Cycling The Rivers Gade and Ver
Cycling The Rivers Gade and Ver
Grand Union at The Grove, Watford

Grand Union at The Grove, Watford

Part of the Chiltern Rivers Series
River start, end and length
- Gade: starts near B440 in Dagnall, Buckinghamshire, runs 25 km (16 miles) to the River Colne in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire
- Ver: starts in the grounds of Lynch Lodge, Kensworth Lynch, runs 24 km (15 miles) to the River Colne in Bricket Wood, Hertfordshire
Cycle route start / end: Rickmansworth Aquadrome, Frogmoor Ln, Rickmansworth WD3 1NB
Cycle route length: 78 km (48.5 miles)
Cycle route ascent: +/- 437m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Chiltern Way, Hertfordshire Way, Icknield Way, River Ver Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN routes 57, 6, 61, Chilterns Cycleway, Nickey Line, Grand Union Canal Towpath
Map: OS Explorer Map (181) Chiltern Hills North, OS Explorer Map (182) St. Albans and Hatfield, OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East 
Links: Rickmansworth Aquadome, Hemel Hempstead, Dagnall, Whipsnade, Kensworth, Markyate, St Albans, Bricket Wood

Today's 50-mile cycle trip was both a training session for July's Ireland trip and a 2 ticks for the price of 1 for the Chiltern Rivers. Both the Gade and the Ver start high in the Chilterns and meander south, eventually joining the Colne. Neither has well-defined paths next to the rivers, so they're best followed by bike along nearby roads.

The Gade can be seen many times after Hemel Hempstead as it keeps close to the main road to Leighton Buzzard. The Ver was less interesting and I barely saw it at all on the trip. The River Ver Trail, which I noticed on a few signs whilst speeding by, is a better way to see the river at a much slower pace.

The cycle route makes for a very pleasant adventure with a mix of canal, parks, country roads and quaint villages. There's a few stretches along busier A roads, but nothing too scary. The downhill stretch through Whipsnade and Kensworth after climbing Bison Hill is a particular highlight.

Here's the route:

The Gade

  • Start at the free car park at Rickmansworth Aquadome.

  • Follow Grand Union Canal north to Hemel Hempstead

  • Turn right onto Two Waters Road heading north. Take the underpass under the Plough roundabout.

  • Keep the Gade to your left, taking Waterhouse Street then Marlowes to Gadebridge Park

  • Keep to the right of Gadebridge Park, exiting to Piccots End Road, continuing to Leighton Buzzard Road.

  • Continue north until the Red Lion pub at Dagnall. Celebrate with lunch.

Between the Gade and Ver

  • After the Red Lion, double back for a couple of hundred metres then turn left onto the Dunstable Road towards Whipsnade.

  • After about a mile turn right onto the B4540, taking the steep(!) Bison Hill up to Whipsnade.

  • Continue past Whipsnade village, eventually reaching Kensworth, the source of the Ver.

The Ver

  • Continue along the B4540 until it reaches the A5, turn right.

  • Follow the A5 to the M1 junction, briefly diverting along Old Watling Street just past Markyate.

  • After the M1 junction, continue straight on Dunstable Road to the roundabout at the edge of St Albans.

  • Take the 3rd exit onto the A4147, following signs for Old Verulamium.

  • At the park, follow signs for the St. Albans Greenway until it meets NCN Route 6/61

  • Turn right / south onto NCN Route 6/61, following it all the way back to Rickmansworth Aquadrome.

  • The Ver meets the Colne just south-east of Bricket Wood station. I didn't search for it but, from the map, it looks like you can there via Drop lane, opposite the station.

Return to the Start

  • From Bricket Wood, continue on NCN 6/61 to Rickmansworth Aquadrome

Above: Red shows the course of the Gade and Blue shows the Ver. Green shows the cycle route.

