May 25, 2012
Day 6: Laleham to Maidenhead: Having Fun Storming the Castle
We woke up about 5 a.m., which is our normal practice when touring. The fact that this happened means we probably have now overcome jet lag.
We continued "swanning" down the Thames for a while, absorbing the now familiar idyllic scenes of water birds and the slow moving river. The time soon came, though, to strike off "cross country", heading for Windsor. We had gone only a short distance when we ran into a Sainsbury's grocery superstore. We had a good feeling about the surroundings, and left our bikes only minimally locked. The store was a revelation. It featured a huge selection of fresh produce and meats, plus an amazing variety of healthful, good looking prepared foods. This included desserts you might call puddings, but how yummy: Mango Muffin, Tiramisu, and other neat flavours. Have a look:
Leading into Windsor was Windsor Great Park. This is a vast open space, truly park like, with meadows, old trees, people on horses, all stretching to the horizon. We got replulsed at one gate, which seemed to lead to a residence containing Prince Andrew. At a town centre in the park we found a small store and post office. It;s corner stone had been laid by King George VI in 1951. That would be one year before he died and left Elizabeth to take the throne.
In the distance we saw Windsor Castle. It's a huge medival looking complex, fronting the huge park.
However a side of the castle is in the town of Windsor, basically right downtown. The surrounding area is packed with tourists, restaurants, and gift shops.There is even a ferris wheel nearby. To add to the cacaphony, the castle is right in the flight path of Heathrow. This must play hell with the Queen's property values!
A quick check of the castle included the entrance fee.
We are not really too cheap to pay it, but leaving the bikes still gives us the jitters.
So we pressed on to Eton. Eton is just over the Thames bridge from Windsor, so technically any royal who sends their kid there is just choosing the nearest local school.
We did not quite see the famous playing fields on which the Empire was founded, but rather zoomed through town, headed for the next exciting place: Dorney. Dorney features Dorney Lake, which is a main rowing venue for Eton School. Right now it is also being set up as an Olympic venue. We were able to absorb a little of the excitement, without enduring too many of the crowds.
Last year Dodie developed a propensity to hang a sharp turn into shelter when stimulated by thunder and lightening. This year, she seems to be developing a similar tendency, except the stimulus is places offering afternoon tea. Such a place was Dorney Court. This features an historic house and grounds, plus a garden centre and place for tea.
Tea here was called the Cream Tea, and included a big dish of clotted cream, which is a butter like product. There were also scones, strawberries, jam, and also of course, tea:
Leaving Dorney we ran in to the first long distance cyclists we have met while in England. They were two ladies from Holland, large, strong, and with large strong bikes. The bikes were fully loaded, with Ortlieb gear. Naturally, feeling a little battered as cyclists here in England, we were eager to compare notes. While not unfriendly, these Dutch ladies were all business. They were looking for a campground they seemed to know about, and we offered to help with the GPS. They brushed off our advice, and we each set about finding a place for the night independently.
Through the cycle so far, there has been an absolute lack of signs designating campsites, B&Bs, or hotels. This is because, we find, an absolute lack of the actual facilities! This is creating a strain as each evening approaches, because we have no idea if we will find a place to perch. Of necessity, then, we have turned to wild camping - something we thought was not on in Europe. As it turns out, there are lots of green pockets in this part of England where a spot for the night can be found.
Lots of green pockets does not mean instant availability, though. You have to pass through the many built up areas to find the green.
As it happens, as evening approached we were in the built up area of Maidenshead. The NCN4 led us through town, and then through seemingly endless suburbs. Finally Maidenhead relented and we came upon our now favourite profile, a huge open space of tall grass. Tall grass is of course a bug for setting up a camp, so we plunked down in the middle of a trampled horse path. We plan to leave in the morning before any horses wake up!
We continue to try to come to grips with the cycling conditions here. A certain part of our day today was on "A" type normal roads. Every one of these roads is in total what we would consider at homne one lane wide. There is no shoulder and barely room for two cars to pass. Plus the traffic volumes are often intense. So when we are on the road, drivers must swerve into the opposing traffic "lane" and then quickly (like QUICKLY) dodge back. It's nerve wracking for us, and should be for them. (However, given their high speeds, maybe they don't care).
Sometimes drivers shout to us to use the walkway. However, walkways are often full of pedestrians and baby buggies (Britain must be having a baby boom). Pedestrians then tell us to get on the road. In short, England is too small and too crowded to have room for cycles. What it means to us is slow progress from riding on sidewalks, dashing on foot through roundabouts, and searching out disjointed shared use pathways of the so called National Cycle Network.
Still, it's fun seeing all the traditional attractions of England, and assuming we make it out alive there will be tons of great memories!
Sorry, no photo of the stealth camp we made outside of Maidenhead - that's how stealthy it was!
Today's ride: 50 km (31 miles)
Total: 118 km (73 miles)
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