, their spraints on rocks and prominent points along the river banks. Reported the sighting to the Wild Otter Trust for their records.
I am generally not particularly lucky when it comes to competitions of chance, but I was to be one of the 100 lucky winners of Nakd's Find your Fave mixed case of bars due to their facebook page reaching 100K fans.
The bicycle was silky smooth after a little more fettering of the gears. So down to Stockbridge via Red Rice and the Old Stockbridge Road, and back via the Test Way to Chilbolton Common and back up the Fullerton Hill along the N246 to home before the rain started which was an extra bonus.
With a moderate breeze blowing in from the East, clearing away the clouds it proved to be a very pleasant morning for a ride out to Broughton and back. 42 km's in two hours and twenty minutes, The Wind was only really noticeable on the stretch between Nether Wallop and the Old Stockbridge Road which skirts the Middle Wallop Airfield.
Cold grey morning ride out to Clatford Oakcuts and then east passed Dipden Bottom to Hazel Down via a couple of muddy tracks. Then back to Andover along the Longstock Road. Not a long ride but, fun none the else due to the mixture of byways and country lanes it used.
34.1 Km with a lot of mud in the middle. Started out as a misty morning, but the sun soon burnt it back, to leave a crystal clear azure sky. So down to Stockbridge via the Test Way, then on to Houghton. At Houghton the muddy fun began, took the byway known as Steven's Drove to Eveley Wood, the mud was typically Hampshire chalk based, with grass thrown in to make something that overwhelmed the bicycle, and meant a lot of sliding about as we progressed along the byway, it only improved when the byway met another track which ran northwards and introduced oak leaves into the mix, but was a little drier. So we stopped and with the aid of a stick managed to clear the frame of the mud. Unfortunately this didn't last for long and by the time we made it to the road, the bicycle was again caked in mud. Luckily there where puddles a plenty which allowed me to clear the tyres and frame before getting onto the road home.
Freezing fog, so a gentle 23km ride out to Kentboro and back via Monxton, Amport, Thruxton and Weyhill. Found a new route between Thruxton and Weyhill was the only addition to the roads we already know in the area. The Highlight of the ride was a Hare standing up watching me pass by the field he was in.
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January 2023
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