Biking in London - The Prudential Ride London 2013

Tour de Londres - Freecycle in London - August 3rd 2013

Heading away from Westminster

We parked in Battersea and pedalled in to Westminster to join the other 50,000 or so cyclists taking advantage of the closed roads. From Westminster we headed up to Buckingham Palace then down The Mall to Trafalgar Square. Then it was down to the Embankment and a ride to St. Pauls. We ate a picnic on the steps of St. Pauls and fed the pigeons, not deliberately, they hoovered up the crumbs. Feed the birds tuppence a crumb came to mind as it was a Starbucks treat. We were going to have a wander around the Cathedral but entry is £16. You can go into a side chapel for free to pray or perhaps get someone to hear your confession. TW thought about confessing but I told her we did not have sufficient time, I have no lights on my bike and did not want to be there all weekend. We sneaked out and pedalled off in the sunshine. Have to say the City looked very smart and clean. At 4 pm we had to get clear of the roads as racing started. Bit of an exhibition on in Green Park, TW tried out some electric bikes and we had our bikes security marked by the Met Police. They also had a couple of HGV's parked up and you could climb in and get the driver's view of the little old cyclist. Better stay clear of them I reckon! Too many blind spots.

Congestion on the Mall

TW - Sur le Route

Cycle and Horse Guards

Under Admiralty Arch

London Eyeful

England - A Purbeck bike ride in Dorset

Swanage and the Purbeck Way - July 2013

It is not the easiest way to get from the Sandbanks Ferry to Corfe Castle but it must be the most scenic and traffic free.

From Studland the route follows the South West Coastal Path round via the Old Harry Rocks before taking a right turn towards the North. The Purbeck Way descends past the spikey monument where you join the road for a short downhill section towards Swanage. Then it's a right turn up a very steep chalky section before a lovely ride across the top eventually descending down into Sandy Hill Lane near Corfe. Turn right for  a coffee stop in Corfe, turn left to go back along the quiet and undulating road towards the coast and Swanage for a dip in the sea. 

Bush on the Purbeck Way having a bad hair day

View from the spikey monument

West towards Swanage

Looking East to Bournemouth

Looking South and the I of W

Swanage - time for a dip

The East End of Swanage Bay

Swanage Bay

Swanage on sunny afternoon

Marlow - Swan Upping

Marking time for Swans - July 2013

The Queen's Swan Marker in Marlow Lock

HMQE owns all the mute swans on the River. Every year she gets them checked out in procedure known as Swan Upping. A small flotilla makes its way upstream in five days from Sunbury to Abingdon. The Royal Swan Uppers wear red and they are assisted by the Vintners and Dyers Livery companies. They have to row upstream in skiffs but the rowers, happily, are sustained by copious amounts of alcohol - allegedly.

Going up with the Mayor

Swan Uppers head past Bisham Abbey

'All-Up' then Circling for the catch

Heading for the bank

Cygnet ringing and weighing

On your way now

Swan Wake - no worries mute!

UK in Summer - by Royal Appointment at Buckingham Palace

Coronation Festival - July 12th 2013

English Rose in an inner City Garden

Another sunny day in July and it was off to the Palace for us. The Coronation Festival was a very upmarket Ideal Home Exhibition put on by the Royal Warrant Holders in the Buckingham Palace Gardens. At 30 quid a ticket it needed to be pretty good and in fact it was! TW practised here curtsey just in case HMQE was out dead-heading her Roses but unfortunately she had been there the day before. My favourite was the Bentley display, mines a Mulsanne! TW liked the frocks made from the HMQE's favourites. One was made from Twinings Tea bags and umbrella material and another had £50k's worth of stamps covering the model's embarrassment. The catwalk stage was a brilliant design under a canopy of trees. The National Youth Ballet put on a slice of Alice in Wonderland for us which was pretty clever but the Rabbit was frightening.

Buck House - Established Garden in a City Centre residence

Living next door - Alice in Wonderland

White Rabbit

Frocks made from 'By Appointment' products

Stamp Collection

In the Garden

Spurs are flying?

Olympic Torch arrives 12 months late - sorry

Patrolling the border

Ready for the show tonight

Trying to start the Range Rover for a quick exit

Austria - a few days out in Gasteinertal in Summer 2012

Early July 2013 flies by in the mountains

1. On the highway- the Hohenweg walk

Cafe Hubertus on the Hohenweg

Tunnel Vision on the Hohenweg

TW inspects the veggies on the Hohenweg

Let's stop for a coffee on the Hohenweg

2. The Amoseralm ride

Down the valley to Dorfgastein and Unterburg and then a ride up to the Amoseralm for a cold beer. Then its on up to the next higher Amoseralm at 1592m.

High on a hill there is a lone biker

Near the end of our valley

TW takes to the field

3. The Sportgastein ride

A tough ride up to Sportgastein - after an easy beginning

The pedal up from Bad Hofgastein to Sportgastein is pretty tough but beautiful. TW took the bus. The climb up through Bad Gastein is just a taster for what is up ahead on the narrow valley up to Sportgastein. Let's face it, if you are cycling alongside waterfalls it is not going to be easy. After a coffee and a Strudel we walked further uphill towards Niedersachsenhaus. Bit early in the season to go too high. We stopped at the remains of the Winter snow. An ice bridge had been created by a stream that flowed underneath the dirty brown patch. The local cows had found a nice patch of  pasture to enjoy the sunshine and the wild flowers..   Time to head back for a lovely Tiroler Grostl at the Valerie Haus before the downhill ride home. Not much pedalling and the rims were pretty hot by the time I reached Bockstein.

Following the uphill trail to Sportgastein

Rugged country on the way to Sportgastein

Flora in Sportgastein

Park the bike and take a walk on the wild side

Cows on the path - these were friendly

A stream carves an ice cave under the last vestiges of the winter snow in Gastein

Lovely old Austrian tractor

4. The Gadauner Hochalmen walk from Angertal

A trip to the Gadauner Hochalmen is a walk back into past. It is a fairly steep walk up from Angertal but well worth it. The huts have no electricity but lots of hospitality. The proud border collie at the Jungehutte had a young family tucked up in the barn. We managed a bit of banter with the Farmers wife and were given a free schnapps. Prost! Normally we would walk past the Rockfeldalm and up to the Kleine Scharte but we thought we would miss the last Cable Car. We took the shorter route down to the Anger Valley and had to wait ages for the bus home.

Pups at the Jungehutte

The Gadauner Hochalmen

Parting view - hope the flowers survive