Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 is cycle touring in the UK Friday, 17th-March-2023. Devizes to Oxford. 57 miles, according to Google. It was a hard start to the day as I cycled up the 29 locks of Caen Hill to Devizes: more mud and rutted tracks. The locks themselves are an impressive piece of engineering. Each lock is named after someone or some foundation that has supported its upkeep. There was even some charity from California.
Upon arriving in Devizes, I left the canal path and cycled along quiet country lanes. Thank goodness for that. I was getting bored with the mud and rough tracks. But it didn’t last long after reaching Marlborough; I found myself on another muddy trail. My bike was caked in mud by now, and I was carrying as much weight in mud as my gear weighed! Well, not quite, but you know what I mean.
Now I’m not saying that all these off-road tracks have been bumpy, but. One of my crowns has fallen out. I look like a right numpty; it’s right at the front.
An Annoying End
I reached the campsite in Oxford nice and early, the sun was shining, and there was a nice breeze. Ideal for drying things out. Things have gotten slightly damp after the past two days having finished in the rain. And, of course, I’m up and gone before things can dry out in the morning. As I went to check in, I was told that they didn’t have any facilities and, as such, weren’t properly open. But it doesn’t say that on the website, the only reason I’ve come to Oxford is that the campsite is open. I said annoyingly. Well, it does say on the website after you go to book said the lady. That’s a fat lot of good to me. I don’t pre-book; I never know if I will make it or not. With that, I left and went over the road to a Travelodge.
That proved to be rather arduous as well. You can’t book in on reception. You have to phone or do it online. Initially, I tried calling only to hear a message saying they would charge me 13 pence a minute. How can companies justify that? Don’t they want your business? It really winds me up! I quickly put the phone down and booked online. All while, there were three members of staff behind reception.
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