Mini autumn tour day 1 - Bedfordshire

A week of fine weather, and a few free days, so it's time to go camping!  I scratched around for somewhere new and nearby,  came up with a blank stripe of the map north of Bedford, Buckingham and Oxford.  Not quite the midlands; maybe northern south England?

A train to Bedford saved a day's ride out, so I took the Elizabeth Line to Farringdon & then Thameslink to Bedford.  Gosh, Farringdon is a busy station!  I was only there ten minutes, and four trains came through the sole Northbound platform, trains to Peterborough, St Albans, Cambridge and Bedford, and from all over the south of England.  I'd packed light, banking on dry and not-too-cold nights, with my tiny lightweight coffin-sized tent.

Bedford

My plan was to do a loop eastwards first, to visit the village of Sandy, before turning back westwards.  Bedford is situated on the river Great Ouse, with smart old houses along its grassy bank.  I rode out along the river, a delightful  cycle path meandering around several lakes and different waterways.  It was warm enough while riding, with the sun trying but generally not managing to shine through the flat clouds. Then across flat, open countryside with a few lovely villages, beautiful autumn foliage and berries and picture-perfect thatched cottages.

Autumn riding

Sandy was a nice village despite its proximity to the thundering A1.  I turned north and east to loop back to Great Barford for lunch at the local convenience store.

After lunch, the hills started.  Straight after lunch, very cruel, a stiff 18 metre climb, and immediately followed by the other hill of the day, even worse at 25 metres!  To be a bit more serious it was rolling countryside,  almost never flat but no big or steep hills either.  There weren't many notable villages, just open countryside and big views, and the remaining 30 miles passed pleasantly and uneventfully. 

Riseley

I arrived at the village of Emberton, which is in the "County" of Milton Keynes but still well in the countryside.  I ended up at a farm campsite with one other camper van in the field, pitched up and went straight to the pub, which was packed at 6pm.  A good choice.  They had no food but a speciality German hot dog van was parked outside.  It was the wurst.  They offered up to four free toppings, so I had them all, resulting in a delicious hot dog that was impossible to eat politely.

No photos of me eating it.

By 8pm I was back at the campsite.  A huge globe of a moon hung low in the sky, blotting out most of the stars, and I went to sleep to the soft sound of the emus(!) in the next field.

Day 1. Bedford to Emberton

Day 2 >