Sunday 12th January 1936
Breakfast 8.45. Met John and got away by 9.40. Cycled to Windsor by the lower road (flooded). Got through dry footed by hiking some distance across the Medes. Had difficulty crossing a stream and a stile. Dick Young was waiting for us at Old Windsor. Cycled to Beaconsfield. Sunny day; my mac soon joined my gloves and scarf in the ruc-sack. Left the cycles at a garage and rambled through sweet country, undulating, with many bare trees and skeleton woods and muddy gateways.
Coleshill at lunchtime. Ate our sandwiches with Benskin beer in the snug lounge of the village pub. Later, between Penn and Beaconsfield, twilight found us doubtful of the way. We “crossed contours”; down a steep hill, up another, along a narrow path through an empty orchard. Came to a lane, went down it. Came to a towering railway embankment. John and I climbed over it, Dick went under it, through a long, high bridge.
Beaconsfield.. Cycled easily through the darkness, down into Windsor (John’s bike making the hell of a noise).
John left us; Dick took me to a low-brow café where we had sausage and chips.
Then we washed and went to the Castle Hotel saloon bar. Soon quite a crowd of us.
I got tired of it – beer had lost it’s savour – and excused myself. Felt too lazy to cycle over the hill so took the lower road and kept to it! I paid! Did not dismount but still, water rose nearly to my knees as I struggled along. Rather misty too. I deserved to go in the river! Anyhow, it washed the mud off my shoes.
Coleshill at lunchtime. Ate our sandwiches with Benskin beer in the snug lounge of the village pub. Later, between Penn and Beaconsfield, twilight found us doubtful of the way. We “crossed contours”; down a steep hill, up another, along a narrow path through an empty orchard. Came to a lane, went down it. Came to a towering railway embankment. John and I climbed over it, Dick went under it, through a long, high bridge.
Beaconsfield.. Cycled easily through the darkness, down into Windsor (John’s bike making the hell of a noise).
John left us; Dick took me to a low-brow café where we had sausage and chips.
Then we washed and went to the Castle Hotel saloon bar. Soon quite a crowd of us.
I got tired of it – beer had lost it’s savour – and excused myself. Felt too lazy to cycle over the hill so took the lower road and kept to it! I paid! Did not dismount but still, water rose nearly to my knees as I struggled along. Rather misty too. I deserved to go in the river! Anyhow, it washed the mud off my shoes.
posted by Paul Wilson at 6:58 pm
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