19C, Sunny, clear and still.

What a thoroughly well organised school Princethorpe is. They started this bronze practice from the school site and took rural routes to a campsite 10km away.

My group were enthusiastic and lively. Though likable, that led them to make some glaring navigation errors early on. I confess, I let them. It was obvious early on that they’d have the stamina to return and correct their mistakes which is what they actually did.

I probably would have made the same mistake at the age of 14. They followed a group in front who happened to be girls.

Their stamina, or lack of started to show after about 8km but the others urged them on regardless. Little time was wasted on rests. We did take time out searching for water which was eventually delivered by their own teachers..

This is my favourite part of DofE, navigation training. Near the finish, they were about to make another (small) error but I said “you’re making a mistake but I’m not going to tell you what it is“.

Notes for next time: my luggage scale is faulty; take a spare water bottle; wear thinner socks in hot weather.

Wintery, -2°C, cold brisk E with some sun and snow showers.

I hiked with MapMyRide+! Distance: 13.50km, time: 03:53:01, pace: 17:16min/km, speed: 3.48km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/2737465336

Top temperature today was -2°c though the snow underfoot was still quite powdery. Take away for windchill and it’s -11°C. You can avoid that in the dunes, much of the route runs in the valleys. I chose one of them to stop for lunch. Part of the route was familiar and marked with coloured posts.

The initial idea behind this route was to include a visit to a wreck out just below the mean tide line. I knew the sea would be far out but there was lagoon like water blocking the way. There is no way that I’d wade out to the sand bank where the wreck lies, not in this weather.

Fun thought- the image of me, knelt in remote dunes negotiating details over the mobile of my new house purchase in bracing winter weather.

+1°C, cold stiff wind from East. Sunny and snow on ground.

I rode Mustang with MapMyRide+! Distance: 22.24km, time: 01:23:28, pace: 3:45min/km, speed: 15.99km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/2735446345

Steal softly through sunshine, steal softly through snow.
~Captain Beefheart.

We should aim to do things never tried before. This afternoon, I cycled in snow for the first time in half a century. It’s the black ice that scares me most but today’s snowfall is still quite powdery. It’s only as slippery as soft mud, but cleaner.

I’m not very good at this yet, I’m not brilliant in mud either. The problem for me is pushing away the fear of crashing. It’s good to remind yourself to relax arms and your grip. Push your shoulders down so your movement over uneven ground is fluid and sooth. However, it certainly was fun. The times I stopped, the beauty of this weather was obvious. That deep cobalt sky filled shadows which set against the golden sun. There were puddles of ice crusted puddles in fields, and puddles of cobalt in any dip in the clean white snow.

Wind chill is fierce, cold eats through your clothes and your nostrils. Best to keep the ride short. A long outing in this takes a long recovery to warn back up after. At least the sun has warmth, especially in wind shadows.

6°C, brisk SE dry but grey cloud.
Rode Mustang with MapMyRide+! Distance: 37.75km, time: 01:40:35, pace: 2:40min/km, speed: 22.52km/h.

http://mapmyride.com/workout/2656664617​

With this wind, the single-speed is out of the question. The return leg night be dark but the lights are good. I found an excellent Knogg rear light when I moved not of my house.