Yes i know some of you get higher temperatures but for this little island sitting above 50 degrees latitude, that's north of the major Canadian cities and all the USA except Alaska, doesn't often get temperatures into the 30's C.

It was quite warm on Thursday, nothing too stupid but enough that i reduced my ride to a 50km jaunt to Bath, meeting Aunty Bev to ride back to Brizzle, getting outside of ice cream on the way.

The forecast for Friday was warmer, for Brizzle we were promised 30c. Having already discovered the first blackberries of the year, i decided to go check out the general 'wild' fruit availability over on Purdown, a round trip of @ 7km. A nice selection of tree fruits and acres of blackberries will be ripe for the picking in the next weeks, last years events stopped me getting a harvest but this year i'll be scrumping big style!

By the time i got back i was warm and well toasted, glad to sit in the shade and take a shower to freshen up. My planned writing session didn't get underway until teatime - the results are up on Patreon.

And so to Saturday. Earlier in the week i came up with a plan, a long day ride out to Avebury for lunch before climbing up to the Ridgeway, north towards Swindon then back west to base. @ 140km, it would be my longest ride of the year and hopefully kickstart riding the length of the 6000 year old Ridgeway. The forecast was warm, 32c after lunch but the wind was favourable, an easterly pushing me on the homeward leg.

An early start was in order to avoid some of the heat, two 0.75l bidons and a picnic lunch joined me as i departed before 9am into an already warm morning. The expected headwind was quite light and i made steady progress, once clear of Bath, on mainly quiet roads, only the climb away from Lacock slowing my progress. Across to the A4 then at Cherhill, after Labour in Vain Hill, i took to a series of byways that delivered me to my lunchstop in Avebury.

It was almost noon, temperatures were rising, i found a shady spot for my lunch, punctuated by a very shouty woman, part of a larger family group, even the toddlers made less noise! Anyhoo, after thirty minutes i set off anew only to get sidetracked by the prospect of ice cream! Then i was off, properly this time, up the ancient track from the Avebury Henge up to the Ridgeway, the chalky byway shining bright under the clear blue skies.

Temperatures were now hovering @ 30c but on the edge that the Ridgeway tracks, a cooling breeze kept things comfortable. It was only a 6km stretch but i was thankful to end the jostling and bouncing at Barbury Castle, a neolithic hillfort bisected by the Ridgeway path. The drop to Wroughton was quite refreshing but the cooling breeze was less after losing 130m of altitude, in fact it felt quite stifling.

Whilst the wind was sort of behind me now, it was offering little in the way of cooling and shortly after Royal Wootton Bassett i made the first of eight stops to cool off a bit. Mostly these were only about a minute or so but by stop 3 i was well into the second bidon, i needed to find somewhere to replenish and hide from the sun for a while. I had a plan in mind, a pub stop, a jar of shandy and fill the bidons at Seagry, however the pub was closed! I stopped a bit further on to evaluate my options.

Churchyards in the UK and no doubt elsewhere, usually have a water supply so at the next on my route at Stanton St Quinton, i stopped, a shady bench, the breeze no longer pushing but instead cooling. The water source was a kitchenette inside the church, bidons were filled, sweat rinsed off and after a few more minutes eating cake and dextrose tablets i was ready for the off. Except i now had a flat tyre, the repaired tube in the front was now leaking from that repair due no doubt to the heat. A new tube was soon installed and i was on my way again.

For the last 30km the temperature didn't drop below 31/32c, the sun was almost directly ahead, the stops just brief relief, at least i could be more blase with my liquid supply. Yep it didn't all go inside, several doses cooled my noggin, and then i was back into Brizzle, the bike track for the most part well shaded. I was suffering a bit by the time i reached the house, 142km, 1000+m ascent and over 8 hours since my departure, 6.5 of those actually riding. Maybe it wasn't the ideal day for such a long ride but overall it was a great day, i need to get back to doing some of these longer rides, for the last year i've been taking the soft option far too often.

Today is pretty much a repeat weatherwise, i'll have a walk this afternoon but not too far! The observant amongst you will have spotted the new Gaby chapter, part six of Balancing Trick, the conclusion to the Belgian race. Hope you enjoy it.

That's it for today, hopefully i'll get more writing done before next time,
But for now,
Wiedersehn,
Madeline Anafrid