You always loved this time of year

Despite feeling a bit tired today, it was sunny and dry outside, and these are opportunities not to be missed. Who knows what weather will be thrown at us this winter, so I couldn't pass up the chance to get out on K-1 for a quick blast around the countryside. Cheddar gorge looked like this today, I know it's wrong to take pleasure in global warming, but I do like  the warm weather, it gave me another chance to wear shorts-in November!

I love the turning leaves, and there are still lots of vivid colours attached to the trees, so I did my best to stick to back roads with lots of deciduous trees by the roadside. And sheltered from the stiff easterly breeze. And dry. And a good surface.  So hard to please. It was really a delightful ride. I headed over towards Congresbury and Yatton, before rolling along some quiet lanes to the foot of Brockley Coombe, which is a lovely gentle hill to ride up, and met all of my criteria.

From there it was the long downhill to Chew Stoke, and as an alternative to the West Harptree hill, I found a quiet lane heading up to the top of the Mendips. A lady at the bottom cheerily said hello, and warned me that the hill was steep, long and narrow. She was right, it was about a mile at a steady 10%, but I didn't mind, because it was also car-free, and a road that I had never been on before. I've lived here for 10 years and I'm still finding new roads and hills.

Once up at the top, I ummed and ahhed about what to do next, and decided Cheddar gorge offered the best option. I was overtaken at the top by a couple of motorbikes, but there throttles weren't quite as brave as they thought, as I caught up with them and their constant breaking towards the end.

From the gorge it was a relatively straight route home, via a quick call to make myself more comfortable in central Cheddar. Outside said convenience a large teenager was forcing the head of a small teenager against the wall. I had been discussing the whole idea of civic duty on Friday with a colleague, and here I was faced with a moral dilemma. Fortunately I was in a bit of a rush, so deferred a decision till I came out, by which time they all seemed to be friends again. So I probably did the right thing and saved myself a load of grief.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/128405644