Elevation for cycle route

Elevation for cycle route

Richard gowerCycle, NCN, Canal, Disused Railway, Chilterns, Colne Valley, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, EnglandComment
Jersey 1961 & 2017

For our weekend in Jersey we recreated some old family photos. Both my parents, Ann and Michael, and my grandparents, Margaret and Charles went there in 1961. The capital and the airport have changed a lot in the meantime, but the rest of the island is much the same.

Michael, 1961 - View to Elizabeth Castle from St Helier Esplanade

Michael, 1961 - View to Elizabeth Castle from St Helier Esplanade

Michael, Jersey harbour in background. 1961

Michael at Gorey Beach, 1961

Moulin de Lecq, 1961

Margaret at Moulin de Lecq, 1961

Ann at Moulin de Lecq, 1961

Margaret - Tantivy Motors, 1961

Margaret - Tantivy Motors, 1961

Michael, Mont Orgueil Castle, 1961

Charles, Gorey, 1961

Margaret, Gorey, 1961

Margaret, Gorey, 1961

Margaret, Mont Orgueil Castle, 1961

Ann, Jersey Airport, 1961

Richard, 2017

Richard, 2017

Richard, 2017

Richard, 2017

Richard, 2017

2017

2017

Timea, 2017

Timea, 2017

Timea, 2017

Timea, 2017

Richard, 2017

Richard, 2017

Timea, 2017

Timea 2017

Timea, 2017

Richard gowerJersey, Channel Islands, CoastComment
Jersey Half Marathon

When: June 11th 2017
Where: Jersey, Channel Islands
Course: Point-to-point from St Ouen to St Helier. First 2 miles down-hill to the north west coast then 5 miles along western coastal roles. Follows the old railway line, now a cycle path to St Aubin with the final 3 miles on the promenade of St Aubin's bay
Other routes touched (walk): None
Other routes touched (cycle): Jersey Cycle Route 1
Finish time: 1:59

elevation_profile - Jersey.jpg
 
Richard gowerRun, Half Marathon, Jersey, CoastComment
Les Platons - Jersey Island High Point
High point is next to the big golf ball

High point is next to the big golf ball

Significance: High point of the island of Jersey, Channel Islands
Elevation: 136 m / 143m (different sources)
Date climbed: 10/06/2017
Coordinates: 49° 14' 39'' N, 2° 5' 35'' W
Route Start / End: Circular from car park on Rue des Platons
Route Distance: 1.7 km (1.1 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 31m
Subsidiary tops on route: None
Other routes touched (walk): None
Other routes touched (cycle): Jersey Cycle Route 1
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee

Richard gowerTrek, UK County Tops, Country High Points, Jersey, Coast, Island High PointsComment
Walking The River Fleet
Walking The River Fleet
Hampstead Heath

Hampstead Heath

Start: Heath Brow Car Park 12 North End Way, Hampstead, London, NW3 7ES
Finish: Blackfriars Bridge, River Thames, London, EC4Y 0AF
Distance: 10.4 km (6.5 Miles)
Elevation change: +40m / -161m. Net -121m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (walk): Jubilee Greenway, Regents Canal Towpath, Thames Path
Other Routes Touched (cycle): CS3, C6
Map: OS Explorer 173 London North
Guidebooks: London's Lost Rivers: A Walker's Guide, London's Lost Rivers, London's Hidden Rivers: A walker's guide to the subterranean waterways of London
Links: Wikipedia, Londonist Video
See also: Walking The River Wandle

For today's London lost river trip we walked the length of the Fleet from Hampstead Heath to the Thames. The Fleet used the flow through the centre of London until it was covered up in the 1700's, much of it becoming a sewer. Nowadays only parts of it are visible near the source at Hampstead. Despite the lack of actual river, walking the route is a nice couple of hours through some interesting parts of the city.

We mostly followed the route described in Tom Bolton's book London's Lost Rivers. Our main diversion from this was to visit Camden Lock at 3 miles in, then follow the Regents Canal to King's Cross station. The distance is roughly the same but it's a more pleasant walk than the back roads that more closely follow the route.

There's loads of interesting London history along the route. I won't cover it here as Tom Bolton's book is a very thorough guide and well worth taking with you. The Londonist video (linked below) is also a good primer for the trip.

