Stats
Route: Solihull
to Coventry (anti-clockwise), via Warwick, Royal Leamington Spa and Rugby
Distance: 93.2
km / 57.9 miles
Time: 5
hours 56 minutes
Average
speed: 16.1 km/h / 10.0 mph
Weather: 19C,
sunny spells
Segment One
Having
travelled to Solihull the previous evening and treated to a bowl of sausage pasta
by Rob’s wife to provide some energy in the initial morning push, we set off at
09.50 full of hope and enthusiasm for the weekend ahead. A short navigation followed to join the Grand Union canal just south of Junction 5 of the M42. The towpath was clear of obstacles and solid
progress was made. Having to cross over
a bridge as the towpath shifted to the opposite side of the canal, we were
subjected to some perilously close encounters with the water – overgrown bushes
on our right-hand side meant there was little room for error, and thankfully we
didn’t succumb to the brown murk.
Progress
continued rapidly and it wasn’t long before the towpath improved and we entered
Rob’s university town of Warwick before stopping at Leamington Spa to take an
early lunch at 11.30. Sandwiches from
Co-op were enjoyed in the town’s park, just off Parade, and the pair of us were
sitting pretty with the distance covered in this first section. It turned out to be a false sense of hope.
Segment Two
Returning to
the canal where we left it, at Clemens Street, at 12.40 looking forward to our
second stint of the day which would take us towards Rugby. However, not long after Leamington the
towpath deteriorated significantly; gone was the smooth gravel, only to make
way for single-track mud paths that eventually became bumpy grass. The gel-palmed gloves acquired would really
prove their worth during this section.
What they couldn’t prevent, though, were the nettles and brambles
attacking us from both sides as they left their unpleasant marks on our arms. With Rob leading the way, I was often hit squarely
with a bramble he’d pushed aside! Directing
our way through this section proved mighty challenging.
Fortunately
the towpath did improve somewhat but energy levels due to the ground were stagnating. A decision was made to stop at the next pub
for refreshments and take stock of progress.
The Old Royal Oak, Hillmorton was an extremely welcome sight and we
stopped at 15.30 for a pint, energy bars, and to analyse and dissect just how bad this section had been. Advancement had been disappointing and our
average speed had tumbled.
Segment Three
Having commenced
the post-lunch session full of optimism, the torrid conditions of the towpath meant
the final sector of the day was anything but welcome. Recharged with liquids and energy bars, we
were back on it at 16.20 as it was feared conditions ahead, if the same as
before, would impede progress and arriving at the hotel for the night at a
reasonable hour was desirable. Navigating
northwards along the Oxford canal, unfortunately the towpath remained
challenging – it was still grass, although there were no more brambles or nettles.
Dismounting
to walk through the long Newbold tunnel and stopping at the other side for some
fluids, a man – almost out of nowhere – carrying a large stick accosted us. He enquired as to where we had cycled from
and on hearing the word ‘Solihull’ proceeded to go on a rather bigoted rant, that
neither Rob or I quite knew how to respond to.
Thankfully, the subject was changed to the rather more mundane topic of
Slime inner tubes, which I had fitted to my bicycle. In a hurry to end the conversation we bid the
gentleman – whom we later gave the moniker ‘Rugby Racist’ – goodbye and
pedalled on.
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