King Alfred's Cakes

I love all mushrooms but these are something a little unusual, even for fungi. Legend has it that King Alfred the Great was left to watch over some cakes baking, but being preoccupied, forgot about them and they burnt. These tough 'shrooms resemble burnt cakes, hence their name. If we're being scientific about it, they're really called Daldinia concentrica as their insides have a concentric pattern.

Much like burnt cakes, they are largely regarded as inedible, although they're not dangerous to eat. They have been used to relieve cramps according to folk remedy and are sometimes known as Cramp Balls. You're most likely to see them attached to dead ash and beech trees, amongst other broadleaved trees and whilst they are in season during the summer to autumn, they can hang about for many years!

Caching by bike

I love long car journeys to interesting places. I love long walks in the woods or across fields in the sunshine. I love hacking across country on horseback when I get the opportunity... but cycling is a different kind of pleasure, and also something I don't get the chance to do very often, which is what makes it so exciting. My bike is still in Wales and despite the kind offer of one of my colleagues to have his spare bike, I had to decline simply because I have nowhere at all to keep one, not even a garden or communal space. A bike of my own will have to wait until we get a different place.

Meanwhile I have taken to hiring bikes in Brockenhurst in the New Forest where the bikes are good quality and the people are friendly. I can see myself remaining a loyal customer to Cyclexperience until the day I get a bike of my own (in England!). I decided it would be nice to combine cycling with my passion for geocaching like I used to years ago when I'd cycle up the Tawe in Swansea to Pontardawe and pick off caches en route.

I was provided with a map of the area I'd opted to venture, a route taking me west to Burley and then north and back towards Brockenhurst again, making a complete circuit. I lost the way a couple of times, but then I also had my GPSr telling me in not so many words "There's a cache over there; why not make a detour and pick it up?" Of the eight I stopped for, I thankfully found them all, and some were in pretty remote areas which made cycling to them even more appealing. Glad I had my detailed map of the New Forest with me as the route map I'd been provided with didn't show up all the paths I was taking, and the spare batteries came in useful for my GPSr. How reassuring to be able to pinpoint your location when you're in a place you've never been before. Don't know that I would have got back by 5pm without it!

Sadly on this occasion I also had something of a breakdown and I have no recollection of how it happened. It didn't seem to be a straight forward puncture, which I've had before. No, I stopped to try and help direct some other cyclists and when I started off again my bike felt heavy and hard to cycle. I wondered if I had lost the knack or knackered myself?! The odd squishing sound that accompanied my laboured pedalling told me something was wrong and sure enough my rear tyre was all squidgy, to use the technical term. I had the option of calling the hire centre for help or a replacement bike but by this time I was so close to Brockenhurst that I decided to persevere. Unfortunately it got a lot worse and soon my inner tube was caught up in the spokes. The bike's entrails were spilling out everywhere and in my inexperience at resolving bike problems, I only made the situation worse. Shamefully I pushed the bike on its front wheel through the town and gained some muscle in my arms just by supporting the rear wheel the whole way. Despite this, I still had an awesome day and will be going back for more! Next time, remember to take the repair kit, girl.

This was not supposed to happen!

Westbury White Horse

Decided to do something a little special for my minor milestone of 2100 and as I was in the area, White Horse View seemed a good one. Many times have I been through Westbury on the train to or from Wales and seen the massive horse out the window, but at last I have been able to get right up close to it, so close in fact that I sat on its ear. The are some good views from below but you can get right to the top and see across Westbury and beyond. The history of the horse is uncertain but it's thought to date back to the eighteenth century. Why it's there no one really knows either, although other white horses were made to celebrate victories. Originally the horse was purely the chalk in the hillside but it's been painted and preserved now so that it doesn't have to be scrubbed clean all the time!

The horse is one of several in the Wiltshire area, but probably the most anatomically accurate (which is saying something, really). Other chalk figures tend to be outlines like the Long Man of Wilmington or the Cerne Abbas Giant. I find them a little eerie, to be honest, but also fascinating, perhaps like my love/hate relationship with huge chimneys, cooling towers and other industrial superstructures.

Boris biking in the capital

If you're ever in London and looking to get around, you'll probably go down to the Tube or perhaps take a tour bus or even cruise along the Thames. What about cycling, though? Well, to be frank, I can't think of many things more daunting than cycling through the capital, but I was willing to give it a try what with the fairly recent incentive of Boris Johnson's to get hired bicycles dotted around the capital to encourage green commuting. We spent a while just getting the bikes out, then with much trepidation cycled away from London Bridge, trying to get to grips with these rather heavy and awkward bikes. The next half an hour was spent cycling round in circles through quiet streets and a nearby playground. 

I think cycling through central London is some way off for the likes of me. I'll stick to the New Forest, thanks! Hats off to those who do use eco-friendly transport in such a city though. If ever you're in London, it's worth giving the Boris bikes a go, just for a laugh!