Have you been out today?

[hatler]

Thirty seven miles down to Effingham, up Critten Lane, along to Ranmore, down past Boxhill & Westhumble station, then up to Headley and home. Stunning weather, lots of bikes, no motorised morons.

[bairn again]

128km ride out to Stirling and back featuring a number of indirect wiggles here and there.

Tried the new tarmac path east of Bo'ness on the way home, lured in by the smooth tarmac but I was on a bumpy track before long.  Nothing drastic but wouldn't do it again on the road bike.  I was rewarded with a wee hurl through Blackness (not been there for ages - its where the Falkirk and Edinburgh CTC DAs used to have an annual meet up and pretend to be mates) and a close up of the Queensferry Crossing from a new angle. 

I was expecting it to be warmer but it was mostly cool, warm only in parts and the SW breeze made for a crosswind both ways which was a bit odd. 

Loads of folk out on bikes especially in the urban areas, lovely to see. 

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/49502877

[Ashaman42]

All of twelve miles, four down to the beach to have a socially distanced wave/yell at the Mother in Law and then a slightly extended loop home.

[Chris S]

Yes. On two feet rather than two wheels. We'd heard that you can freely travel to Barnard Castle with impunity, so we walked the Greta Walk up and down the Greta Valley. It was marvelous - though I may have got a little sunburned.

[cycleman]

Up to tatling end a40 then down the bridlway to pick up the lane passed Denham golf club station. About a mile from the station turned right onto marish lane which brought me out near Denham airfield. I turned left on a little lane that brought me to the a412 left and a quick right onto a short bridlway left onto old uxbridge road. A right on copper bridge roads brought me to the gu canal at the coy carp. I rode down the towpath to uxbridge. Then to iver heath fulmer stoke commen and stoke poges then home. 26 sunny .


https://photos.app.goo.gl/FjB4ExEnMF9TFy746

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Inspired by recent events I did my first non-essential ride since lockdown.  A 56km to Sherburn in Elmet and back in a little over 2 hours.  Plenty of other cyclists about and motorcyclists, too.                                                               

[andyoxon]

First longer ride since 1 March, 125km around by Faringdon, Hinton Parva, Aldbourne, Great Shefford and back... including selected bridleways.  What a day, glad to get off early, as it was pretty warm in the sun. 
Going up Foxhill road from HParva, trying to 'put some effort in'.  I looked back and saw cyclists starting the steeper bit, & in a short time an older couple steam past saying 'it's amazing how quick us old people can be'... They're both on electric bikes.  
Enjoyed the B-road down from Liddington Hill (Ridgeway) area through Aldbourne to Chilton Foliat, which was pretty quiet.

IMG_20200525_Foxhill2 by a oxon, on Flickr

IMG_20200525_Foxhill by a oxon, on Flickr

IMG_B4192 by a oxon, on Flickr

[Kim]

More tilebagging in the Black Country before the traffic gets going again.  Got my max square up to 22.

Himley Hall was absolutely rammed.

Came across this stunning example of tree management near Dudley, not sure what's going on there:

[Deano]

91 miles around the Dales, my longest ride since March, I felt pretty good, and even chucked in an extra loop up Witton Steeps (which lives up to its name) and over to Coverdale before a meandery route home through the lanes. And I felt as though I won the wind game - quite light westerlies while I was heading out, but much stronger when I was heading home (and it was behind me).

Plenty of offroad in the middle, including the track over Stake Moss from Countersett which I hadn't ridden before, and some spurs out to bag a few tiles. It's astonishingly dry up on the tops, but I still managed to get wet feet.



The Dales weren't too busy - I avoided any of the honeypots, but It was a pleasure to see folk out and about in some of the lesser-known places. There were a couple of families at Countersett Reservoir, a few cars parked up near a tarn outside Middleham, and even a couple of walkers out in the middle of nowhere with me.

Perfect!

[Deano]

Kim, that reminds me of the willows in Osbaldwick - a couple had been left unkempt, but one had been given a perfect fringe. Maybe we can persuade CrinklyLion to go and get a photo?

[Cudzoziemiec]

Have those trees perhaps been pruned back so hard they've died? Or are they just a very late-leafing species? Heltor Chasca would know, or ESL.

