Today I have been mostly exploring byways

[Clive]

Just on the way to the start of the next one I spotted these taking a walk down the road...

 

[Clive]

I've never seen live badgers before. I switched off the engine and rolled down the hill towards them - managed to get another snap before they disappeared through the hedge. They were making a hell of a racket calling for their lost parent.

 

[Clive]

BW404-BW402

 

[Clive]

BW402-BW405

 

[Snooky]

It is very rare to see Badgers out like that during the day, although there are loads in that area, used to see them all the time when shooting round there, and I remember those tracks from being at Odiham and using them to try and get to Basingstoke in my old shogun some nice trails around there, loads more down towards Alton as well, although at this rate most of Berkshire and Hants should be marked and photo'd by Clive

 

[Clive]

Had time for another on the way home - this is just to the North-West of Basingstoke.

BW406 is N51 16.742 W1 07.882
BW407 is N51 16.890 W1 08.679
BW408 is N51 16.905 W1 09.404
BW409 is N51 18.120 W1 09.261

Mud over chalk I think - slippy stuff

 

[Clive]

Between BW406 and BW407

 

[Clive]

The obligatory "mirror shot" at BW408

Need to work out how to manual focus I suspect

 

[Clive]

My favourite section today, I think, heading down the hill towards BW409

A good couple of hours - loads of others on the map (Explorer 144) - hopefully when Patch sorts his bike out he can guide for some of them

 

[Chisurz]

Pictures of the local wildlife as well as the by-ways!! Though I'm surprised you managed to get so close - and in the daylight... I thought badgers were more dusk and night time creatures. I hpe they found their parents...

It could just be your excellent picture editting Clive, but those by-ways look pretty passable with non-knobblies... yes?

 

[TheJoker]

Thanks!

Clive,

Thats some very very nice pictures, and very detailed descriptions! Well done!
Too bad it's a bit far from me....
Keep on "wafting" the trails for us!!

 

[Clive]

but those by-ways look pretty passable with non-knobblies... yes?

After a couple of days of dry weather, I'd think so - there are some muddy stretches but it wasn't deep and was firm underneath.

Get the shiny thing out there, you know you want to

 

[Clive]

Tuesday 17th May 2005

Fresh from it's 18,000 mile service - took the bike down part of the Ridgeway near Reading.

BW420 is N51 31.639 W1 11.082 (nr Streatley)
BW424 is N51 31.615 W1 16.925 (nr East Ilsley)

The other waypoints between them mark the crossroads of several other byways - saved for another day

 

[Clive]

A variety of surfaces - a steep chalky section.

Note the Road Closed sign at the top of the hill - I passed through at least 6 of these. Don't know what they are there for - it didn't seem closed to me

 

[Clive]

View from the bridge over the abandoned railway line (taken into the sun for that arty effect - which didn't work very well - doh!)

 

[Clive]

and the view over the top of the bridge.

It still amazes me that people will drive to the middle of nowhere to dump stuff like half a motorbike.

 

[Clive]

Stopped to admire the views next to a gallops. There was a long stretch of this ploughed/flattened dirt - not quite sure what that is about.

A few minutes after I took this, a clapped out Sierra drove up the dirt section at about 50mph - when I rode on 1/4 mile it was parked up next to a couple of Gypsy caravans/cars/kids/dogs living on the Byway - he must have been late for his dinner

 

[Patch]

The ridgeway has only just re-opened after the winter TRO's and I would guess they have not yet got round to removing the signs

 

[Clive]

Just before the end of the section near East Ilsley - a bit more grass left on the track.

Just around the corner there were a lot of potholes/mounds, I'm not sure if this natural wear and tear from 4x4s or an attempt by someone to put people off using the Byway.

Passed my waypoint RUPP020 (N51 28.505 W1 09.493) on the way home - this was the one I abandoned a while ago because it got too dark. An excellent track up a hill and through a wood which eventually crossed a small road into another section of Byway ending up at N51 28.654 W1 08.289

 

[Clive]

The ridgeway has only just re-opened after the winter TRO's and I would guess they have not yet got round to removing the signs

Ah - on the section of Ridgeway near Avebury I took a brief look at, on the way home from work the other day, they had Access Only except 1st May - 31st October .

Got your bike sorted yet ? - still waiting for the Hants tour, otherwise I'll have to be sneaking out of Berkshire again soon - almost run out of Byways on Explorer 159