For the trip to Dorset we had hired a big car so we could take the bikes and were keen to make use of them. So we decided to go for a bike ride from Corfe Castle to Studland and back again. There are official cycle routes around Corfe Castle but we decided to pick our own shorter route in the area. The idea being that the route would be more suitable for my fitness level.
We started in the town of Corfe Castle. We missed the official parking places and ended up parking on a side street. I hope the residents didn’t mind too much. We headed out of town on the B3352 but soon took a left onto a smaller road and before long we were cycling through some trees. It was a lovely, mostly flat stretch. We had hoped to get some lunch at the Shell Bay Restaurant but unfortunately they were fully booked.
So after a brief rest we turned around and headed towards Studland. As we approached Studland we passed an interesting looking hotel called Knoll House. Fortunately they were able to do us lunch. I had a lovely vegetable gazpacho with chips. However the gazpacho came with some lovely bread so I didn’t need the chips. My partner had a crab salad. The hotel had some very interesting 70’s decor so we are thinking it would be an interesting place to stay on another holiday. The view was also pretty good.
Then came the toughest part of the ride. We had a big hill to tackle. The area where I live is very flat so I have been finding that while I can cope with long distances, even a small hill is tough. So we had to stop quite a few times but eventually we made it to the top and stopped at a viewing point to appreciate how far we had come. It might no look like much from the picture but it was still a good achievement for me.
Cycling downhill was of course much easier. The main challenging being not to go to fast especially around the bends. Fortunately I managed to avoid any high speed accidents and it wasn’t long before I recognized the last stretch of road which meant we were almost back. As we approached the last junction I slowed to stop behind a few cars. I put my foot down expecting a bit of curb but I misjudged the distance and put my foot in a hole. So I fell sideways, hit a road sign and ended up lying in the grass. I’m sure a shot of me bouncing off the sign and landing in the grass would have gone viral. Fortunately I wasn’t caught on camera.
After such a long day neither of us had energy to cook and we ended up in the same restaurant that we’d had lunch in the day before. It was a very tiring but satisfying day.