Jolly Nice

A clear day when we left Cheltenham, by the time, we had cycled up Leckhampton Hill and out towards Winstone, the fog was setting in.

It was lovely to meet up with John and Chris, two friends who we had cycled LEJOG with.

LEJOG With Chris and John

Under time pressure to get back, Roland headed home, while the rest of us enjoyed a coffee and cake stop at one of our favourite haunts – The Jolly Nice at Frampton Mansell.

I’ve cycled to and from The Jolly Nice a number of times and was pleasantly surprised to find the ride home easier than before. Easier, except for the shortcut to avoid the notoriously busy Air Balloon roundabout on the A417. By this point, we had all gone our separate ways, so, on my own, I took a familiar off road shortcut, only to be met by a dozen very large cows grazing alongside the route I needed to take. I fleetingly considered returning to the A417 as the safer option!

My imagination running riot, I couldn’t help feeling my high visibility red cycling jacket might not have been the best choice for this part of the journey, and with more than a little trepidation, I took the shortcut and (of course) made it through unscathed.