Getting there and back is pretty straightforward. We parked at Heath Brow Car Park (NW3 7ES) which is right next to the start of the western source at Whitestone Pond. Although convenient, it's also expensive at £20 for the 6 hours we needed for the complete round trip. The best route back is via Underground, taking the Circle or District from Blackfriars to Embankment, then the Northern Line to Hampstead, less than half a mile walk from the car park.

More London posts

Richard gowerTrek, London, Middlesex, Thames, EnglandComment
Cycling The River Cut
Confluence with the Thames at Bray Marina

Confluence with the Thames at Bray Marina

River start: Fish Ponds, North Ascot, Berkshire
River end: Confluence with the Thames between Queens Eyot Island and Bray Lock
River length: ~22.5 km (~14 miles)
Cycle route start: Junction of Hatchet End and Forest Road, North Ascot
Cycle route end: Sumerleaze Bridge, Bray Marina
Cycle route length: 22.6 km (14 miles)
Cycle route elevation change: +230m /- 269m. Net -39m
Other routes touched (walk): Ramblers Route
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 4
Map: OS Explorer Map (160) Windsor, Weybridge & Bracknell

The Cut is an obscure 14-mile tributary of the Thames. There's no path to cycle or walk next to it, but the roads around it give a nice hour and a half ride through small Berkshire villages. I had crossed it many times before without knowing its name. It even crossed the garden of a house I'd lived in for a couple of years.

The purpose of today's trip was to cycle as close as possible to it from the start at North Ascot to the Thames at Bray. The best place to start is the junction of the A330 and the Forest Road. Here a stream goes under the road and continues south-east through Ascot Golf Course to Virginia Water lake. To the north-west is Fish Pond, in a private estate, where the river flows on towards the Thames.

From here, the cycle route follows mostly country lanes and some larger roads through Winkfield, Newell Green, Warfield, Binfield, Touchen End and Holyport. The only place to cycle next to the river is on the last mile at Bray Lake before it enters the Thames at Bray Marina.

Red: River Cut, Blue: Cycle Route

Elevation profile for cycle route

Richard gowerCycle, NCN, Berkshire, England Comments
Transylvania Road Trip
Transylvania Road Trip
Sibiu

Sibiu

There was an interesting mix of reactions when we told friends and colleagues that we were planning a trip to Transylvania. Some didn’t think that it was a real place and others only associated it with the Dracula story. Most had never been. This was part of what made it an exciting trip for us: Transylvania inspires a real sense of adventure and a promise of stepping back in time, yet still within a few hours flight from London.

We had other reasons to go too. Transylvania is now part of Romania but used to be part of a much larger pre-WW1 Hungary. Timi, my wife, is Hungarian and had told me a few stories, so I wanted to learn more about its complicated history. It also turned out that we’ve got friends who are from there, something we hadn’t really appreciated until we started planning the trip.

The first thing to know is that it's a big place. Transylvania is 10% larger than Hungary itself and around 20% smaller than England. We were only going for a week, so we picked the central region that covered most of the “must-see” places recommended to us.

Statue of Matthias Corvinus, Cluj

Statue of Matthias Corvinus, Cluj

Cluj (Kolozsvar in Hungarian) was a good place to start understanding the Hungarian connection. In the centre of the Old Town, in front of St Michael’s church, stands the statue of Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary in the 15th Century

On our day trip to the Huedin Microregion (Caikszereda in Hungarian) on day 2 we saw some of the Hungarian villages near Cluj. We stopped at a church in Mănăstireni just as the service was ending and were treated by the pastor to a private tour of the church and its small museum. This was one of the few trips when speaking Hungarian was a real advantage.

Although the region was mostly Hungarian, there were some Romanian towns. It was a policy in the Ceausescu era to move ethnic Romanians into Hungarian villages to dilute the population. Some places have kept their Hungarian names, whilst others like Kolozsvár (Cluj) have Romanian names. Despite being nearly 100 years on from the Trianon Treaty, many Hungarians are still bitter about it. It's unlikely that anything is going to change though as the issue isn’t high on politician’s lists of things to fix.

