Stopping by the roadside...

It must have rained all night on Saturday, but by the time I was awake, early on Sunday morning, it was a fantastic day: clear blue skies and not a raincloud in sight. It was so nice I was out on time and waiting for Andy on the green.

Beddlestead Lane looking South

We were going to head for the Tatsfield Churchyard because it was Mother's Day and we both had family stuff to do, but instead of following our usual route to one of our many usual destinations, we branched off again, like we did yesterday, and headed along Ledgers Road and then Washpond Lane, but this time passing the track that led to yesterday's destination. Instead we rode down Hesiers Hill and along the length of Beddlestead Lane, a long, gently inclining road that seems to never end.

The plan was still to head for the churchyard, but with time decidedly against us we stopped along the road. I'd found a large chunk of concrete seemingly abandoned on the roadside so out came the tea and cereal bars and we sat there, minding our business and enjoying the peace and quiet. While the distant hum of the M25 was just about audible, the only real sound was the birds tweeting in the hedgerows. What was fantastic was a lone mouse running towards us in the middle of the road and then darting into the tall grass.

The weather was great. A blinding sun reflected back at us off of the tarmac and the raindrops loitered in the bare branches of the trees and hung heavy on the leaves of evergreens. There was plenty of evidence of the night's rainfall, including large puddles.

Where we stopped for tea on Beddlestead Lane, March 18th 2012.

After our tea we headed in the direction of the Tatsfield Bus Stop but instead of turning left on Clarks Lane, we turned right towards Botley Hill and parted company halfway along the B269.