Royston-Three

Royston, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

[3]

A cycle through Herts countryside - what better way to start the year - 1st January 2010?

After the Christmas snowfalls and the subsequent rain and cold weather, it was a delight to experience some sunshine and blue skies on the first day of the new year. That wasn't to say it was warmer, though. Overnight frost had iced up any puddles of water on the roadside, so I was acutely conscious of the presence of that treacherous black ice, given that I was on my road bike with the thin tyres. Despite the conditions being windless, the cold soon began to bite and my fingers began to feel decidedly uncomfortable. I had to keep going, I thought, keep the circulation going. However, taking my camera along didn't help matters either, what with the constant stops. I loved the fresh air in my face but my toes told a different story, the cold penetrating the vents in my cycling shoes. In need to invest in a pair of cycling longs, I mused. Despite the fact that I was wearing sunglasses, my eyes still watered, forming crystals around my eyes as they dried. I had set out at midday and armed with my camera, the customary two hours on the road through Fowlmere (via Barley), Shepreth, Meldreth, Bassingbourn and Litlington before heading back to Royston, turned into a three hour journey. I was well pleased with the images I had captured, which, along with exercise, made it all worth it in the end.