3. My Longest Ride – Into The Cotswolds

In this third episode, I cycle through the Cotswold villages of Horton-cum-Studley, Beckley and Islip. We see some amazing buildings. You really can’t beat an English spring day in the sun.

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my cycle ride from Alsbury to Icelip in Oxford Shshire turned out to be the longest I’ve ever done I saw some beautiful scenery along the way and the weather was perfect just a bit windy So in this next episode I cross the M40 near Water Perry go around Bernwood Forest and then head through Bonham Studley up to Beckley and then make my way to Icelip on a very fast road So come along with me as I explore the edge of the [Music] Cotsworlds Right this little lane is crossing the M40 Ah a vehicle I can see Beckley Mast quite clearly over there now Over to the left over there Not far at all Oh my god Just stick with it Stick with it It’s not too bad Going the right way That’s the main thing Oh god this is a bride away All right horse footprints Poof prints should I say You’ll have to forgive me spitting out flies throughout this video They were everywhere Well this is the only bit of concern for me This uh bridal way has turned out all right So there’s a sharp left up here around the edge of Burnwood Forest A very ancient forest is Burnwood forest Used to cover a much larger area Here we are then As long as they’re not shooting at me I don’t mind That does make a noise doesn’t it it’s a bumpy one This is proper off-road now So that is Burnwood Forest on the right there Oh look at that Is that wild garlic or is that just the the light shining off the leaves either way very pretty scene in Burnwood Forest there And just down here we can see the last remnants of blue bells My god that must have been nice through there in the peak of it This is quite a tough old route going across this There’s no Well there is a worn route but it’s so bumpy It doesn’t matter which one I choose It’s all the same God blime me No that wasn’t a good idea That was so bumpy God damn idea Well still a brighter way Oh orange tip butterfly Oh do you know what i think this might be a good place to stop and have some lunch Oh what a lovely peaceful place for for some lunch despite the gunshots in the background I’ve been trying to photograph some of these butterflies that are flitting around but there’s not much in the way of flowers for them to land on and they only stay for a couple of seconds So by the time I’ve got the camera out um they’ve gone I think I need to find uh see look if you saw that orange tip butterfly there There’s quite a few of these around Oh there’s some here Look Yeah they tease me I think I need to go somewhere where there’s some more flowers Give me a better chance So uh yeah let’s get towards uh Icelip then out that way Onwards Oh is this a road let’s walk through here Given how tight it is and some house keys Ow Nettles It’s telling me my phone’s at 30% It’s all right Right Straight on Says Oakley and Brill Ah a nice open road again Bliss I’m now on the road to Horton Come study Yeah that wasn’t nice at all Just feel like you’re not making any progress you know when you’re going along somewhere like that [Music] Straight on into Horton comes Studley and then I turn left Oh this is very pretty isn’t it look at this Cobweb [Music] cottage and a mock tuda one much later in All [Music] right Those arms houses Yeah they look very old don’t they 1600s maybe Save Omore from what that was from 2018 when the Oxford to Cambridge expressway was planned to cross the moore but that’s since been cancelled I don’t know how fast I was going there I wasn’t looking too busy keeping safe Beckley Oh there’s a radio mast or TV mast There it is See that from Kumhill over at Wendover near Ellsbury You think “God that’s a long way away.” And here I am meters from it huh how strange From here on it should be pretty simple There’s no more bridal ways or anything like that apart from the Mod Greenway But I know that like the back of my hand So this is Beckley Never been there Wonder if there’s any old bits That explains why I’ve been coming up uh uphill cuz this is the only sort of hill for quite some distance now There’s a view Oh can see for miles I couldn’t tell you where I am though I suppose that’s Oxford here still Yeah very nice Roman Way There’s a Roman road that goes through Beckley It goes from Dorchester to Bista and actually passes through Oxford Ah Becky High Street Oh look at this What have I just stepped into almost like I’ve uh entered the the Cotswwells immediately Look at all this Yes indeed Mustn’t get too distracted Where are we going up here think so and then turn right Okay Yeah Reminds me all those places around sort of Hook Norton you know and Bloxom and all that way which I have cycled around Got the bikes to Bambbury once First time we went out there me and me brother That was uh really nice 1990s I think that was Oh let’s have a bit more juice There we go Uh we got enough room here Oh that’s nice of them Oh another car behind me Let’s get a move on now I’m going to do the same thing for this car behind me It’ll be stuck for ages I need to charge my phone Actually let’s do that now So as soon as I get to Icelip I should be heading home really So high up here which only means one thing going downhill at some point I’m still climbing Two I slip Always looks fast That was fast I hit 36 miles an hour I’ve just seen a train It’s probably the one going to or going from Oxford Oh I can see I sit down there Yeah it’s over there somewhere Just going under a bridge now Icelip of course is on the railway now now that uh East West Rail is due to open but the route from um Oxford to Bista being open much longer or Oxford Parkway rather windy move I’m now entering Icelip Oh is this a cycle way just there excellent Wow what a beautiful site [Music] I’m not stopping for a point but uh I’ll certainly have a drink [Music] You can’t beat the Cotswwells can you look at these plum houses Oh there’s the church just there Very posh isn’t it um I’m going right cars get out of the way down here Yep Old arms [Music] houses Oh can I live in one of these please [Music] so that was Icelip The village of Oddington I think is next then Omore That’s where we leave it for this episode Join me next time when I go to Otmore briefly and then through Oddington Charlton on Utmore Fenot Merkott and through Bolto Pittington and then Lugashaw See you next time