Brian Taylor

Stay home the government says – essential journeys only; shopping for medicines and essentials only, nothing else! But you can take some exercise – just do it locally, don’t drive to a beauty spot or anywhere for that matter. Luckily they have included cycling in the list of permitted exercise. The fact that I could easily cycle the 10 miles to the place I last drove to for a naked walk, clearly doesn’t affect these decisions. So ‘on yer bike’ Brian…

Luckily I live close enough to open country that it doesn’t take much peddling before I’m away from houses, but obviously it is textile peddling, unfortunately. If I stick to the country lanes, I feel I have to remain in at least shorts, so I have been revisiting some local bridleways or securing my bike and going for a walk as the fancy takes me. Just one thing; I have noticed more dog walkers than I’m used to, especially mid-week. I guess all this ‘work/stay at home’ means that more people are walking their dogs at times and along routes they would have only previously used at weekends. Nevertheless, I have been able to walk and cycle naked enough for me to see the start of a tan – building it up slowly, ready to protect me from the full Summer sun when it (hopefully) arrives.

I present four pictures here the first two from that last walk I drove to a couple of weeks ago, before the ‘clamp down’ really got going. That walk was alongside the river Trent near Kings Bromley. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and you may think I’m copying Vittorio Volpi in the one picture – Ok, I admit it.

Today I was on my bike and so here is a picture to prove it – well, pushing it over a rough part which my ancient road bike is not best suited for. And yes, another tribute to Vittorio (I hope you don’t mind, if you’re reading this) I couldn’t resist this grand old tree with its hollow trunk. Believe it or not, this was on part of a bridleway that I did manage to ride along, although it was a bit rough and narrow such that I challenge anyone to pick it out in the bottom right-hand corner of this picture.

Social distancing? I’ve been doing it for years…