As I headed further north from Stonehenge towards Oxford the hills turned into to undulating meadows and creeks, which I think they call streams here. I met some headwinds that knocked 5km per hour off my usual average speed of around 20-25km per hour. Despite this I am enjoying the UK summer which just keeps on producing warm days and with little or no rain for the last five weeks.
Except for the obvious local vegetation I could easily be in rural Victoria or Tasmania In summer time. I call the local vegetation that is rampant everywhere along boarders of farmland and public byways the 'Trilogy of thorns'. The three grow quite happily together - everyhwere. They're occasionally accompanied by Oaks and Willows.
It's kept me company for some weeks now and very good at reminding you what if feels like to rub up against it when you're trying to navigate overgrown cycle ways (really goat tracks) narrow pathways that at time force you to walk on the road.
Any guesses yet? Well you're correct if you had English Hawthorn and Blackberry, the third one is not a thorn but just as uncomfortable when your bare skin meets it - Stinging Nettle. I drink nettle herbal tea which is quite pleasant but would not like it in my herb patch though. I am more than familiar with blackberry after spending an hour pulling a sheep out of gully full of it in Victoria several years ago and digging them out as part of my conservation activities near Canberra. The hawthorn is a popular hedgerow plant in Tasmania and no surprise when you consider the strong English and Scottish legacy of the first pastoral settlers. It's not a judgement, just an observation.
We inherited these from here and the British and Scottish New Zealanders inherited our possums so there you go.
Like Germany and France I wanted to track my route through places where my favourite classical composers lived and composed. Gerard Finzi is one of those in the English tradition and known as one of the first true English style composers. It was wonderful to ride all the way to Stonehenge and also experience the pastoral environment in this region where Finzi produced some of his works. One of his most sublime works that I was given for my 40th birthday music CD present included his chamber work Five Bagatelles for clarinet and piano and it's a favourite in the current classical music repertoire. At that time I had never been to England but the images I developed of it's pastoral scenery while listening to Finzi's music has been quite accurate. I guess I'm just a hopeless romantic!
I stopped overnight at a Foresty Commission campsite called Postern Hill just south of Marlborough after walking the bike up the steepest grade I have ever encountered, probably around 30 degrees but I persisted for a few hundred metres and thankfully it levelled off at the campsite entrance. Like mainland Europe there is a staggering amount of history around every corner. In this particular forest of several thousand acres, King Henry VIII proposed to one of his six wives. Jane Seymour - one that did not lose her head. This place was probably one of his summer homes west of London.
I also stayed in Oxford and Cambridge to see what these famous place of learning looked and felt like. Great for cyclists and the history is quite staggering. In fact Oxford has the oldest university in the western world. And yes, if you break down the word into Ox and ford it will give you a clue for it's ancient Roman meaning.
Cambridge also in central southern England is famous as the home of the Kings College Choir - and Trinity College with the scene of the Great Court Run foot race in the court as portrayed in the film The Chariots of Fire. It was actually filmed in Eton College's School Yard.
Cambridge also has the highest number of cyclists in the UK, no surprise given the traffic congestion and flat terrain.
Any guesses yet? Well you're correct if you had English Hawthorn and Blackberry, the third one is not a thorn but just as uncomfortable when your bare skin meets it - Stinging Nettle. I drink nettle herbal tea which is quite pleasant but would not like it in my herb patch though. I am more than familiar with blackberry after spending an hour pulling a sheep out of gully full of it in Victoria several years ago and digging them out as part of my conservation activities near Canberra. The hawthorn is a popular hedgerow plant in Tasmania and no surprise when you consider the strong English and Scottish legacy of the first pastoral settlers. It's not a judgement, just an observation.
We inherited these from here and the British and Scottish New Zealanders inherited our possums so there you go.
Like Germany and France I wanted to track my route through places where my favourite classical composers lived and composed. Gerard Finzi is one of those in the English tradition and known as one of the first true English style composers. It was wonderful to ride all the way to Stonehenge and also experience the pastoral environment in this region where Finzi produced some of his works. One of his most sublime works that I was given for my 40th birthday music CD present included his chamber work Five Bagatelles for clarinet and piano and it's a favourite in the current classical music repertoire. At that time I had never been to England but the images I developed of it's pastoral scenery while listening to Finzi's music has been quite accurate. I guess I'm just a hopeless romantic!
Cows grazing free range in the centre of Cambridge and no fences
Cambridge also has the highest number of cyclists in the UK, no surprise given the traffic congestion and flat terrain.
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