Today, the missiles, military and political activists are all gone, the huge concrete runways have been dug up and for the most part it has been returned to common land. Here in the UK the name for many is still synonymous with CND, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and in particular the Women's Peace Camp based there in the 1980's. You have to make the most of such conditions here in the UK, so I chose to break my journey homeward with a visit to Greenham Common. I was feeling surprisingly chipper after yesterday's jaunt. Today (Thursday) was a fantastic spring day, almost hot enough to be summer, but still with a bit of a chill in the morning. Interestingly by following the linked Bristol and Bath Railway Path, you can make it to Bristol too, should the mood take you. I would be keen to see the continuation of the route too, which runs all the way to Bath. I can highly recommend National Cycle Network Route 4 along the Kennet and Avon canal, it would be nice to do again, maybe at a more leisurely pace though, or just in the one direction. Allowing 30 minutes of stoppages, I was riding for 4 hours, which makes for an average speed of 9 miles per hour, not bad considering it is only a fraction slower than the speed I make cycling in to London. There was a bit of a headwind to contend with and in theory you are heading slightly uphill, in consequence the ride back felt slower, but I was back at my car by 8pm, so time wise there can't have been much in it.īy my reckoning the distance traveled was 18 miles each way. But there's nothing like a race against the clock to motivate you when you are running out of puff. I was faced with a conundrum, should I grab some late "lunch" and take the train back to Newbury or turn around and head back up the Kennet and Avon canal ? My legs were already tired and this was only half way and just a couple of hours to go before nightfall descended. Arriving just minutes before Gordon's 6pm deadline, there was no time for lengthy farewells, as he zoomed off to carry out paternal duties. There was a notably boring slog alongside the motorway, as you skirt the Theale Waterskiing & Wakeboarding club lake, with little to please the eye and the relentless drone of drivers speeding along the M4 above.Ĭlose to Reading, the trail rejoins the canal tow path and after passing under the A33 there are much prettier sections at Waterloo Meadows heading into the centre of town. Furthermore, the presence of quite a few gates to negotiate made for quite a tiring leg of the journey.Īt Theale we passed under the M4 motorway and soon began to sense our proximity to an urban centre. The next section around Aldermaston Wharf was quite rough in places, according to the signs it had been deliberately left for the grass to grow and promote the diversity of fauna and flora, etc. I could have sat and shot the breeze for longer, but Gordon was on a mission, there were kids to be collected at 6 and there were still 12 country miles to go. We met on the tow path as it runs through Victoria Park, a pleasant area complete with band stand, early season sunbathers and the ubiquitous ice cream van. Having consumed breakfast some hours previously, I hoped there might be time to grab a quick snack on the go, but the phone rang and Gordon was already just moments away at the train station, oh well, I wanted to shift a few pounds from my mid-rift. Transformation completed, I mounted the wheels, tweaked the brakes and headed towards the centre of town. I don't know if I was spotted on CCTV, but if so, it must have given the security team a good laugh. Leaving work on the dot of 3pm I headed for the company car park and with what modesty I could muster, changed from sober business clothes into gear more appropriate to trail riding fun. Once again the RetroBike Forum came to my aide, I received suggestions for routes and found myself a ride companion in the shape of Gordon, aka Secret Squirrel, who had recently joined me on Urban RetroBike #3. With that prospect I would soon be getting stale and needed to find myself some exercise before I seized up or got any fatter. Outside rush hour, the 75 miles can be covered in a shade over an hour and a quarter.īy contrast to my regular work, a lot of time would be spent in the car and the rest sat behind a desk. Commuting from my home in time for an early shift starting at 7am meant the only viable transport option was by car. This pleasant home counties market town is host to the corporate headquarters of one of the UK's largest mobile phone companies. I recently acquired an unexpected opportunity to do a week's work based in Newbury, Berkshire.
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