Left Oxford, arrived Edale

Well, traveling with Ann has always been an adventure and the last few days have been awesome. Where to begin.... Oxford to Stratford was an easy 60 miles. I didn't feel very well last week but this week much stronger so this ride was very good. We arrived early - got in around 5 pm and although the hostel was a ways out of town we found a very posh restaurant/wine bar just across the road and enjoyed a delicious dinner. The hostel was comfortable and we got an early start from there to stop in town for a quick coffee before riding. Headed to our next B&B reservation just north of Birmingham following a Sustrans route (again). Things went well early in the day although not pretty as it was mostly urban followed by another route along the canal. We met an English couple who were doing some day cycling and staying at a cottage in the area. The Sustrans route proved difficult getting through Redditch - it was actually more than difficult - it was a matter of struggling to find the signs. It seems many people remove these signs on the posts so they are just not there. Anyway, we got through it slowly.... but as we got into Bromsgrove it was just impossible. We were on and off the route again and again. Decided to give it up at that point because our destination was just too far. Got a hotel and planned a train route for the next day that worked out really well. We grabbed a train in Bromsgrove and took it all the way to Matlock which is a gateway to the Peak district. There we got back on our bikes and headed up the steep hills out of town. This was great fun and we were both delighted to get out of the tourist-trap towns. Had a really good, easy ride with fabulous views all the way to Bakewell where we had another hostel reservation. The town is smaller than the other towns we had been staying in but surprisingly busy with traffic. Headed out the next morning for our final destination - Edale - up in the heart of the Peak district. This was a very interesting day. See next post....