Done some things this weekend. Yesterday, we all went to the Look Out Discovery Centre. This was mainly because Mrs. H. wanted to check it out with a view to taking her pupils there, but also because it looked interesting. For those of you who have seen the basement of the Science Museum, the idea is the same except less like a vision of hell because it's not hot, stuff, underground and there aren't so many screaming kids. It is fairly small though. SB (who is Mrs. H.'s guinea pig - whereas Sam is SB's guinea pig and ... nevermind) seemed to enjoy it.

Anyhow, the place is set in a huge forest. Despite the address being Bracknell, it's actually quite picturesque. There was lots of people riding mountain bikes through the forest and it looked a good thing to do with SB. Sometimes I think I need a mountain bike.

Today, on a whim (and because the weather looked OK), I looked in a Surrey Cycling book that I picked up a while back. It suggested that along the River Wey (not the one in Dorset) would be a good thing so I got SB and our bikes into the car and headed out.

This was also picturesque. Small boy crossing a weir:

Narrowboat:

There was a pub en-route, but there were hundreds of people outside (Sunday lunchtime, sunshine) so didn't stop for beer. There were also some fairly confident swans and cygnets:

Towards the end, the noise suggested we were pretty close to the M25 (Google Earth confirms it) which takes the shine off a peaceful cycle ride.

The good thing about towpath rides is that they're flat. The bad thing (apart from people blocking the path) is that you have to go back the same way. OK, you don't have to, but if you've not brought a map and want to keep SB off the roads you do. I managed to take one picture while riding

This isn't a very good idea though as SB has a habit of slamming on the anchors at any sign of trouble.

It was good, but some of the terrain was a bit bumpy and/or soft so 700Cx19mm wheels are not perfect. Sometimes I think I need a mountain bike.

In other news, I've been thinking that I need a mountain bike. I don't need anything extreme, just something that wont fall apart doing woodland paths, bridelways. I know Halfords are evil and rubbish, but they have what appear to be incredibly cheap deals. I don't really care too much about rear suspension (front suspension wasn't invented in my day) or stuff being super lightweight. Just something strong enough to carry a fat bastard through a forest. Price is, definitely, a factor.

Also, it might get me out a bit more often (without SB). The thought of race gearing Surrey traffic does put me off using my road bike. And there are plenty of off road routes around here.

Any comments anyone?