We had gathered below the canopy at Morrisons, which is now accessible again. The renovations are nearly complete, we could see them getting ready to replace the cycle stands.
In view of the poor forecast we were not going out on a long ride, but to add some spice we were going to a coffee stop that we had not been to before. Off along the Alban Way, admiring new signage.
Once under the strengthened bridge at Cottonmill Lane we headed onward and upward on NCN6, enjoying shiny new tarmac on Vesta Avenue and Robert Avenue. The latter is a very welcome improvement as the surface was dreadful, although useful for demonstrating the damage that frost does to roads, as the worst bits were in the frost pockets.
Into Greenwood Park for some late autumn 'forest bathing'. The Forestry Commission autumn mindfulness is perhaps a more apt description of the benefits of gentle autumn cycling in woodland - Five Miles to Fabulous covers all the Five Ways to Well Being. The dampness rendered the tree trunks and branches very stark and made the glow of golden leaves still there all the more dramatic.
Over the North Orbital on the footbridge, which had a refurbishment earlier this year, we turned right on Orchard Drive and used a useful footpath to get us through to Burstons Garden Centre.
We returned by more or less the same route, but used the access on North Close to leave Greenwood Park. It is marginally less aggravating than the access off Watford Road. By the time we returned to Morrisons the cycle stands were in place. And we had not had a soaking, in fact, it hardly rained on us at all. Distance just under nine miles.
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