Just when you think you have left plenty of time to get to the station, you get that sinking feeling that can only mean one thing - a puncture! Worse, it's in the back wheel. Worse still, your friends are already on the train you expect to meet in 20 minutes. But after a quick explanatory text and the quickest tube change I've ever done, I was back on the road, hoping the dodgy patch on the only spare tube I was carrying would hold, as I didn't seem to have another.
Three sets of red lights and two lift journeys later, I arrive on the correct platform just as the train's arrival is being announced. I count the carriages as they roll past as Jo's text had said, 'We are in coach three.'
As I walk up the platform, I look up to see a familiar smiling face. Jo and Babs had arranged their bikes, so there was just room for one more, and while I patiently waited for my heart to slow and my brain to clear, the train 'took the strain' as we rolled towards Bournemouth.
We chatted the whole journey catching up on each other's news and discussing the day ahead. We soon reached our destination and set off towards the sea. Even though I had ridden this way before, I used Cycle.Travel to plan the route down to the seafront. It took us a much quicker and easier route than I have ever used before, so we soon stood next to the pier watching the angry sea whip up foam as it met the shore.
With the wind to our side and the sun in our eyes, we headed down the seafront, dodging stray children and long leads with tiny dogs at the end, all while wheel spinning on patches of windswept sand. It was great fun! We arrived in Poole in no time at all.
We continued with the sea to our left until we ran out of the promenade. Then, turning right, we headed up the hill, away from the coast and towards Poole Quay. The road was busy with ferry traffic, so we were glad to find that the NCN 25 took us into Whitecliffe park with its newly resurfaced cycle path. Our first milepost was lurking just inside the main entrance. We were very impressed by its obviously newly painted colour scheme.
We continued along the dedicated path, listening to the lapping waves and discussing the movement of a large catamaran as it crossed the harbour towards the docks. We decided to make the most of the view and munched on our sandwiches as we enjoyed the fresh sea air and unusual warmth from the sun. Once back on the move, we soon came across our second milepost. This one, designed by Andrew Rowe, was very different to the others as its 'fingers' pointed in three directions.
We continued along route 25, keeping the harbour to our left for a little longer as we entered the old town. We received warm wishes of a safe journey from a cheery chap who stood outside the RNLI museum. Crossing a small bridge, we now had water on our right as we began to circle around a large inlet.
It became evident that I had not checked the road surfaces of the proposed route as we hit a large area of compacted gravel that continued the entire length of Upton park. Thankfully, the overnight rain had not completely filled the puddles, enabling us to mostly skirt around them. Though it wasn't too difficult to ride, we were pleased to get back onto the next stretch of tarmac. As we rode past, we commented on the fantastic well-used children's play apparatus.
We continued around this inlet, detouring slightly to find the remaining milepost of the route. Unfortunately, this was right alongside a bustling road which sported a brand-new cycle and pedestrian crossing. Though you could just see the sea from this location, it was impossible to take a decent photograph.
We had, by now, completed our loop and were poorly retracing our steps back to Sandbanks. However, we did take a scenic detour by the large RNLI training centre and marvelled at the artwork surrounding it.
The sky turned grey as we said 'Hi' to the middle milepost once more, and as we paused to cover bags with rain covers, we noticed a beautiful rainbow overhead. Two minutes later, we were soaked to the skin!
It didn't take long to get back to the main promenade, and this time, with the wind behind us, we sped back towards Bournemouth (at the designated 10mph). We soon caught up with an older gentleman on what initially looked like a hefty-looking trike, yet he, too, was gliding almost effortlessly down the path. As I turned to say good afternoon to him, I noticed he had a massive grin on his face. I couldn't help but mention how happy he looked. He told me that this electric bike was the best thing he had ever invested in. He was now in his eighties and had lost his driving licence to poor eyesight and his ability to walk any distance to his sore legs. Yet this bike allowed him to "access the world."
He explained that this trike was so much better than any mobility scooter for him. "It's keeping my legs turning". This was a return journey from a morning in Poole, something he thought would never be possible again.
He asked where we were from and where we were going. You could almost hear the cogs in his brain spinning with ideas. I left him pondering whether he would be able to get his bike on the train as I pulled up to meet Jo and Babs, who had been waiting for me to catch up. But as we got level with Branksome chine, I heard a cheery 'Cherio, safe travels' from my left, where I spied my new cycle buddy sat on the bench waving at us, still grinning from ear to ear.
The sun was back out, and the lure of chips was too great, so we stopped at a small cafe on the front. We waited quite a while as the chips were freshly prepared. Finally, they arrived in bags full of promise, but the portion size left much to be desired - think a semi-full McDonald-sized carton containing about 20 full-sized chips. This would not be my main meal of the day!
Thankfully the sun/wind combination had completely dried us out by now. So we sat in the sun for a while, enjoying the sights and sounds of the seaside, watching a detectorist scan the shore for hidden treasure.
Jo decided to make the most of the unusual weather and headed off at some speed towards the sea. She returned with wet feet and a grin from ear to ear.
We made the most of the tailwind, making our allotted 10mph speed limit almost effortless. Like the accompanying drifting sand, we quickly rolled past Boscombe pier and found ourselves in Southbourne in no time. It wasn't until we stopped here to look back that we realised how strong the wind was and began plotting ways to avoid a headwind on the journey back.
We reached the cafe at Heningsbury Head and decided to detour to the station at Christchurch as we could catch our returning train from there. Sadly there was no lift to the platform we needed, so we each carried our bikes up the stairs on one side and bounced down the other. We were also dismayed to find all the toilets were locked, and we had at least a 20 min wait for our train to appear. But as with every journey, getting our bikes onto the train was easy, with a clearly marked carriage and a dedicated area to store the bikes. I'm unsure whether we were chatting too much or just too tired, but unfortunately, no one thought to take a photo of our return journey.
We parted company at Southampton station. I left Jo and Babs on the train as they headed back to Winchester. So with three more Millenium mileposts to add to the collection and just a short ride home, today's mission was practically complete.
