Monday - 5-20-13 - On a Worse Road
We move on from Orchestron and head for Devizes. Unfortunatey, the only road to travel is similar to a highway, not a major thouroughfare, but one with fast cars zipping by. There is a great deal of walking uphill, and a great deal of "listen for the car coming from behind...stop as close to the edge as one can...wait for the car to pass...cycle on and do it all over again"...about a hundred times. Eventually we get there, but it is a bit unsettling.
The Campground on the Canal
We head west, on the canal. This canal has 29 locks and a path along the entire length. Long, narrow canal boats travel up and down. Some are personal boats that folks live on, some are commercial boats that can be rented out to tourists who want a "moving" experience with their lodgings.
There is a Caravan & Camping campground with access right off the canal. We take a pitch there for two nights and head a few hundred meters up the road to the Three Magpies Pub. British language (not english) being what it is, it is not uncommon to see a menu listing such as, "The Three Magpies' Faggots Supreme." I do not order it.
Day two here finds us heading back UP the canal to the city center of Devizes. It is not as difficult without the 50 pounds of gear attached to my bike! We find a place for breakfast (another Wetherspoon franchise like the King's Head), charging our phones and connecting to the Internet. I am a bit cold, so I stay there most of the day as Cookie wanders about the city. Later in the afternoon, I still can't seem to get warm, so we go in search of a sweater or jacket. We come upon a "thrift" shop and I find a warm, polypro, pullover that is perfect, for 5 pounds ($7.50). I am now in heaven...WARM heaven.
We find a couple of things at the local bike shop, then head to the restaurant for dinner. After that, it's back down the canal. It is not as cold on the canal, and the sun is just begining to set. It is a magical evening ride.
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©Mark Goldman 2013
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