I woke to see a large lump of flint and chalk rock lying in the tent. I was completely baffled what it was doing there. I tried to reason where it had come from or how it got there. As I emerged from the tent things fell into place as I noticed a large rip in the tent outer and a streak of chalk along the inner. Someone had thrown it at the tent during the night and it had gone straight through. It was a very depressing start to the day. To make matters worse it started to rain quite hard as I packed the tent away. I set off dejectedly along the busy A344 crowded with commuter traffic.

Hole in the tent

In the distance I saw Stonehenge but knew it would be shut. I reached the barrier fence and wheeled my bike along. The car park is on the opposite side of the road but a pedestrian underpass links it to the monument. The entry charge is made there. The fence grill was too small to poke the camera lens through so I lifted the camera above the fence. Another cyclist was there and he was drawing the stones in his notebook. I spoke briefly then continued.

Craig Martin draws Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire.
It is one of the most famous sites in the world.
The henge is the remains of a ring of standing stones set within earthworks and dating back to about 2000 BC to 3000 BC.

I found a spot about half a mile away to take a telephoto shot of Stonehenge. The other cyclist came up and we started to chat. His name was Craig Martin from Victoria Australia and he was in the process of cycling round the world. He’d cycled through 83 countries and was heading for London tomorrow and then to Europe and beyond. I was impressed with his stamina for such an undertaking.

Stonehenge

Craig Martin from Victoria, Australia.

Old Sarum

He set off for the information centre in Avebury and I took the minor lanes south to Old Sarum castle. In the distance I could see Salisbury Cathedral spire. Nearing Old Sarum I saw a cycle track signposted. I tried to follow it but didn’t get far as it is definitely not fit for bikes. I took the road route and cycled up between the large ring earth bank, passed the car park and up to the castle entrance. I didn’t pay to go in as there wasn’t enough time.

Tidworth Barracks

After a quick look at the adjacent Abbey foundations I cycled back to the roundabout and along the A338 to Tidworth, which is an Army Barracks. I wanted to check it out as many years ago I made a copy of a group of soldiers which included some from Withnell Fold Paper Mill. The caption was 1915 Lucknow Barracks Tidworth. I went to the first Guardhouse but was sent to the main guardroom. I was told there weren’t any buildings in Lucknow area left from 1915 as the area had been rebuilt.

Tidworth Barracks

I rode into Tidworth town and bought some food from the supermarket. Then I phoned Susan Band who lives about 10 miles to the east of Basingstoke. I asked if it was OK to camp in her garden and it was. I rode to Andover and stopped briefly in the town centre as it was mildly interesting. As I left the town I took a wrong turning at some road works but managed to find the old road to return to my planned route.

Andover

After Whitchurch I saw a man doing some re-thatching on a house. I stopped to take a few photos. Before Basingstoke I turned off right to take minor lanes to the A30 which I followed into the town. As I cycled through I found it bland and uninteresting.

Re-roofing near Whitchurch

Leaving the town I turned off by some chemical ponds and followed country lanes to Hartley Witney where Susan lives. It was about 18:15 when I arrived after cycling 73 miles. I put my tent up on the front lawn to give it chance to dry. After an excellent meal I returned to the tent and after blowing up my thermarest sleeping mat found it had started to de-laminate. This was definitely not my day.

Camping in the garden