UNITED KINGDON TRAVELS,  JULY AND AUGUST 2002

WINDSOR TO SONNING

Thursday morning we enjoyed a “full English breakfast” of scrambled eggs, sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes and toast.  Our hostess, Clare, was charming and accommodating.

Niall and Sonia from Maverick TV arrived at 10 am and Don set to work assembling our bikes, while they filmed.  Then we departed and did some shots in the park with Windsor Castle in the background, and along the river, with swans and boats floating by.

Finally, after about an hour of filming, we were off.  We set out on the official bike route, National Route 4.  We went along the banks of the Thames, with paved, gravel, mud, and grass terrain.  We had to go through several gates, over cow barriers, and through driveways, farms and construction sites.  If we weren’t stopping for a gate or cow barrier, we had to stop to check Don’s GPS gadget.  Our overall speed was about 2mph.  We met Niall and Sonia at Bray Marina along the way, and had lunch before we proceeded.  After lunch we decided to go on the regular roads, and that worked much better.  We stopped at a resorty area, Sonning, for the night.

SONNING TO WALLINGFORD

The next day we gobbled down another full English breakfast, and set off on the next leg of the trip.  Again, we had to stop at every intersection to check the dratted GPS.  GRRRRRR!!  I finally got fed up and started off using a paper map, of all things!  We stop-started our way out across the English countryside, arguing as we went.  As we approached Wallingford I did take a different road off the traffic circle than Don had planned, and he groused the extra distance on in to Wallingford.  We stopped for lunch at around 2pm, and then decided to check into a hotel, since it was Friday night and we didn’t want to be caught without a room.  Don took a nap and I walked around the town, stopping at the information center to buy two excellent Ordinance Survey maps of the areas we would be traveling through the next day. We had a late dinner in an Indian restaurant, and then back to the hotel for bed at 10pm.

WALLINGFORD TO BAMPTON

We still are having nice weather.  No rain, in spite of predictions.  This day, before we set out, I jotted down all of the names of the towns we planned to go through, and circled them on my master map.  I am going to be efficient about this!!  No more lolly-gagging along.

Our ride this day took us out to the little tiny roads in the countryside.  We had very little traffic, and passed through many charming and quaint little towns—South Moreton, Appleford, West Hanney, Charney Bassett, and finally to Bampton, where we checked in to the Romany Inn.