Letter from the Editor

    WOODBRIDGE, U.K. — The road back to Needham Market and the Cyclebreaks barn was a winding one. We took some detours, likely in hopes of a longer ride. It was a vacation trip of a lifetime. Like a good dream, we didn’t want to wake up.

   We spent the night at Seckford Hall Hotel & Restaurant. It ranked among the top two inns visited during our stay. It was the only restaurant visited that had a dress code: Casual (but smart). We did our best.

    A detour the next morning took us past my favorite road sign: “Free manure, you gather and haul.” We had other favorites. “Beware, children” near a school. Most restaurants proclaimed “children welcome if well behaved.” 

  Others said, “No beans for sale.” “Fresh Fish. Anything Fresher Is Still Swimming.” Most country homes and farms have name signs out front. Some showed creativity. Most said, “White House farm,” or “Brick House farm.” 

    We pedaled to Otley to see the original home of the Gosnold family. Bartholomew Gosnold sailed to the New World and discovered Cape Cod in 1602. He named Martha’s Vineyard after his daughter. The home was closed Tuesday but we got a good view anyway.

   Cycling through new areas is a pleasure more should experience. It’s healthy, invigorating and puts riders in tune with the world around them. The wide range of livestock, wildlife, crops and even vehicle makes and models becomes more evident on two wheels. 

   We tried to order food outside of our own comfort zones. Bangers and mash, black pudding, Yorkshire pudding, bitter beer and Guinness with cider. Our route did not pass one fast-food restaurant, 7-Eleven or Best Buy. 

   A traveler on a tight budget could eat very cheaply. Many homes offered fruit, produce and flowers for sale at curbside. It was all on the honor system. 

   Pity the poor travelers trapped in air-conditioned tour buses high above us. Their experience can’t compare. Most of the roads, footpaths and “bridleways” we crossed couldn’t accommodate “HGVs,” or heavy goods vehicles.

    Strangers stopped to offer us help reading the maps or to offer encouragement. They wanted to know where we were from in the states. 

    One man snapped a picture of me with my son at The Dog Inn pub in Grundisburgh. In our conversation, we discovered he was retired from Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville, although he’d never been to Oklahoma.

   Even the daily rain didn’t bother us. Dress accordingly and concern yourself with conditions you can control. Just the thought of returning home to triple digit temperatures was enough to bring a smile.

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