Great evening out in Wiltshire (video at bottom of page)
So 30 or so years ago when I worked in a therapeutic community one of our assessment questions was "do they learn from experience in all kinds of situations?"
I clearly fail this. Which given the time and my experience since then could be quite concerning. Just under a year ago I fell off repeatedly on a brand new Royal Enfield Himalayan trying to climb out of Avebury up to the Ridgeway on a damp, rutted and grassy green lane.
Fast forward almost a year, and almost 5,000 miles and I tried it again on a different green lane, not far from the original one!
The end result (given that I am on the original tyre which is resembling a slick) was perhaps predictable - knee, shoulder and head smacking into Wiltshire Chalk. As far as I can tell there is absolutely no give in Wiltshire Chalk. Thankfully my GoPro battery ran out just before I fell off.
However, the Himalayan is apparently "built for all roads, built for no roads" and all three of us made it to the top (and subsequently home) in the end.
My little Himalayan group has now grown to 4 (only 3 available today), and I imagine they will all get used to picking me out of the scenery soon. A great afternoon/evening out, and once again for me proof that socialising, doing something you love, and being in the beautiful countryside is good for the soul, good for mental health, and probably not good for my aches and bruises tomorrow. Keep it shiny side up, and if you can't, buy a Himalayan as they bounce well. New tyres please!
