A Sunny Sunday Bimble

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Leiba
Posts: 7143
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 8:57 pm
Rides:: Red C90.
Location: Nth London

A Sunny Sunday Bimble

Post by Leiba » Mon Apr 10, 2017 7:07 pm

ImageIt seems that everyone and their dog went out yesterday. I knew it would be like that so planned a sort of non-stop bimble for me and Ruby.
Within twenty minutes though things took a downward turn when I got stuck in a short traffic jam. It was an accident involving a bike with two wounded in the road and a car with a very badly smashed front plus passenger side windscreen. I'm still puzzling how it could have happened judging by the layout of the road and vehicles. I suppose I'll never know. I just hope all involved are OK today.
From there I went on to Connaught Waters in Epping forest which was packed of course. Since they modernised (signposted, shrank and tarmac'd) the carpark, scores of cars now line the verge on the approach to the area and you now have to watch out for car doors as well as cattle and deer. They've wrecked that bit of forest. The trees and undergrowth used to come right up to the verge but now it's a four foot wide dusty desert. I went into the packed carpark and stopped for a while but i didn't bother to get off the bike as the place was more like city park than a piece of forest, so many people, so much noise.
Next I drove up past High Beach and the bikers hut. As usual the place was packed but I didn't even bother to slow down. I have nothing in common with those people.
Round towards the next hut by the Kings Oak pub and got stuck in another little traffic jam. Five big bikes came up behind me. You know the sort, loud pipes and the need to keep reving the things, then shouting to each other to be heard over the noise of their bikes. I let them pass when I could and they showed their contempt for my humble Cub by roaring off at speed with no regard for road signs or the crowds of people that were milling around there. I counted twenty seven people queueing at the ice-cream van as I passed.
Now I was enjoying a bimble in the forest, no more cars or bikes. :D I pootled along at about 10mph enjoying the forest and the sights and smells of nature.
Too soon I was back into civilisation and decided to head to Waltham Abbey. There's a new bit of road there with no other roads joining it and with no developments beside it, none of those uneven road repairs and potholes.This is where I let Ruby free.
I did make one stop, the only place I knew where I could sit on a vacant bench in an uncrowded place and watch out for any local wildlife, the cemetery where my Nan and Granddad are resting. One butterfly and one magpie was all I saw. Where's all the wildlife gone?
It was time to turnabout and head home (someone has to cook the dinner) so I had a little think of which route to take. The A10? nah, that's just an uninteresting dual carriageway to get you from A to B. The Hertford Rd? Too busy, traffic lights and busses etc. Or the way I'd come, semi countryfied? Now there was a big Tesco along there, not far from the accident, where I needed to pick up a couple of items. It had been two and a half hours since the accident, it would be clear by now so that's what I chose. Wrong. I came round a 'blind' roundabout straight into the traffic jam. Ahead I could see the blue flashing lights, that bit of road was still closed. I couldn't do a uturn because of the barrier so I just had to crawl along with the rest of the traffic. Wow! What a strong whiff of cannabis! I looked round and couldn't see anyone smoking so I'm thinking it's coming from the wasteland beyond the adjacent railway lines. I finally got into Tesco and got my bits and now had another choice of route home to avoid the traffic jammed detour ahead. From here I could go up and over the flyover, through Edmonton and pick up the A10 at the Cambridge roundabout.
Now I was on in town and on my usual roads so it wasn't long before me and Ruby pulled in to my front yard after a relatively nice ride out in the 'summer' sunshine. It was only a few hours and probably only 40-50 miles but it was a nice day for it. :D

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knapdog
Posts: 5335
Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2012 12:51 pm
Rides:: '96 C90, '83 C90C, '98 Honda Valkyrie
Location: Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales

Re: A Sunny Sunday Bimble

Post by knapdog » Mon Apr 10, 2017 8:21 pm

Well done, Leiba.
Looking forward to Episode 2 .

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