Made it....

Back home after following route 4,route 61 and then route 6 from Maidenhead, past Dorney Lake through Slough - Got lost!! And then UXbridge up the Canal to RIckmansworth and home.
Canal towpath was tough in places, very bumpy with slow progress but there some very nice properties in Harefield (?) Bordering the canal.

Stats so far....

Day 1 - Home - Bristol Temple Meads - Chepstow
Trains 2
Bridges crossed 2
Ice Creams 1
Miles 35

Day 2 Severn Bridge (chepstow) - Bath - Devizes
Trains 0
Bridges 0
Ice Creams 1
Miles 63

Day 3 Devizes - Maidenhead
Trains 0
Bridges 0
Ice Creams 1
Beers 2 ('bout time!)
Miles 84.

Day 4 Maidenhead - Rickmansworth - Home
Tbc.

Devizes to Maidenhead

The sustrans route 4 from Devizes to Reading and then Maidenhead is 'indirect' - 'undulating' - 'bumpy' and most of all tough.
On another brilliant summers day left Devizes and started the first half which is all on road through the lanes winding over the canal and railway at various points and up and down small (ish) hills. Tried to push on and get this bit 'done' to get some miles in made it to Hungerford for twelve o'clock and then Newbury.
The second half is mainly Kennet & Avon canal towpath and the first section after Newbury is very bumpy and narrow which kept speed down including stopping to let others past.
After an ice cream I came up with a burst of energy and the towpath improved which picked things up a bit.
Finally made Reading for five o'clock, and the route officially goes right through the oracle and so I stopped for a drink - spoilt for choice!
After a break pushed on for Maidenhead with route 4 doing its best to go round the houses including the biggest climb of the day up Knowle Hill. Arrived at hotel just short of eleven hours after leaving Devizes.

One map done

The first of two maps completed - from one side to the other - just having lunch between Hungerford and Newbury before daring to peak at the next one !

Great present.....

Got this for my birthday - could be the best pressie ever !!
Especially after that tow path.....

Day 2 Severn Bridge to Devizes Pt2

After a look round Bath I re-joined the route 4 towards Devizes.
This pretty much follows the Kennet and Avon Canal tow path for the whole route - quite dusty - quite bumpy, found it tough going, it has definately warmed up though the day.

Finally made it to Devizes - and saw the very impressive flight of 16 locks - according to one of the lock keepers (there are keepers who go up and down on qaud bikes to keep the flow of barges moving) it can take between six and eight hours to get through!...

Avon Valley Railway

Half way along the Bristol and Bath cycle path is the Avon Valley Railway a Heritage railway with a three mile track to play with.
They have a cafe / restaurant which can't fail to go wrong - the cycle path goes through their car park!

Had to try the ice cream and drinks.....
Www.avonvalleyrailway.org/

Day 2 Severn Bridge to Devizes Pt1

Left the Severn Bridge at nine and partly re-traced my steps back to Bristol - followed route 4 (this splits from yesterdays route 41 after about 5miles) all the way back to BRistol getting completely and utterly lost about a mile from the city centre!
Finally found some signs for Temple Meads station where I was yesterday and so went back to station and found Starbucks for a belated breakfast.

I then followed the first Sustrans path to Bath which I have been looking forward too and promptly found out it's not flat!!

A great ride which has stood the test of time and is a very popular path.

Took some time to have a quick wander round Bath which was very busy but does look ver nice especially with the brilliant blue sky overhead.....

Chepstow

Chepstow turns out to be at the bottom of a very steep hill with most things shut at six pm on a Wednesday!
There were to be fair a few nice looking pubs but I knew I had to get back up the hill and it  was a bit early.....needed water more.
Ended up in a petrol station with two large bottles of water and and an ice lolly not the plan but both very welcome.

The Severn Bridge

After I had seen Sustrans route 4 went accross the bridge I knew I had to try it!
And so from Bristol I headed north and can now say I've cycled accross - very nice path it is too went all the way to Chepstow to see what the town was like?

Bristol

First Great Western - very good....the system for bikes is very simple (even though I worried about it) and the train and stations great.
Didn't see much of Bristol but I know I'm back tomorrow.
Found my way out on sustrans route 41 next to the River Avon via. Pill.....

Away we go.....

Successfully negotiated the metropolitan line / london and Paddington Station.

The bike

The 2013 Tour.

The Plan for the 2013 tour is to follow the Sustrans route 4 back from Bristol to home. Having followed the route 1 from London to Dover last year I know it won't necessarily be direct and I'm bound to miss a sign or two but a lot of it follows the Kennet and Avon canal and also includes the famous Bristol to Bath ex railway path which was of course the first Sustrans path of its kind.


To get to Bristol involves the metropolitan line to Baker Street (after 09:30) with the bike and then the short ride to Paddington where I am booked on a train with a cycle reservation to Bristol Temple Meads Station.

Day 1 of cycling is then Bristol (north) to Devizes all Sustrans route 4.
Day 2 of cycling is Devizes to Maidenhead again all route 4.
And finally Maidenhead to Windsor on route 4 and then change to route 6 up to Rickmansworth and home......as easy as that!

The bike

The green bike is my brothers old black Ridgeback mountain bike circa 1988. Looking at it I think the frame and possibly forks are the only original items. It's latest guise is as a general do it all / jack of all trades / cheap tourer that has so far taken me on my first mini tour from London to Dover following the Sustrans route 1 - Garden of England route.

The name ' The green bike' comes from the colour which is a halfords basics racing green can but more specifically comes from the answer I give to the question 'which bike are you taking?' when I tell everyone at home I'm going out on my bike (again).

I'm lucky to be able to answer with following -

'Road' or ' mountain' or 'the green bike' and that's kind of stuck..........