[Kim]

I was wondering if they'd taken advantage of the lockdown to prune them (I don't know the area, but it's a safe bet that that road is usually rammed with traffic).  There were a few twigs with normal looking leaves on them here and there, which didn't say 'dead tree' to me.

https://goo.gl/maps/CtVYQ9RkzPzazeLi7 for reference, last pic is from 2018.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

More tilebagging in the Black Country before the traffic gets going again.  Got my max square up to 22.

Himley Hall was absolutely rammed.

Came across this stunning example of tree management near Dudley, not sure what's going on there:

Those look like 'London' plane trees. They are very resistant to pollution hence the name! It's the sort of job only competent tree surgeons could do and although it looks drastic is probably good for the trees..

I've a losing battle with Mrs A who won't let me prune our shrubs. Result: our garden is becoming impenetrable!

[T42]

Yes. On two feet rather than two wheels. We'd heard that you can freely travel to Barnard Castle with impunity, so we walked the Greta Walk up and down the Greta Valley. It was marvelous - though I may have got a little sunburned.

Don't knock it - you'll have stocked up on vitamin D.

[T42]

Yesterday, 4th ride after two months off:  I was rather pleased to do 80k over a moderately hilly route. Mostly forest with hardly any motor traffic but tarmac from Hell in a few places. Saw three jays, two green woodpeckers, one wild strawberry and zero discarded masks.  Also heard a couple of cuckoos.

Since lockdown ended I've realized that in recent years my rides have all been planned according to the distribution of coffee/cake shops.  Amazing how the world opens up when they're all closed.

Utterly knackered today, quads etc have that minced feeling and various tendons are grumbling. Also fired up my duff ankle but who cares? It'll shut up before my next outing.

[L CC]

Pollarding.

That's what they've done to the trees. You reduce the water demand and limit their affect on the hard surfaces.
Wiki talks of the history and claims wind damage reduction as part of the reasoning
The French are very keen on it, as an urban greenery practise.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Pollards do look a bit like giant, arboreal bollards. But what about the Lollards? Did they eat collards? Hmmmm

[FifeingEejit]

On foot, Went to explore the former sand quarry and then a tomb, on foot.
Also rescoping out a path for mtb purposes.
10k dodgy leg was fine, dodgy ankle on the ither hand

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

[zigzag]

75k yesterday evening on ss bike, found that my favourite horse family had a new arrival (it was fast asleep)

[Pedal Castro]

Did a Dominic Cummings Memorial ride today to test my eyesight:
https://twitter.com/PugnatorM/status/1265234032251584514?s=19

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

Went out for an early morning ride to Hannington and Plantation Hill, back via Axmansford, continuing to explore local lanes I don't normally venture along.  In the Hannington area that's because it is the mother lode for p$nct$re fairies (the kind that eat Kevlar for breakfast) but it has been so dry since lockdown started that they have all gone to earth.

[Tim Hall]

Out on the Pretty Bike this afternoon, through various lanes and up Leith Hill. Along to Coldharbour then approching R17 on the run into Dorking.  From Dorking I headed to Box Hill, where the police had closed the A24 north bound from the Burford Bridge roundabout and had just put in a closure on the old road that was my intended route. I asked the Nice Policeman if I could go through, which I could once I'd told him I was going up the hill. I assumed there had been an RTA further up the road, but the real cause was slightly more unusual. At least I didn't get blown up.

Up the zig zags, disappointed to not get an ice cream at the top, then eastwards to Pebble Hill and down on the shit road surface. Betchworth, Newdigate, Rusper, home. 60km.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Pollarding.

That's what they've done to the trees. You reduce the water demand and limit their affect on the hard surfaces.
Wiki talks of the history and claims wind damage reduction as part of the reasoning
The French are very keen on it, as an urban greenery practise.

The French also benefit from the shade a wider canopy provides and beneath which they can sit to drink coffee from the nearby café.

British pollarding doesn't seem to work like that.

[T42]

Maybe that's what happened to Boris's hair.

[Hattyfatner]

23 early morning miles with crystal clear views on Ditchling Beacon and pesticide being sprayed smelling like Lynx Africa.