Following a perversion of the Nairn approach I went out through West Ealing, Perivale and the A40, leaving it when it motorwayed itself near Denham. Then I drove via Aylesbury (too big and boring) then stopped for coffee in Winslow. I had a look round for The Boy but he didn’t show himself.
I found a place that claimed it had the best coffee in town. A brave claim I suppose but Winslow is not Milan so the competition may not be too daunting. Nice coffee though in a cosy caff and a little mosey around. It’s a place that I had heard of (because of That Winslow Boy) so wanted to investigate.
A pleasant little place, though nothing to write home about, but worthy of a little blog I suppose.
In the square there was a stone thingummy that demanded attention
No explanation. Cours-La-Ville is recorded in Wikipedia but doesn’t set the juices coursing. , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cours-la-Ville But hidden in there is great clue – jumelee with Winslow (UK). Now then, it is confirmed by Winslow’s much more extensive but almost equally dull Wikipedia entry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winslow,_Buckinghamshire
I did spot Winslow Hall on the way in and observed it was big, especially the chimneys which I think may be visible from Mars. Anyway from the Aylesbury Road. If it has a ny purpose it has passed me by. I passed by it, so that counts as a draw.
Next place I remember was Towcester with an elderly (elderly is good) main street with a lot of lorries.
It is the only place on the planet with a racecourse and the distinction as being the only town named after a device that cooks sliced bread. Whoever established it needs spelling lessons though.
So I had done Ealing, Berks, Bucks and now Northants and a dash of Warwickshire. The next one was Leics and that is when it got tricky. Still avoiding motorways I went through some very fetching countryside though I often spotted fields which looked a bit on the wet side. At one place it turned out to be an overflowing river. Later I explored and found what was finally 4 closed roads. 3 of them were because of flood, though one of them there was a man with a Mercedes and a stick showing it was dead shallow and allowed me to go through. One was closed by a fallen Brick wall. At this point I abandoned my principles because I kept crossing a free-flowing M1.
It was getting dark and North Yorkshire was beckoning me and eventually I made it to Pickering. My hotel is in the middle of the picture and proves to me that vicars were overpaid back then because it is the former vicarage, in the centre of town. Very nice and spacious enough to fit in a couple of dozen chums to keep the vicar company.
More about Pickering and the much more scary leg of this Oddity tomorrow. I wouldn’t be so pretentious as to suggest it is an odyssey.
Oh, I came across 4 newly-born wrecked cars. One was on its side in the middle of the road with a recovery truck working out what to do next. The other 3 were stuffed in different positions in ditches and hedges. Not to self – be careful out there as the Sergeant in Hill Street Blues
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