With an objective of taking some winter shots of the historic Parliament Oak for a book I am writing I awoke to a perfect crisp winter morning. My cycling effort and mileage is currently limited whilst I wait with ever diminishing patience for an operation on the NHS. This rendered the only sensible option being an outward journey on the Robin Hood Line from Hucknall to Shirebrook
So, the 7.42 train left Hucknall just as the sun climbed over the station bridge. I could tell this was going to be a perfect morning to capture a photograph of the splendid oak. It was only as I took the phone from my canister bag hoping to take a picture whilst leaving the station that I realised I’d not put the batteries in! Therefore, phone photo’s it would be.
Alighting the train at Shirebrook station I looked forward to the first leg of my cycling mini adventure from Shirebrook to the Parliament Oak. This included a detour of Shirebrook wood to avoid the main road. A reflection of low winter sunlight bounced off a pond lying at the edge of the wood. It was blinding, making clear vision virtually impossible.
After a short return to tarmac I was able to pick up Sookholme Lane which quickly turned from asphalt to gravel. This section was new to me and riding it wasn’t to disappoint. The farm track was delightful and made better by a frost that kept the surface firm. Passing under a viaduct and then over a limestone bridge that spanned the river Meden I stopped to take a few photographs. The river was cascading over rocks and bordered with bushes resplendent in bright red berries.
It wasn’t long before I said goodbye to Sookholme Lane and hello to Market Warsop. After resolving my confusion over the route, a lane that Garmin thought had open access was in fact blocked by a tall padlocked gate at each end. I plotted my revised way out of Warsop picking up what must be an ancient track called Coach Road. This track ran along a wood known as Forest Hill Plantation. It was a delight and brought me directly to Parliament Oak.
On my last visit to see this historic Oak it was in its full coat of leaves. Now bare of summer foliage and set against the winter sunlight Parliament Oak looked like the arteries’ of an oversized heart. With few leaves to cover its great mass it was easy to make out the snaking trunk ravaged by time but refusing to give up on life. It very much reminded me of my own self determination to carry on despite the battle scars acquired during decades of running, cycling and striving to make sense of the crazy economy in which we work, or at least the work I do to make a living. But my triumph against adversity is nothing compared to the thousand years or more this battered oak has endured.
Having gathered the photographs I wished to collect I made my way south, through the sandy track that is New Buildings Drive, I often wonder about the names of these tracks. Once at the bottom of the lane and having shared a few good mornings with local dog walkers I arrived at Sherwood Forest Fishery. There, head tucked under wing was a heron. Perched on a pole driven into the pond bed. I thought it hadn’t seen me and, after gently leaning my bike on a fence, reaching for my phone and pressing the camera icon, off flew the heron. And that is the story of my wildlife photography in one instance. Despite my obvious disappointment the mirror like pond delivered pleasure to the eye so I snapped a few frames for the record.
And onwards, turning into the steep climb of Cavendish Wood I had to remind myself to be sparing with the effort, doctor’s orders. This can be a challenge because I feel I still have climber’s legs. Cavendish Wood is a lovely stretch but having only a 28-tooth sprocket at the back and a loose surface under tyre, made me exert myself more than I know I should at the moment.
After negotiating the climb, I was then following yet more interestingly names and equally enjoyable tracks as I made my way to the outskirts of Mansfield via the delightful named Chestnut Screed and then Clipstone Drive. Once in Mansfield it was easy to avoid the busy roads by following the course of the town’s long- abandoned Racecourse and over Berry Hill Park. Leaving the town there was only a brief encounter with the A60 before turning right into Thieves Wood and a well-earned picnic stop. It was interesting and slightly worrying to observe how many people were there having travelled in cars to take in nature. The burger van proving an ever-popular supply of calories, but not for me having been a vegetarian for the past 35 years.
Having refreshed myself with a pack-up lunch I made my way for the final 14 kilometres of my ride, taking the back route into Newstead Abbey to avoid paying the excessive toll on National Cycle Network route 6 (levied by Nottingham City Council) and entering the grounds after the gatehouse. The section back to Linby and home was more challenging than normal having been churned up by the recent floods. Sustrans volunteers have made a great effort to get this section useable again given the totality of water levels a few weeks before. Reflecting on this ride made me think about how lucky we are in Nottinghamshire having such a diversity and range of gravel bike options and also on the incredible spectacle loaned to me by nature on this bright winter’s day.
Download the GPX file below:
