All Cheers - No Fears!

Sunday morning, British Summer Time has arrived and at 7.30am on Sunday morning I was up and ready for our 9am start. This was (even by my standards) a bit keen and the truth is that I was totally confused the night before so set the alarm (on my iPhone) to cover all eventualities: clocks forward or back and (crucially) iPhone automatically changing or not.

After our long slog last weekend we agreed today would be a short, enjoyable, committed pedal incorporating a coffee shop. The latter was to be Little Italy, Haddenham (known to be reliably open at 10am on Sunday mornings). The one hour time target presented a challenge - Haddenham via the direct route is 30 minutes and other routes would take over an hour. Lucky I had 1½ hours to kill - I set to work on some serious route planning.

As a result I am now fully signed up to websites for most riding clubs in the area, can list the ‘moredirt.co.uk’ mountain bike site among my absolute favourites (though more suitable for virile young men) and found bridleways.co.uk to be the most unenlightening resource centre ever with just one route listed for the whole of Aylesbury Vale - The Ridgeway! Despite all my technical know-how and web based wizardry it was a paper Ordnance Survey map that gave me the inspiration so sought – I spotted a bridleway, a new one, never cycled before by us, lurking between the A413 and Haddenham.

Already one Belle down (due to Georgina’s 6th birthday party) at 8am Amber texted to advise of a last minute summons from work. That left Alex and I to check the map, agree the route, and set off on a simple zig-zag through the villages via a road that is pointless by car, yet today would lead us to a short hop on the A413 and onto the ‘new to us’ bridleway. What a find it was too - a wicked good bridleway with ridges, mud, brambles, fallen trees, a river crossed by a narrow bridge, grass track and shingles – perfect all terrain training for the South Downs Way.

We arrived at Little Italy at 10.03, parked our bikes outside and sauntered in for an Americano and Croissant break. Then, suitably refreshed we took a more direct route out of Haddenham to Cuddington and headed home via the Chearsley dog leg. A very enjoyable morning out.

Later in the day, in true Tour de France style, our (new found) positive attitude was suitably rewarded with lashings of Dom Pollignon – another new discovery, this time by Steve, of things that can be done with a sodastream (and a bottle of pinot grigio).