25/03/2022 – Juliano’s World Frenzy Resumes! – Day 5
0550 and I somehow got around 6.5 hours sleep, which was unexpected but welcome. I was ready to go and find Pret 30 or so minutes later, the nearest one was not open until 7am so I went to Paddington and used the one next to platform 12. That went down really well, it must be said, and with just the grapes left out of the Tesco purchases for later on in the day, I was out of the hotel by 0730. A short walk to Paddington’s cycle parking area near platform 9 and my beast was soon unlocked. It was back in my hands, and that pleased me no end, I had missed it while away in Europe!
So began a ride which would basically go with impulse, and despite a vague plan to fill my London map with a whole ton of colour I headed west. To my brain it made much more sense to head away from the peak flow which would be heading into Central London. I was soon passing Holland Park, and eventually I arrived in Chiswick. From there I was heading west still, and I ended up in the Kew Bridge area. I don’t know this part of the world very well at all, so I didn’t have a clue where I was going!
Next up was the Thames Path for a while, and I ended up in Mortlake. From here, signs pointed me to Richmond Park, so I followed them to somewhere I recognised on my map. It’s a HUGE place, and very popular with the roadies. In short, I had a great time exploring it but then decided to do what they were doing and doing the full circle around the park. A great idea, until I took a sharp turn too fast and boom, that was me on the ground!
Considering everything, with me being silly and trying to turn a 90 degree turn with insufficient speed reductions, a grazed left knee, a slightly grazed left shoulder, and some sore points elsewhere, I could have done a lot worse. As is often the case, the male pride got hit hard, and it was deemed only sensible to leave the park and head to Richmond, which wasn’t too far away, and jump on a train back to Central London. I did toy with finishing the loop around the park, but that did not seem sensible.
Having applied a napkin to the bleeding area on the knee, made nice and easy with a hole in the M&S fitness tights (seriously, these are really good for £19.50, if they’re still on sale I’d recommend getting them. I might have to get a new pair myself) which I think annoyed me even more, it was time to move on. I got to the station overbridge and decided that I could keep going yet, so that is exactly what I did! Onwards and upwards, stiff upper lip and all that jolly good stuff!
My route took me past Kew Gardens, and I’d have liked to see them but the walls are too tall for that. It’s on my list to visit! Once back at Kew Bridge, I followed the blue cycling signs for Ealing, and that took me north for a bit before I turned off for Acton and Shepherd’s Bush. I wanted to get back to Central London pretty sharpish, and Maps suggested this would be the most cycle friendly route I could see. It wasn’t anywhere near as good for cycling as I had expected, but it had to do.
By Holland Park, I had got frustrated with traffic being silly, this was moving at a pace even peak time traffic ‘before Covid’ would have been disgraced by. So I took my opportunity at 22 and a bit miles to pull over and get a Pret! That felt better, it must be said! After the much needed break, only my second coffee of the day at that, I next headed towards Kensington and, ultimately, the north side of the Thames.
It took much longer to get there than expected, but I was soon on CS8 to Lambeth Bridge and that was better! I now had to hurry up and decide which way I was going, and I had planned to head down to CS3 and link up with CS6 to the King’s Cross/Euston area. I ended up in the Westminster area, and I now have plans to go down there on foot sometime and get photos, I hadn’t realised quite what a stunning area this was!
Up through Trafalgar Square and up Regent Street I went, going around Piccadilly Circus and Cambridge Circus slowly. Traffic was back to being slow you see. Eventually I was on a road I recognised and I was close to Euston, finally reaching there after 30.7 miles of cycling. I highly recommend Richmond Park for a good walkabout, it would take quite a while and I fully expect to allow a whole morning/afternoon for it one day. I wasn’t blown away by the bit of the Thames Path I did, but hopefully other parts of it will get done eventually.
I was soon at Burger King, where I picked up a large 9 vegan nuggets meal. £7.79 well spent, and bear in mind I’d have easily spent much of that amount in Sainsburys, plus a fair chunk on the train from Richmond, so in a way I saved money! Once I picked up my ticket (I’m surprised it didn’t come up as an e-ticket), a Super Off Peak LNWR/WMR Only Single for £19, I was onto the 1146 to Crewe.
I was of course only taking these to Rugby, and I was on 350247+350256. To be honest, I barely noticed for much of the journey as I was staring out of the window, on the phone and just generally occupied. If I’d been desperate for a table seat or a power socket, then it would have been very different! Once I finished devouring the meal, which was very enjoyable, I ended up scoring 710267 and 66720 for sight which was a nice bonus. 345025 at Paddington had also received a tick in the book, slowly they’re getting all seen!