It's not just the Transylanian issue that concerns people, as we discovered. We noticed “bassarabia e romania” (“Bessarabia is Romanian”) graffiti by the sides of the mountain roads to the Bucegi plateau. This is a historic region that was once part of Romania but now largely part of modern-day Moldova. The more that I read about the region, the more I discovered other territories like Transnistria and Dobruja with complicated histories and territorial claims.

Dracula

The Dracula myth is loosely based on the real Vlad Tepes, Prince of Wallachia in the 1400s. One theory we heard was that Bram Stoker had a relationship with a Hungarian professor from the University of Budapest and had heard stories of Vlad’s brutality. Vlad was famous for impaling the heads of his victims and displaying them along the routes that his enemies would travel along. This was intended to create fear and a sense of Vlad’s army being larger and more brutal than it was. As one historian told us, Vlad was probably no worse than many rulers at the time, it's just that he’s become famous for it, earning the name Vlad The Impaler.

The Dracula myth is actually a combination of influences from Vlad the Impaler, a European legend about a blood-sucking  South American and Transylvania’s reputation as a wild and mysterious place. The name Dracula actually comes from Vlad Tepes’ father, Vlad Dracul, who got his name after becoming a member of the Order Of The Dragon ... Dracul meaning Dragon.

Thankfully Romania hasn’t gone overboard on exploiting the Dracula connection. In Sighisoara (Segesvar in Hungarian) we had dinner in a slightly tacky restaurant in the building Vlad was (supposedly) born in. In 2002 plans to build a Dracula theme park just outside the town were abandoned following criticism from UNESCO, Greenpeace and the Prince of Wales, amongst others. Instead, Bran Castle near Brasov is the centre of Dracula tourism. The castle’s connection to Vlad is highly tenuous as he may have stayed there for a few nights. The most interesting Vlad The Impaler fact for us was that he was imprisoned in by King Matthias at Visegrad Castle, right next to where we got married.  

The Trip

Clock Tower, Sighisoara

Clock Tower, Sighisoara

 Our 8-day trip started in Cluj-Napoca, ending in Sibiu via Sighisoara and Brasov. Driving in Transylvania there can be an adventure in itself. Roads are badly maintained and mostly single carriageway. Lorries share the road with horse &carts and often overtake without warning. This means that driving times between towns are longer than similar distances in other countries.

Highlights were:

  • Sighisoara, a UNESCO World Heritage town. We took a fascinating guided walking tour with Peter from the Cultural Heritage InfoPoint near the Clock Tower.

  • Viscri Fortified Saxon Church, also a UNESCO site. It’s 10km along a very bumpy dirt track. Well worth the effort though for a few hours of peace in a beautiful old village.

  • Cycling from Sibiu to the ASTRA open-air museum at Dunbrava National Park.

Things we wish we had known:

  • Don’t go to Turda Salt Mine on a national / bank holiday. It was rammed in there.

  • Heroes Cross and the Transfaragasan Road are only doable in the summer. We tried to get to Heroes Cross but only made it as far as the cable car station.

  • Sinca Veche is really weird. We’d heard reviews of people who had experienced strong energies there. We just didn’t get it.

Viscri Fortified Saxon Church

Viscri Fortified Saxon Church

Day by Day

Blue = Day 3, Cluj-Turda-Sighisoara; Green = Day 5, Sighisoara-Viscri-Brasov; Red = Day 7, Brasov-Bran-Sinca-Sibiu

