According to gps:
odo 7.77
mov time 53m36s
max 26.3
moving avg 8.7
tot time 1h11m
It was forecast to be heavy showers today. Again, I wanted to go somewhere on my bike - it wasn't as hot as yesterday, and I wanted to try my saddle out again - so I went down to Delamere Forest again - the thinking being that I was likely to get wet with either rain or sweat and it wasn't going to be particularly cold!
As it happened, I avoided all forecast rain. I did the 'white track' again, a 7m route round the paths and tracks of the forest which I've done before (here, here and here) - extending it slightly by going the 'other way' round the Mere back to the car park, so I did just over 8 miles in total. The Mere itself seemed very low - there were lots of tree stumps showing (and many of them in a line) which made me think that it might not have been a natural lake, as I'd previously thought.
The tracks themselves were very dusty; sandy in places (making life interesting for grip), rocky and stony in others, gravelly too and also bark-y as the Forestry Commission were doing lots of logging and felling. Occasionally the track was entirely covered with bark and offcuts of tree and... I noticed when I got back to the car that I'd got a puncture! My first real puncture! I've yet to look at it to find out what caused it but I reckon it was probably a thorn or bit of tree (the rocks on the trail seemed too big to damage the tyre, but I could be wrong.)
The trail was a bit bumpy, as a consequence! My new saddle (still needs adjustment) was pretty good, although I 'lost' my pannier three times on the bumps. I need to find a better way of securing it to my bike, as it just hooks on and is otherwise stopped from lifting off by a puny bit of velcro.
Because it's a weekday, the forest wasn't very busy - which was nice. There were lots of young squirrels, er, squirrelling around in both the undergrowth and on the path; loads of geese on the lake making a terrific din; there was even a domestic black cat wandering timidly around at one point! It was great to be riding round it in the quiet.
I can't quite manage the 7m circuit without stopping - there's a couple of inclines that I can't do in one go - but it's good fun and never too much uphill before there's a downhill. There's one particular switchback which is always quite exhiliarating (hence the top speed of 30mph!). Not a fantastic average speed or distance, but enough for me today - plus it got me out of the house, which has got to be a good thing...