Next week Sandra has organised a ride to Milton Keynes Youth Hostel and today we are reconnoitring the route within Milton Keynes.
Alan and Sandra collected my bike and myself then on to Lawrie’s. Bikes loaded we headed off towards Wendover to look at part of the planned route into and through the town.
Alan then drove on through Aylesbury to find a parking spot near Monks Way off Watling Street, Milton Keynes. We parked across a gateway to what looked like an empty industrial unit to unload the bikes only to be approached somebody from within to tell us it was a high security premises and big brother was watching us!
We set off up Monks Way to The Approach and after a false start found the cycle path that we wanted. We also looked at an alternative route from Watling Street which looked OK too. That sorted we continued on following ‘Red route’ paths, passing under the railway on a narrow slippery wooden structure suspended above a stream to Bradwell and the Youth Hostel.
Leaving the Youth Hostel we tried an alternative route to cross the railway but it was a footbridge with step steps so it was back to backtrack the route above the stream. We carried on the planned route along some good paths and eventually went off course. There is a great network of ‘Red Route ‘ paths within Milton Keynes but can be a bit confusing to follow on the ground. Lawrie suggested that we follow the signs for the Millennia Trail which turned out to be mainly the planned route. We left the Millennia Trail just past the National Bowl and following Sandra’s route happened upon Alan waiting for us in the car.
Bikes loaded we headed of to find the Haybar Coffee Shop, Liscombe Park Equestrian Centre, near Soulbury, interesting place but they would have difficulty in accommodating our group. We backtracked to Soulbury to The Boot at Soulbury, a nice place but we will probably get here too early.
And so to Wing. We found a chippy that had just closed but reopened to supply us with lunch and informed us that the cafe was no more. Driving through Wing we think that The Crown might be a possibility for elevenses or plod on to Pitstone Wharf.
We drove back through Aylesbury to Wendover and checked out that end of the planned route before heading back to mine for coffees.