Richard gowerRoadtrip, MountainComment
Southampton Half Marathon

When: April 23rd 2017
Where: Southampton, Hampshire, UK
Course: Mix of city centre, country parks and bridges over the River Itchen. Through the football stadium at mile 10.
Other routes touched (walk): Itchen Way, Solent Way,
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 2, 23, 236
Finish time: 1:55

elevation_profile - southampton.jpg

A highlight of today's Half Marathon was seeing how many people had misread the online registration form. There was a section that asked how you want your name to appear on your Race Number. Most got it right and wrote in their name, nickname, charity or running club. It's mainly there for spectators to cheer you on as you run past. Some clearly misunderstood and had "yes", "no" or "N/A" printed on them. There was even one guy who would have had people shouting "Well done ..."Just the number please"" as he ran by. Fail

 
Richard gowerRun, Half Marathon, Hampshire, England, CoastComment
Walking The River Wandle Trail
Walking The River Wandle Trail

Start: East Croydon Station, Croydon CR0 1LF
Finish: Thames Path at Wandsworth, SW18 1EJ
Distance: 21.2 km (13.2 miles)
Elevation change: +55m / -117m. Net -62m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Vanguard Way, Wandle Oaks Link, Capital Ring, Thames Path
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 20
Map: OS Explorer Map (161) London South, Westminster, Greenwich, Croydon, Esher & Twickenham
Guidebooks:
- London's Lost Rivers: A Walker's Guide by Tom Bolton
- London's Lost Rivers by Paul Talling
- London's Hidden Rivers: A walker's guide to the subterranean waterways of London by David Fathers
Links: River Wandle, Croydon, Carshalton, Morden Hall Park National Trust, Wandsworth

Just like last week's Lea River trip, this one started in a grim New Town and ended at the Thames in London. There may be be some pleasant parts of Croydon but they're not on the route of the Wandle.

I was following the river, along the course described in Tom Bolton's London's Lost Rivers. Unlike the other rivers described in the book, the Wandle is mostly still visible, the rest having been covered up and/or converted to sewers. Once you leave Croydon, its a very pleasant walk, run or cycle through some hidden parts of the capital.

The route starts at the 120 year old Swan and Sugarloaf at the south end of Croydon High Street. Once a historic pub and hotel, its now a Tesco Express in a dingy part of town. The river has been covered up in this area, so the best plan is to head north quickly. If you're not bothered about visiting the source, the Wandle car-park, slightly further up, is alternative place to start. 

The Wandle becomes visible about half a mile in at the south-east corner of Wandle Park. The pleasant part of the trip only really starts at Waddon Ponds where the signs for the Wandle Trail begin.

The river meanders ~11 miles through parks and industrial areas before reaching the Thames at Wandsworth. In between there's Beddingon Park, Ravensbury Park and Morden Hall National Trust, amongst others as nice places to stop for a rest.

The confluence with the Thames is just north of Wandsworth centre. I've crossed the bridge several times on the Thames Path, not realising what it was. From here I picked up a Boris Bike (TFL Santander Cycle) just round the corner at Smuggler's Way and took a 6 mile route via the Thames Path to Victoria Station. Regular trains go from here to West Croydon.

elevation_profile.jpg
Richard gowerTrek, Thames, England, London, National Trust Comment
Cycling The River Lea
Cycling The River Lea
Near River Lee Country Park

Near River Lee Country Park

Part of the Chiltern Rivers Series
River Lea start: Leagrave, Bedfordshire
River Lea end: Leamouth, Greater London
River Lea length: ~42 miles / 68 km
Cycle route start / end: Wardown Park, Luton, Bedfordshire
Cycle route length: ~58 miles / 94 km
Cycle route ascent: +420m / -507m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Lea Valley Walk, Chiltern Way, Hertfordshire Way, New River Path, Greenwich Meridian Trail, London Loop, Capital Ring, The Greenway, Jubilee Greenway, Regent’s Canal Towpath
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN Routes 1, 12, 57, 6, 61, Chilterns Cycleway, Ayot Greenway
Map: OS Explorer Map (193) Luton and Stevenage, OS Explorer Map (182) St. Albans and Hatfield, OS Explorer Map (174) Epping Forest & Lee Valley, OS Explorer Map (173) London North, The City, West End, Enfield, Ealing, Harrow & Watford
Links: River Lea, Leagrave, Luton, Lee Navigation, Limehouse Basin, Regent’s Canal

It was Easter Saturday and time to start proper training for July's Titanic Ireland cycle adventure. My cycling friends all opted out due to being "broken", "in Germany", "painting" or, strangely, "not fit enough to start training", so I was on my own for this one. 

