The Old Court Room

When I visited the city of St Albans recently I visited the old court room in the town hall. It is a picture of the past with not a bright light anywhere!

On meeting a balloon

On a beautiful Sunday morning riding down a country lane I happen to see this hot air balloon landing in a gentle breeze. With autumn arriving and the leaves on the trees turning a golden brown it is very nice cycling weather.

A Reflective Bicycle

I was walking around a town in Germany when I came across this display in a shop window. Kerger I presume was a well-known rider in his day. A so-called penny farthing (named after the currency in the UK before the introduction of decimalisation.) The size of the large wheel determines the gear ratio, so the smaller the wheel the lower the gear. The rider has to be agile to mount the bike. Stopping can be a problem with one brake touching the solid tyre. So if the rider applies it too hard there is a good chance the rider can go over the top. It was soon superseded by the so-called "safety" design which all the modern bikes are based on.

An Old Fashioned Steam Lorry

One of the features in England during the summer months is a rally of steam engines and steam lorries. This lorry has a boiler in the driver's cab, which keeps the driver rather warm! Hope you like it.

A visit to Sandwich, Kent

I recently visited the Cinque port of Sandwich (have a look in Wickaepedia for more information). The top picture is of an unusual cycleway sign which by the looks of it has the figure 1 on it, so I presume it is the first cycleway sign in England. The other two pictures are of the Fisher Gate, erected in 1384, which you can read from the plaque. The Earl of Sandwich gives his name to the sandwich which we use  all the time. Have a look at the Earl of Sandwich on Wickaepedia.
 

A NEW FOREST

On a recent bike ride I visited the village of Sandridge, which is just a few miles away. There the Woodland Trust has created a brand new forest. Perhaps if you are in the area you would like to visit it.

The Woodland Trust is creating a brand new forest, Heartwood Forest near Sandridge, St Albans. It will be an 850 acre wood from open fields in just 12 years and will provide a natural resource which can support more species than any other land habitat.

Over £4 million has been raised but a lot more is required to be donated to theTrust..

The site is in Hertfordshire's Green Belt which is home to many rare butterflies and the protected English bluebell, yet is still just 25 miles from Marble Arch.

An additional 600,000 trees will be planted, creating wildflower meadows with footpaths and bridleways.

For more information see:

http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/support-us/appeals/england/heartwood-forest/Pages/help.aspx#.Ue5NAdJJ40M

There are several local pubs in the village, one next to the church if you would like to

go to Sunday service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Country Lane in Hertfordshire

I haven't addded much to my blog lately as I have been out of action. But all is well again and I can resume cycling. I thought you might like to see a country lane near the village of Kimpton. A real delight to cycle down this lane.