Peter Schrammel - Mountains

12. 7. 2013

Peter Schrammel

Weather

sunny

Interest

****: from the Royal Spa via Shakespeare town through the Cotswold hills to Oxford

Route

Leamington Spa, 61m - Stratford upon Avon, 39m - Chipping Campden, 142m - Chipping Norton, 198m - Charlbury, 98m - Eynsham, 65m - Oxford, 62m

Elevation gain

+1008/-1007

Distance

112km

Timing

5 3/4h (1 + 1 + 1 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/2 + 1/2)

Stamina

Difficulty

Danger

Visitor frequency

Report

I got up later than I had planned and only left home at 6.20am. I wanted to take the first train to Birmingham at 6.39am. I cycled at full speed through High Street and Queen Street, got the ticket from the machine and at 6.33am I was on the platform and waiting for the train. 45 minutes later I was in Leamington Spa. I took a short trip through the city with its white facades before I started towards the south, crossed the M40 and continued to Wellesbourne. I overtook a girl on a bicycle who rode surprisingly fast. After I had taken a photo of an old church, suddenly the girl was again in front of me, but now I saw why she was that fast: it was an e-bike. Towards 10am I arrived in Stratford and crossed the Avon bridge. I had a short stroll through the town, around the theatre and in the nice park on the other side of the Avon where rowers were preparing the buffet for a competition. I had a short break on the lawn before continuing via Clifford Chambers and a detour via Lower Quinton to Mickleton and then steeper up the hill under the bridge of the train line Oxford-Worcester to Chipping Campden, one of the most beautiful towns of the Cotswolds. It was noon now. I took a look into the church and rode up and down the market place with its little stone covered market. My camera ran out of power when filming a group dancing in traditional costumes. After the lunch break I continued via Broad Campden down to the B4479 and crossed the railway. After Paxhill I crossed the A329 and then followed tiny side roads via little villages to Long Compton. From there the road climbs more seriously up and down and up again to Chipping Norton, a nice town. It was just before 2.30pm. What I didn't know was that I passed a few hundred meters by the Rollright Stone circle, but I would come back again a year later. The remaining section down to Charlbury was less interesting and there was much headwind. I crossed the river Evenlode after Fawler and climbed up the route already known to me to East End and Eynsham. I quickly bought icecream and a bottle of water to gain enough force for the last 10 miles to Oxford, where I arrived towards 4pm.