2010-04-28 51 -2

Wed 28 Apr 2010 in 51,-2: 51.5789415, -2.3715768 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Location

Within Lower Woods Site of Special Scientific Interest / Nature Reserve, nr Wickwar, South Gloucs.

Participants

FolkDevil

Expedition

Well, I did it! Sort of.

Left Gloucester at 3.30, down by the river through the beautiful village of Saul, to Slimbridge then Berkeley, then a bit of A38 before zooming up to Wickwar and onto Lower Woods SSSI/Nature Reserve, for that is where the geohash was.

It was a stunning afternoon for a bike ride, the Gloucestershire countryside looked insanely beautiful, and I made (for me) really good progress to Wickwar. Unfortunately at Wickwar I checked my phone, which I was relying on for GPS guidance, and the stupid battery had died on me. Must get a portable charger. Anyway, I had some printed off maps with me, and from Inglestone Common I set off through the woods along the "trenches", but not being exactly sure where I was going. I got lost a few times, and did start to wonder if I would find my way out before dusk. I was glad I was riding my Cross-Check with its 38mm knobblies on, cos the paths through the woods were cyclo-cross-tastic - loads of dips and mud and stuff, a real blast to ride.

I didn't stop exactly at the geohash site, cos I had no way of checking where it was, but basically I rode past it at some point. Then home via Hawkesbury Upton, where I stopped at the pub for a lemonade and had a good chat with a kindly mountain biker who had stopped there to fix a puncture and who gave me his remaining nuts and raisins since he was almost home, and then back along the A46 through Nailsworth and home.

I look forward to doing another one soon.

Photos

I don't have any photos as evidence, but I do have a video I took with my spare phone (no GPS on this one!), which can be seen here.

I uploaded my route here.