Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 is cycle touring in the UK on Thursday, 28th-September-2023. Brockenhurst to Brockenhurst! Via Poole. 54 miles. I’d decided this morning that if my camp stove worked okay, I would go to Swanage. It didn’t. So I decided to buy a cheap one to tie me over the next few days
The nearest camp shop was in Southampton, but that was in the wrong direction. Then after a bit of dithering and phaffing around, I found a camp shop in Poole, which was in the right direction. So I duly set off for Swanage and would pick up a stove in Poole en route.
All this phaffing around meant I didn’t leave camp until gone 8 o’clock. But that was fine. Swanage isn’t that far away. It was hard going. There was a strong headwind to contend with. Then, when I reached Southbourne, where the cycle path goes along the seafront to Poole began, it was uncyclable. It was covered in sand, which in some respect might have done me a favour. It kept me off the seafront and away from the main force of the wind. Instead, I had hills and wind to battle against.
I reached the shop in Poole and was just about to lock my bike up when somebody, maybe the manager standing outside, told me to take it into the shop to save me from locking it up. Thank you very much; I don’t mind if I do. I found the cheapest stove possible as I only need it for the next few days. I’ll buy a decent one once I’m home. Or rather order one online; nobody locally has the one I’m after.
Stove in hand or rather pannier, I left the shop and continued on my way to Swanage. I didn’t get very far, maybe a few feet! When I decided that I couldn’t be bothered to go to Swanage, I was going to head back to Brockenhurst even though Swanage was closer.
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