The London trip

With all the excitement of small children we got up early on Monday morning, packed our side panniers for the bike’s and got ourselves worked up to go.

This was going to be a big one, we have done day trips before but nothing on this scale and were apprehensive but excited at the sites we may see and the fact is it was different.

I was carrying all the clothes I weighed them 30 lbs mmmmm, I thought that’s over 2 stones still at least its not on my back but I will have to haul it.

Anyway “D” had smaller ones and they at least were lighter. So at 9.30 am prompt we left off down the dried up canal path through the park and dropped down to the canal and cycled into town.

We made good progress and soon reached Gas St basin turned right and went down over Farmers locks and carried on to the junction where 3 canals meet and followed the Grand Union.

We made several stops for cigarette breaks and water the weather was cloudy and cold for the time of the year but we were warm because of the exercise.

After about 15 miles I didn’t want to tell “D” but I had strained a tendon in my right leg and the pain was getting worse but I carried on.

At 18 miles we found ourselves at Catherine De Barnes where a welcome break and a pub meal at the “BOAT” gave us a good rest.

Within an hour we were off again, now we are used to riding canals around the city with good paths and fairly smooth surfaces, I expected the paths to be not as good but the whole truth is you spend most of your time looking at the path for pot holes and not at the scenery as beautiful as it is.

Well after another few miles we arrived at Kingswood Junction another place where canals meet and you may change direction, we had another break, 25 miles at this point we were getting tired the constant poundings of saddle to rear end was getting too much and we both felt it easier to walk for a while.

All we had to do was reach Warwick and we would stop for the night but first we had to go through Shrewley Tunnel and down past Hatton Locks, another break for cigarettes and we carried on not far now I kept saying as if trying to convince myself and encourage “D” the miles kept clocking up and we finally reached Warwick. right love I said lets find somewhere to stop. someone told us there was a hotel by the Station so we headed there.

Well the Station we got to I can tell you there was no bloody hotel! We looked at each other there was no need for discussion I said lets get tickets I cannot ride on them bloody paths all day tomorrow the way my arse feels now and apart from that I think I have strained a tendon in my leg.

There was no hesitation I was exhausted and “D” was too we had done too much on our first day.

We were lucky a train arrived within 15 minutes and we were on our way back to Birmingham. Half an hour later we were in the town centre 15 minutes later we were on anther train to take us to our local station and twenty minutes later we were home.

Exhausted “Tired” doesn’t even come in to it. We got into the house I Made a quick supper we collapsed on the sofa and went to bed.

We had been out the house 10 hours we had cycled 40 miles our arses ached our muscles were burning and I don’t want to look at those bikes again for at least 2 days

We did enjoy it, it was a bit of excitement but not just yet, not until my arse gets used to sitting on cast iron, and being bumped on it 60 times a minute like a road builders jack hammer against the road.

I think we might just go to the seaside instead, in the “car”

(please click on the links for pics doesn't seem to work today)