Change of Plan

It was a beautifully warm sunny morning as I saddled up the steed outside the Bear of Rodborough Hotel. It made me feel different from the many other guests in their cars, most of which were of German origin, just like my steed! Cars offer more comfort and I often ponder if there is a car that would give me a suitable buzz, but I feel motorcycling gives a greater sense of adventure, even if the hips now complain at being too long in the saddle!

I felt a sense of relief that I had changed my plan from heading to the most south westerly counties in favour of a much shorter route home going via Surrey and Suffolk. I apologise to Paul and Anita in Cornwall and David in Devon for the late change. It had been playing on my mind for a while making the extra few hundred miles venture into the most south westerly counties of England, especially as I am now a relative novice getting back into bigger distances, so it pleased me that they were understanding about my late change of plan.

Gav in Guildford had warned me that it was going to be hot in his neck of the woods, so it was vented gloves and boots for hundred mile ride over there. Getting to Guildford was pleasurable, finding Gav’s house in deepest darkest Surrey was another matter, as the satnav surely took me along every back lane of the Surrey hills!

Heading east from ‘The Bear’ and riding over ‘the commons’ and then the less touristy parts of The Cotswolds was very enjoyable. The frequent signs to Stow and Burford tried to entice me to veer left, but I’d done the ‘must see’ villages before so stayed on my planned backroad route on the fringes of this very popular area of England.

With no mega miles to do my speeds were conservative interspersed with frequent stops for essentials such as coffee and cake or photographs. Despite not being in the centre of The Cotswolds the ride still took in many chocolate box villages, the BM and I just glided along, what a smooth operator, the bike not me!