60103 Tornado surprised me on a movement going north too, I was getting a good variety on this journey! Before too long, I was at Rugby with a +18 for a train from Northampton. This would basically get me to Birmingham 21 minutes before the 1149 from London would have done, which allowed me a booked +6 onto the 1350 to Hereford. I realised that is the return working of the 1139 from Hereford, which is often a 172/1 and friend. That was therefore important to try for, although in retrospect I might have been better off filling time in Birmingham. Which I would have, if it had not been for the grazed knee, and work the next day, pushing the body too hard would not be sensible!
350410+350112 arrived to take me to Birmingham, and in case anyone’s curious the GWR route would have cost me well over £40 so it wasn’t worth it. I was soon at Birmingham New Street, and arrived 2 minutes early. That gave me time to visit the new small Pret at the top of the escalator to platform 4, and at 1347 I was on 172102+172220.
Which is where the fun started. Two separate women were sat in the disabled/cycle area of 172102, and I nicely asked one of them if I could park my cycle next to her. She offered to move, which I was appreciative of. That angered the other woman, and it turned out the one who moved was only going to University anyway. The one who got angry, well she moaned loudly at me for making the other woman move for me and my “bloody bike”. I explained this was the only place allowed on the train for bikes, which did not do much to help but she shut up. When someone sat in the seat next to the toilet, which is where she claimed I should put my bike, and did not like being corrected that it would block the gangway, she started dropping F-bombs. That wound me up the wrong way, so I sternly told her to stop swearing, that she could be removed from the train for being abusive. She really didn’t like being told she was sitting in a seat with a sticker next to it for wheelchairs, and claimed to have a need for that seat. She managed to get up and walk away very happily a short time later, and I was very happy to see her go.
It took until Worcester for me to stop being so wound up by the entitled woman! Perhaps I came across as entitled a bit myself, but I am pleased to say that while I wanted to start screaming and shouting at her I kept my composure. It is fair to say I would be glad to get back to Hereford now, and I will definitely sound entitled now but she’ll get what’s coming to her eventually. The powers that be will see to that! Perhaps I wasn’t yet over the experience!
So, time to change the subject. How was the trip, unpleasant passengers not included? Overall, absolutely brilliant! A great combination of cycle touring, walking, exploring and general fitness was had, I could not ask for much better. I got to return to the skies, at one time I thought that was never going to happen, and now that I’ve done that I have got a big taste for adventure. This was effectively a taster trip for my return to exploring the world, and I am absolutely ready to go again. New Zealand remains on the top of the list to do, but given how 2022 has been full of surprises so far it will be interesting to see what actually happens. I do know that adventure is one not to be done on a budget, and now I’ve stayed in an amazing hotel, I will be looking for something similar next time!
There wasn’t much I would change about the adventure, although I didn’t think much of Heathrow’s Terminal 3. I’d want to try Club Europe next time too, in an ideal world, for the experience. If I did Zagreb again, I’d either go for a taxi or the express coach, although it’s worth noting that I would choose the coastal parts of Croatia to explore next time given the chance. Obviously I’m not super impressed with that woman on the final train, nor my being silly and coming off the beast and damaging my pride, athletics gear and the minor injuries, but these things happen. I’ve seen some truly beautiful places, and had the opportunity to keep fit at the same time, in some incredible weather.
It has to be said that I was rather glad not to have done Iceland after all! Will I ever go to Iceland? It is likely, and I’ve now lost the £62 or so I had on the cheap hotel I’d booked there, but to be honest I think that’s a good thing. I’d have been disappointed, I think, as I’d have not had enough time to visit the best of Iceland and its natural beauty, and a cheap hotel is no longer acceptable. Not even as simply a place to crash after a long day of cycling or whatever, these days it’s all going to be about quality Airbnb stays or high-quality hotels.
Yes, by the time I had left Colwall on the journey to The Ford I had decided the easyHotel era was now over. Much like Travelodge, I’m more than happy to take my business elsewhere. Anything less than a regular Ibis or Premier Inn, or indeed a good quality Airbnb and let’s be fair there’s plenty of those to choose from, then the trip will not happen.
As I went through Ledbury Tunnel, I was a bit sad that the adventure was over, but oh my I was looking forward to having an oven, a hob and all that to cook a proper meal again! The weather looked good too, so after getting the washing machine on it would be a visit to a supermarket to get some suitable foods in!
Tech's World Frenzy 