The plan was to head off from Kidlington to Aylesbury going the scenic route. This seemed fine looking at the road map, maybe slightly pushing for time to get back before it gets dark, but I would check how far I got by 1pm and make my way back.
First village to pass through was Islip, and on it went to Oddington which was quite picturesque. Then on to Charlton-on-Otmoor which is when I started to realise the error in planning a route from a road map.
Yes, there were no contour lines for the terrain. As such, I missed seeing the multiple hills both up and down along the rest of the journey. Already an hour into the journey, I needed to catch up in order to manage Aylesbury and meet up with my parents there.
On I went through Fencott, Murcott, and then came Boarstall. This was the first major hill that forced me to take a breather. Maybe I was out of shape, maybe my tires were losing air, but it was a very short sharp uphill which allowed me to take a long swig from the water bottle. That will make the bike lighter, I thought..
By then I could have taken a closer look at the terrain coming up afterwards, as next stop was the village of Brill in Buckinghamshire. The previously encountered hills were nothing in comparison to these ones. Starting with a very slow upward hill that went on for a while, just when you're getting tired of it, up pops the steep bit (10%). If that wasn't enough to make you give up, once you get over the brow, the steep bit drops off and it becomes a less steep upward slope.
After a few stops on the way up, I finally made it up to the top to see how this place makes use of the location - by having a windmill on the top of the hill. The view was very pretty, but I couldn't stop for long, as I had to head on with my route. Following the road I realised I now had to go down the same steepness of hill on the other side. Well, at least it was good practice for my brakes...
Down at the bottom of the hill, and checking the signposts, there didn't seem to be the next place on my list (Chilton). Consulting the GPS (smartphones have their uses) I realised that there were in fact two possible ways out of Brill, and I had just taken the wrong one. Not wanting to ascend the hill I had just descended, I decided to head on going through Wotton Underwood and Dorton before getting back on track in Chilton.
At this point, I realised I might make it to the final destination, but I wouldn't make it back home again whilst it was light. After a quick telephone check, it was decided to meet up in Thame for a quick energy boost (I had just eaten a hot cross bun for breakfast) before deciding the best way (ie flattest) back to Kidlington.
Of course, once in the scenic route, it's difficult to come out of it, so I still had to pass through Chearsley and Cuddington before hitting the main road which I then took to Thame. I had fallen short by just 6 miles of Aylesbury, and more importantly I had not made it to the village of Gibraltar.
In Thame, after spending over 20 mins waiting for service at a near empty pub/restaurant/bar, we went across the road where there was the offer of steaks or burgers. The burger with bacon and egg was just the ticket for recouping the lost energy so far.
By now, there was no chance of cycling all the way back without having to do unlit roads in the dark. So a quick cycle to Haddenham and Thame Parkway rail station, meant I was able to catch the train to Bicester, where I just had to make it along the very busy A-road back to Kidlington.
After a very bumpy cycle path for part of the way, and a very busy main road for where the cycle paths were missing, I just made it back before it was completely dark.
So all in all a great trip, cut short by starting too late and then getting lost coming out of Brill. Next time a different route will be found taking into account the terrain...
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