The route is a combination of National Cycle Routes (NCN), starting near the source of the Lea at Luton and ending at Limehouse Basin at the Thames in London. Getting back is easy enough as the Regent's canal takes you from the Basin to St Pancras station where there are frequent trains back to Luton.

The Lea starts in Leagrave, north of Luton. Although NCN 6 passes through it, I opted to start the trip 2.3 miles down at Wardown Park where the river fills a small lake. Its also the venue for Luton Wardown parkrun which, as it was Saturday, had to be done too. If I were to do the trip again I would start at the source as it’s very close to Leagrave Station which is on the same line to St Pancras. This additional section follows the Lea Valley Walk which is a footpath but there’s good options for cycling on nearby roads.

The trip is a nice combination of NCN routes 6, 57, 12, 61 and 1. It's easily navigable with only a small amount of planning and keeping your eyes out for signs along the way. The first 22 miles to Hertford is mostly disused post-Beeching railway lines, with the remainder following the Lea Navigation Canal.

The River Lea joins the Thames near Canning Town, opposite the Greenwich Peninsula. Cycling right to the confluence is tricky so I opted to follow the Limehouse Cut from Bow Creek to the Limehouse Basin. From there I followed the Regent’s Canal back to King’s Cross station to get the train back to Luton where I had parked my car.

Red = course of the River Lea, Blue = Cycle Route including Regent’s Canal to King’s Cross.

Elevation for cycle route

Elevation for cycle route

Richard gowerCycle, NCN, Canal, Thames, Chilterns, London, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex, England, RailwayComment
Walking In Madeira
Pico Ruivo Trail

Pico Ruivo Trail

Madeira had always been a place that we thought we would go to one day, but it was never high up on our travel list. Maybe its reputation as a retirement holiday destination had put us off. It turned out that it’s an ideal winter break location for us: warm in the winter and loads of great walking trails. We could have easily spent a month there discovering all the Levada routes. For now, we made a start on three day trip walks.

Trip1: Levada Dos Tornos

Start: Botanical Garden Cable Car, Caminho das Voltas, 15 Ilha da Madeira, 9060-329 Funchal
Finish: Casa Velha Do Palheiro, R. da Estalagem, 23 - São Gonçalo, 9060-415 Funchal
Distance: 9.5 km (5.9 miles)
Elevation change: +272m / -307m. Net -35m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Levada de Bom Sucesso, Caminho Rev. Padre Eugénio Borgonovo, Levada dos Tornos,
Other routes touched (cycle): None

Like Tenerife, where I spent many childhood family holidays, Madeira has a north-south climate divide. The north and mountains get a lot of rain whilst the south is dry. Madeira solved this by laying over 2000 km of miles of drainage canals. These take the water down to the south where it's used both for irrigation and drinking water. Funchal, the capital, is positioned at the confluence of a few of the larger Levadas as they reach the sea.

As a warm up for longer more adventurous hikes later in the week, we set off to do the Levada dos Tornos. This one is very easily accessible from Funchal. The start is about 10 minutes walk from the top of the cable car station that connects the Old Town to Monte and its Botanical Garden.

The thing we'd wish we had known about was that the start of the Levada walk was closed due to a huge forest fire in the summer of 2016. Signs at the bottom of the cable car would have been helpful. Obviously, no one had thought to warn people before spending 10 euro each to get to the top. We considered bypassing the barrier and giving it a go, but the locals at the cafe near the top were adamant that it would be a bad idea. Apparently someone had died attempting and several others had to be rescued. An enterprising taxi driver came to the rescue by offering us a ride to the other side if the valley for "only" 20 euro. As a ride back on the cable car would have cost the same, it seemed like a good option.

