Just a ride with a friend

With the coming of nice weather in England I went for  ride with a friend which was very nice but I got a rather stiff neck looking up at him!

A Wicked Lady

• Just a few miles from where I live, in an area known as Nomansland, is a public house and restaurant named after Katherine Ferrers, a highway woman who lived in the village of  Markyate, who was bored with the life of a lady of leisure and to enable to have a bit of  excitement in her life had a go at being a highway women. Read all about her by Googling Wicked Lady. Another interesting event in the area is the creation of a new forest where thousand of  trees are being planted which is very good for the environment. (Google Heartwood Forest to read about this project.)  So on a glorious spring day with the warm sun shining I hope you enjoy reading about that wicked lady.

Someries Castle

Recently I took a short bicycle ride to Someries Castle, which is just inside the boundary between Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. It is an old manor house which is designated a castle, which boasts the fact it is the first brick built castle in England. If you want to read more look on Wikipedia and type in Someries Castle. The original occupants, if they were alive today, would wonder where the noise comes from because it is right next to the runway of Luton International airport. Just a 10 mile ride today.

About Sir Henry Bessemer and his birthplace

Sunday, February 13th, was a very windy and wet day. Undeterred by this I cycled, via the village of Preston (no, not the one in Lancashire) to the small hamlet of Charlton (no, not the one in London) to visit the home of Sir Henry Bessemer. Although it is now a private residence and not open to the public. Henry Bessemer was an inventor and a pioneer of a steel process as well as many other inventions. If you would like to read about him Google Henry Bessemer or Wikipedia under the same name. There are several towns in America which bear his name. So a hard ride home into a strong headwind with the thought of a warm fire and endless cups of tea to keep me battling my way home. Just another interesting former resident of Hertfordshire. Total miles covered: 29.

Queen Boudicca

I live in the  village of Wheathampstead in Hertfordshire. On the boundary of the village there is a place called Devil's Dyke which is an ancient defence against the Iceni tribe. Read about the history of Devil's Dyke by going to Boudicca + Wheathampstead. Hope you enjoy it. Not too far to cycle but an interesting place to visit. Sorry about the quality of the photo, I hope by enlarging it you will be able to read the inscription.

New Year Ride

It being the first day of a brand new year I decided to ride to the village of Whitwell, which has watercress beds, watercress being full of health giving properties. The River Mimram, which is pure water, flows through the watercress beds. Having got my purchase I cycled home on a very quiet morning. I suppose most people were getting over the New Year festivities. My only companions were a flock of black sheep who grazed contentedly in a nearby field oblivious to the damp conditions with their waterproof covering. Can you spot the odd one out? Home in time to see the annual New Year concert from Vienna with its elegant dancers. Wish I was as fit as they are! Have a good New Year. Miles covered: 16.

Ayot St Lawrence

I am unable to cycle at the moment because of heavy snowfalls so I will show you a couple of photographs  I have taken of the village of Ayot St Lawrence, which is just 4 miles from where I live. It was the home of George Bernard Shaw the playwright until 1950 and his house is now owned by the National Trust and is named Shaw's Corner.  One of the features is a hut in the garden which can be revolved to enable GBS, as he was known to get maximum light from the sun. The church is disused and a more recent one stands in a meadow quite nearby.