Waypoints

Last weekend I went for a loooong cycle ride with a bunch of strangers. Having recovered enough to get back in the saddle today – and keen to learn the route to Clent Hills for myself – I retraced part of the journey.

Green! This is why I want to learn the way to Clent!

Thanks to the ride leader having provided some GPX files ahead of the loooong ride, I was able to study the route and equip myself with the necessary high-tech navigation equipment:

But it turns out that, for the 13 mile ride out, this was all but unnecessary: there were enough located memories along the route – sarky comments, llama farms, junctions with spooked horses – that I was able to recognise where I was and where I had to be. I think that’s pretty interesting! (And a measure of how lively the group was – thanks guys!)

Also interesting was how disorientated I was by comparison on the way home (going back the same way). Here the main instance when the landscape looked familiar to me was when I managed to take a wrong turn and loop right back round on myself. That was very disconcerting in a deja vu stylee!

I’m blaming the fog.