Mid Week Cycle 29th August

The weather is back to short spells of sun between torrential rain, so this week I took the Kona for a cycle in the woods at Penmanshiel.

The ground was saturated from today's rain and it was easy to spin out so I sat down and dropped a couple of gears. I might not have been travelling very quickly but I certainly got my heart rate up. It was good to have the wider range of gears and look forward to having the option on the LHT. I also enjoyed having decent brakes!

I had Fly with me this week. The nights are beginning to draw in and its difficult to get out for a decent cycle and still have time to take Fly out after.

She had a great time and never ran in front of my wheel once.

This old house features in most pictures of Penmanshiel woods. It's a shame to see such a lovely property falling to pieces. No road access, no mains power or telephone...Sounds ideal!

The barn in the woods, cue banjo music.

I liked this pic of the Foxglove. Not for eating.

Further on however I spotted some Hazel nuts which are most certainly for eating. I'll have to come back in a few weeks when they ripen.

Around the old house there was a huge variety of trees but I didn't spot a Rowan. There's usually one nearby to keep the witches away.

As the light began to fail I headed back to the bridge at Pease Dean where I had parked the car. Not many miles but a couple of hours of messing around in the woods and Fly enjoyed herself. She's lying sleeping at my feet as I type this.

Before I got to the car I found a fellow called Alex who was walking the Southern Upland Way and had become temporarily misplaced. A bit disappointing to walk 209 miles and get lost 3 miles from the end! We chatted for a while until he was back on the correct route. He really got me thinking about how much I used to enjoy multi-day journeys. Perhaps next year.

Rain, rain, sun, rain.