We started the walk at Choupana where the road crosses the Levada. This was the site of the Choupana Hills Resort, once a 5 star spa hotel which was completely destroyed in the fire. The diversion cut off the dangerous part, shortening the walk by an hour.

Immediately leaving the road you see the effects of the fire with trees barely clinging to life and others reduced to charred stumps. Villas and hotels that backed onto the Levada are now burnt out ruins. Look up and you can see the giant football stadium perched high up on the hill. It's one of the weirdest locations for a stadium, accessible only by steep, winding local roads.

One mile in and we reached the Hortensia Tea House. It's well situated for the full hike from Monte but felt a bit early for the reduced trip. We stopped anyway: we were on holiday so we didn't need much excuse for a cake, a beer and a nice view down to the coast.

The rest of the walk is a further 40 minutes down to Palheiro Gardens. This is part of a large privately owned estate which also has a golf course and 5 star hotel. It's a pleasant, quieter alternative to the bustling Botanical Gardens back at the cable car station.

We ended the trip at the hotel at the lower end of the gardens, taking a taxi back to the city. It would have been another hour to walk to the centre, but we opted for a nap and an early dinner instead.

Trip 2: Pico Ruivo

Start: Parque de Estacionamento Pico do Areeiro
Finish: Rua Dr. João Abel de Freitas, Médico 6, Santana
Distance: 8.6 km (5.3 miles)
Elevation change: +493m / -708m. Net -215m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): PR1 Vereda do Areeiro, PR1.2 Vereda do Pico Ruivo, Vereda da Ilha, Vereda da Faja da Nogueira,
Other routes touched (cycle): PR03a, PR17

This was the highlight of our winter break in Madeira. Billed as the Madeira Three Peaks, it actually reaches the summits of the 1st and 3rd highest points on the island. The 2nd highest point was previously accessible but a land slip in 2016 has closed the path so the route now follows tunnels through Pico das Torres.

We chose to do the trek as a guided walk with Madeira Explorers. For the 2 of us it was only 20 euro more than hiring a car for the day and it solved the logistical issue of a point to point walk.

The route starts at Pico do Areeiro, the 3rd highest peak. You can drive all the way to the top where the summit is marked by a stone pillar behind the military "golf ball" radar station. From here the route descends gradually to a lookout point.

The stone path is well made and maintained. It's also exceptionally clean for a route that gets so many visitors. Much of the path also has strong cable handrails on the steep or exposed sections. Be careful though as some are loose or broken. Even without them it's not an especially dangerous walk.

Around an hour in, you pass the junction to the closed path leading up to the top of Pico Torres. Avoiding this, the routes continues and enters Pico de Gato Tunnel, the first of three on the trip. This is the longest one at about 100m.

As the route ascends towards Pico Ruivo you see more greenery. This is part of the Laurisilva, a UNESCO designated heather forest covering much of the north of the island. At around 8k the path reaches a hut which is a good place for a rest before the final push to the summit.

The final climb is only 10 minutes from the hut along a steeper section of the stone path. Although cloudy on our trip we could still see Achada do Teixeira, the neighbouring peak to the west. The summit is marked by 2 stone columns.

The trip concluded with a 2km gentler walk down to the car park on the east side of Achada do Teixeira.

Trip 3: Ribeiro Frio

Start & Finish: Ribeiro Frio Restaurant, ER103, Funchal
Distance: 6.9 km (4.3 miles)
Elevation change: + / - 395m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Levada do Furado, Levada do Poco do Bezerra, Caminho Real 24
Other routes touched (cycle): None

We did the Ribeiro Frio walk as a part of a 1 day east Madeira road trip. The 3 hour circular walk starts and ends at the Ribeiro Frio ("Cold River") restaurant. It's a 40 minute drive north of Funchal on some steep, and sometimes scary mountain roads. Once there, the walk is an oasis of calm and greenery.

The first hour of the walk follows the Levada do Furado. An alternative walk takes this all the way to Portala in the east, but our route branched off following the Levada do Bezerro. Whilst the first part was pretty busy, we had the route to ourselves apart from an American family that we occasionally met.

