After passing my motorbike test at the beginning of March it was time to hire a bike and head out of London to explore the countryside.
So I hired a red BMW F650GS (actually 800cc – go figure) and Sasha and I spent a day out on the bike.
The day started with brunch at the Windmill cafe in Wimbledon Common, where we also ran into my riding instructor from a few weeks earlier, Mungo. We ate and chatted about where to go in Kent and he gave us some towns to head for.
From Wimbledon, we headed through Croydon, passed the twin towers of Ikea and out into Surrey. First stop was Warlingham School, where Katherine taught several years ago. After a quick stop and a few photos later, we were back underway out into Kent. With no real destination in mind we took the winding B roads and came across signs for Hever Castle. Crossing over the M25 we went from London-style housing to farmland in about 200m. From there is was all fields, sheep and tractors.
Hever Castle is where Anne Boleyn spent her youth, and Anne of Cleves lived out her days (with her head) after divorcing King Henry VIII.
We parked up inside the castle grounds and took a walk through the gardens. The gardens were great, the grounds had it’s own lake and we even headed into the garden maze. It was nothing like the one in Harry Potter, but still good.
After Hever Castle we headed west towards Brighton and then back up into London. Crossing back over the M25 meant the greenery stopped and high density living began. Leaving home at 10am, we were back in Clapham at 6:30pm. A great day out !!!
