A picture may well paint a thousand words, but it’s very hard to take a photo that can convey wide open landscapes and low autumn sunshine. Well, it’s very hard for me anyway. I was willing to give it a go, but was thwarted by an unexpected lack of batteries. Oops. Luckily for you my Crackberry has a camera. Not as good as the real thing, but not bad.
I could tell you about my route, but you’ll have heard it all before, since I’ve cycled it all before, many times. To be fair, I’ve spent so much time lately trying to not do my usual routes that it’s been a while since I’ve done it. There is also something to be said for knowing exactly where you’re going and how long it will take, especially when you have other places to be later on and don’t need to be adding uncertainty to your day. Besides which, it’s nice out there on the Levels :).
So. Today we shall talk about animals. About herons playing “you can’t see me” until they reluctantly take flight as you get too close. Starlings in their multitudes, murmuring around the fields feeding to build up energy for their evening performance. The buzzard in the tree above you that doesn’t bother flying away, secure in the knowledge that you can’t get up to where he is, and even if you could by the time you got there he’d be long gone.
Half way around the Levels I had an enforced break. Enforced by cows. As a landrover passed me going the other way, I noticed the driver was busy looking over his shoulder. I looked ahead, and noticed a large herd of the black and white variety heading towards me. Been here before. Which can be messy. And a tad disconcerting. Cows are more dangerous than you’d think, not to mention being exceptionally stupid, and I prefer to steer well clear, so I pulled over to the next field entrance, parked the bike by the gate, and sat on it. The gate, not the bike. Very comical. Cows to the left of me, cows to the right, and there I was, stuck in the middle with you. Well, thinking of you, dear reader. I pulled out my phone, and took photos to capture the moment so that you could admire the cows too. Wasn’t that nice of me? 😉
cows approach - see the low sun?
cows to the right of me
cows to the left of me
gert lush cows 🙂
Come to think of it the red cows were even on the port side. How very apt. I was between a rock and hard place for a while, and was quite glad of my lofty position as the bull and his entourage fancied paying me rather more attention than I was comfortable with. After some yelling, tooting, and whistling from either end of the cow convoy, they moved on. As they passed, the farmer and I exchanged greetings, which was nice, since I’d afforded him a considerable degree of amusement by perching up there.
Break over, and I was back on my way home. I came over Mudgeley Hill, and added the Nyland loop. More animals. The two little dogs running free down the road and yapping at my wheels. The owner chasing after them apologised, and explained they were rescue dogs that she was unsuccessfully trying to train. May I suggest a lead would work wonders?! Then there was the mighty fine Nyland Farm turkey basking in the sun by the side of the road, whose days must surely be numbered…
I took the main road back into Cheddar which, thanks to today’s strikes closing the local schools, was as busy as a Saturday, and full of children. Who aren’t animals, though they do occasionally flock together in similar fashion. There were hordes of them, if not herds… ;). Time to get home as fast as I could, just for fun…
Cycling time: 2:01:19 hrs
Distance: 33.41 miles.
Avs: 16.5 mph
ODO: 11215 miles
I christened my lovely new winter jacket, which is indeed very lovely as it kept me warm yet wicked all that icky sweat away nicely so I didn’t feel overheated. I drank Torq all the way ’round. I kept my effort level pretty consistent, and didn’t slack off, even in the face of some rather annoying wind. It was, all in all, a perfectly satisfactory ride. In the sun. Can’t be bad. 🙂