Sussex, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire were some of the last countys for my riding journey. You can cover a lot of kms in a relatively short time and with little effort on flat country like Norfolk and Lincolnshire but the terrain is not as inspiring as Yorkshire with it's moors, dales and hills dotted with green rural patches and villages along the valleys.
Piggy Boot Camp
But this flat country has a lot of little gems tucked away for a traveller to enjoy. I visited Monet's garden in France because of my love of gardening and impressionist/landscape paintings. The settlement of Flatford Mill offers such an environment and a favourite location for John Cunstable's (1776-1837) work who often painted this settlement and surroundings. This water mill in East Bergholt, Sussex was built in 1733 and one of many built in England to make flour from the grain harvest.
The miller's cottage, known as Willy Lott's House is one of the painter's well known works and you can still see the main elements in this painting today although the vegetation has changed. My photo is taken from the very spot he stood to 'capture' the image. The day was just sublime with no wind, a misty soft and warm sunshine accompanied with nothing but the sound of birds chirping in the local meadows.
Willy Lott's House
I could easily imagine John Constable painting on a day such as this. This is an aspect of England that I came for. Nice! A wonderful place for walking too, not just cycling.
Now we all know the legends surrounding the history of Nottingham with those merry men of Robin's company of medieval folklore fame and Nottingham castle but did you know its primary export during the industrial revolution was textiles and known as the best source of manufactured lace in the known world and unfortunately the worst slums outside India.
Robin Hood and his merry men could not been seen as they were hiding deep in Sherwood Forest but many of us will have seen or heard of the 1938 classic film The Adventures of Robin Hood with the leading role played by Errol Flynn (a Tasmanian actor export by the way). We know of his love interest Maid Marion and his disdain for the nasty Prince John, who with Guy of Gisbourne reaped havoc on the local shire.
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