We were going to do the WWW today, but a couple of weeks ago the in-laws invited themselves down for the weekend, so we didn't enter. At 10pm last night we got the call to say they wouldn't be coming due to
LURGY 
. So today, after a brief exchange of cards and chocolate we set out for a pootle.
The route, passing over the best 4 square metres of tarmac ever, took us to Stansted House for coffee, cake and a discussion about where to go next, we chose out the back of the estate and up to North Marden via Bevis' Thumb. A little bit of off roading to begin, followed by a slow descent on pot-hole heaven, we passed a ped walking up the hill who leapt off the road and pinned herself against a garden wall as we approached at oooohhh, let's see now... 10mph
. Grovelled up to Bevis' Thumb, then on to North Marden and left towards South Harting. Slow as the slowest thing in slowdom to the top of the Down, that road looks so damn gentle, but I always crawl up it. Anyway we got to the top and began the roll down to South Harting before Vern got struck by a thought "Let's turn onto the South Downs' Way and cut out the hill back up to Uppark" he said. Genius! Or at least it would be on a MTB, we passed a couple of walkers on the SDW:
Walker 1: It's a bit slippy!
C: Just a bit yes!
V: It's not that bad!
C: Speak for yourself Marathon Plus Boy
.
Anyway we made it to Uppark and rolled down to the turning to Idsworth, up over the hill and on to Rowland's Castle for coffee and cholesterol in a baguette
.
It was then an easy ride back to home with a brief detour past Langstone Campus and along the seafront to avoid the worst of the footie traffic.
An excellent pootle and decent winter weather.
