Day 2: Oaks and Hot Tubs

Today was a simple seventy five miler from Brentwood to St Ives. After yesterdays experience of TOWIE I was not particularly looking forward to the Essex leg.

The first surprise of the day was a few miles out of Brentwood and I came across this fossilised lump of Mammoth Dung which comes vaguely in the bracket of fly tipping if you expand the time frame somewhat. Off camera I gave the dung a hug to see if it brought out the inner Mammoth in me as some of us share over 90% of DNA with these distant cousins. I have always wanted a religious like experience and all I can report today is that it did not happen for me. I was just a middle aged man by a field hugging a million year old lump of dung.

And then this very helpful duel message road sign came into view. One message for motorists about chippings and the other for cyclist who wear their Lycra commando style.

And finally some genuine beauty in Essex

It appears Essex is strong on Oaks as this was the first of a string of really majestic trees. The old guy running must have have lost his bike..

Morning tea stop and I am trying to tempt my Little Rhino with a few morsels. John Herbert who I cam on this trip with, thinks I am taking the man/bike bond thing a bit too far.

If like me you have spent time wondering where Artex came from, here is your Answer: Essex. This house was the first of number to exhibit that icon of interior design, but on the outside.

 By the time I saw this church Essex was really starting to grow on me with, idyllic lanes and a dam good Topps Tiles outlet to boot..

Before leaving Essex I thought of the saying when in Rome...... So on passing a hot tub show room I asked this very kind person from Spa Wars if he had a hot tub that would fit Little Rhino and me.

And he certainly did!

On through the picturesque northern part of Essex and the county just started to show off with rolling hills dotted with those wonderful oak trees, artexed pubs and blossom lined lanes..Sorry about that last sentence I will try not let that type of writing seep into this blog.

One final rear shot, of the polite kind, back into Essex as we entered Cambridgeshire with its distinctive flint churches and houses that look on the verge of collapse

Just in case you are wondering how fast I am cycling at along the flat, this speed warning sign lit up as I entered this village. Those Lance pep up pills really work!

 And so to the outskirts of Cambridge where there is a phenomenal amount of building work.. This building was for some bio science facility which I hope is totally devoted to developing an arse soothing cream for the slightly overweight moderately longish distance cyclists. I think that is were the big money is for the pharmaceutical industry.

Into Cambridge with punters punting

 Some old buildings impressing.

Unlike the picture of the day before with the power station in the background I am not sure I come out of this well and Little Rhino was not having any of it.

I leave you with a final couple of shots from St Ives of yet another example of the crumbling nature of British infrastructure.

So Essex surprised in a good way and Cambridgeshire delivered flat cycling and no surprises, just the bog standard icons you can see in any old world heritage centre.

Tomorrow holds 81 bum numbing miles to Castle Donnington, and more hills,