I was woken by a swan flying overhead, after a comfortable night, around 7am. Very civilised, these swans. For some reason it always takes me two hours to get ready to go, so I was on the road around 9am, enjoying the quiet lanes and slightly lighter winds, as I headed towards the outskirt of Peterborough. After a few nice villages in that golden stone, I picked up the Green Wheel Way around Peterborough, and was then led astray by a sign to a lakeside cafe and activity centre on - guess where - the river Nene. Another modern building, it had a good cafe as well as all manner of outdoor activities: sailing, paddling climbing, camping, bushcraft, and bird-spotting.
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| Breakfast |
Took another cycleway along the Nene Valley Railway to get away from Peterborough, and then settled into riding the undulating lanes. Harvest is over, and the farmers are now ploughing or cutting hedges. The smell of fresh earth followed me as I meandered north-west. I accidentally ventured into Lincolnshire and celebrated with 11s in the lovely town of Stamford, on the river ... Welland. Stamford's a big place, with three High Streets, each one higher than the last. Plenty of shops, cafes and churches to suit your needs.
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| Nene valley railway |
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| Stamford |
Stamford is just in Lincolnshire, but it's bordered on two sides by Rutland, so I finally made it to Rutlandshire!
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| Rutland |
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| Rutland Water |
The cycling was similar but perhaps a bit more hilly. I planned to use the cycle route round the south of Rutland Water to the county town (only town?), Oakham. It was quite a hard ride, rough and hilly, with nice views of the water, which is a vast reservoir for Anglian Water. From a cafe half way, I watched some dinghy racing over lunch. When I reached Oakham I was done in, but after tea and cake, I saw some of the sights. It's a moderately small town with a castle, which someone has razed to the ground. Also the county library, the county showground, and an impressively ancient grand great Hall, next to the ex-castle.
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| Castle |
It was the usual story with the campsite, with a difference. No answer on the phone, so I cycled there. It was in a farm on a peninsula in Rutland Water. The farmer's wife answered the door and told me the campsite was closed. I was gutted, as it was a long way to another site, but she took pity on me. I could stay as long as I didn't need hot water, or a shower. It was an offer too good to refuse. Nice site, but rather long grass. I pitched the tent and headed back to Oakham for a night on the town.
It had been grey all day, occasionally picking with rain, but at last the sun came out as I rode back into town.
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| Camp site overlooking Rutland Water |
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| Neigh-bours |
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| Rutland Water |
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