Travelsonabike2 Brighstone 24th-March-2016

Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 bicycle ride Wednesday 24th-March-2016 Brockenhurst to Brighstone. 36 miles. Well, obviously, I decided against going to Swanage. The weather forecast is really not looking good. And as much as I would have liked to go to Swanage. I’m not going to cycle into some storm.

The temperature started to drop early last night, and I was expecting a cold night, so I dug out my silk liner. I needn’t have bothered. I ended up too hot and had to get rid of it halfway through the night. I’m not used to this camping malarkey!

The storm was due to come in this afternoon, and I was hoping to reach Grange Farm before it came in. I could have come straight over to the Isle of Wight from Lymington, which would have been the quickest and most direct route. And it was probably the route I should have taken. But wanting to have more of a ride, I decided to cycle through the New Forest and get the ferry from Southampton.

New Forest pony taking a drink
New Forest ponies at Hatchet Pond “gateway to the New Forest”

I always enjoy cycling through the New Forest, seeing the ponies grazing beside the road. Today there seemed to be more wildlife than normal, apart from the horses, ponies and cattle that I see regularly. There was a herd of deer, with both stags and does. I also saw some pigs, squirrels, and a rat beside the road!

I arrived in Southampton, and as happened yesterday happened today, I just missed the ferry! By the time I’d reached the Isle of Wight, the storm was starting to come in. the wind was getting up, and it started to rain. The last eight miles from Newport were pretty grim. I was cycling directly into the wind and rain, and it was windy! Once at the campsite, it was hard work putting the tent up. I may not be in the best places with a raging storm. But then it’s always windy on the Isle of Wight.

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