The Levada do Bezerro is a pretty steep climb. For the first 20 minutes were weren't convinced we were following the right path. The guide book said that there would be fast flowing water in the Levada but this was dry. The reason was clear about half way in, a landslide had damaged the conduit sending the water over the cliff to the river below. Further damage beyond this gave us some tricky places to clamber over.

The source of the Levada is a small series of pools on a cascade. The water here feeds the river below and some is siphoned off into the Levada. It's a nice, quiet place for a rest before the final 20-minute climb.

After the pools the path cuts up through the trees, reaching the Chao das Feiteiras plateau. Further on, at the highest point on the trip, is a small hill with some amazing views of the central mountain range. From here we could see the route of Wednesday's walk, from the radar station at Pico do Areeiro, through Pico das Torres, the summit of Pico Ruivo and Achada do Teixeira.

From here the path crosses some farm buildings and down a steep stone track meeting the Trout Farm. We'd timed it right as the restaurant at the bottom was quiet, with most of the tourist busses already having passed through earlier in the day. Grilled Trout with herbs and garlic bread were a great reward for one of the best short hikes I can remember.

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Richard gowerTrek, Mountain, Madeira, Portugal, Island High Points Comment
Cycling The River Wye, Buckinghamshire
Near the source at West Wycombe Estate

Near the source at West Wycombe Estate

Part of the Chiltern Rivers Series
River start: Bradenham, Buckinghamshire
River end: Confluence with Thames at Bourne End, Buckinghamshire
River length: 14 km (9 miles)
Cycle route start / end: Parking in Bourne End Village Centre
Cycle route length: 33.6 km (21 miles)
Cycle route ascent: +/- 223m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Chiltern Way, Wycombe To Bourne End Disused Railway Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): Chilterns Cycleway
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East
Links: River Wye, Bradenham, West Wycombe, High Wycombe, Wooburn Green, Bourne End

For my 3rd Chiltern River after the Chess and the Pinn, I chose the Wye for today's mini cycle adventure. The Wye, unlike its larger Welsh namesake, goes easily unnoticed. Despite having lived within 10 miles of it for most of my life, I'd barely heard of it until recently.

The Wye rises at Bradenham, near West Wycombe, travelling south-east for 9 miles before joining the Thames at Bourne End. The junction with the Thames is on private land so I started my trip on Bourne End High-Street, cycling toward the source.

The first couple of miles is fairly pleasant. After Bourne End, the river follows the A40 to Wooburn Common. From there navigation gets tricky as the river gets lost amidst housing and an unpleasant retail park hiding under the M40 flyover. The route through Loudwater continues along similarly unremarkable territory before a more pleasant cut through the Wycombe Rye park. One particular point of interest is where the Wye crosses under the route of the disused Wycombe to Bourne End Railway. You can see this by taking the small footpath from the A40 up onto the old railway embankment opposite Pinions Road shortly before Wycombe Town Centre.

The following mile or so, cutting past High Wycombe Town Centre and the Desborough Estate, is best completed as quickly as possible. It's only at the edge of town, approaching The border with West Wycombe, where there's anything worth slowing down for. The final place to see the Wye is on a bridge looking into the National Trust Estate at West Wycombe where you can see the lake that feeds the river. 

West Wycombe High Street is a good place for a coffee stop before starting the second, much more pleasant, half of the trip. After West Wycombe, the route follows the A40 for a mile or so, joining the Chiltern Cycleway. Bullocks Farm Lane,  now heading back South needs the lowest gear for 10 minutes of slog to the routes highest point.

From here, the Chiltern Countryside comes into its own as pleasant country lanes take you through Wheeler End, Lane End, Freith and down to Marlow. From here the A4155 forms an easy final 3.5 miles back to Bourne End.

Red = course of the river, blue = cycle route

Elevation for cycle route

Elevation for cycle route

Richard gowerCycle, Chilterns, Disused Railway, Buckinghamshire, England, ThamesComment