<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/rutland-water.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-5146 size-medium" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/rutland-water-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>I met up with my good friend Mary with the aim to cycle around <a href="https://www.rutlandwater.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rutland Water</a>. I considered taking my own bike but in the end decided to hire them from the cycle centre at Whitwell. I'm thinking that the full distance including the track round Hambleton of 23 miles is going to be a doddle because I cycle ten miles in less than an hour on a fairly regular basis. Firstly hire bikes are never as comfortable as your own bike, secondly Rutland has some serious ups and downs unlike <a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Rutland-Water-map.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-5147 alignleft" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Rutland-Water-map-300x202.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="202" /></a>this part of Lincolnshire and thirdly my bottom wasn't cosseted by padded cycling shorts (big mistake). Oh yes! It was also 27 degrees so a bit warm.

Thankfully at the half way stage there was a delightful pub, <a href="http://horseandjockeyrutland.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Horse and Jockey</a> where we stopped, drank pints of fluid (lime and soda), ate a huge baguette and fought off the never ending fly in of wasps. Despite Mary's manic attempts at wasp genocide they just kept coming.

After a lengthy lunch we were back in the saddle and despite losing our way a little were back at our starting point, falling onto the grass in the shade.

<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/finches-inn.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-5145 size-thumbnail" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/finches-inn-200x150.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="150" /></a>Time was getting on so we drove to <a href="https://www.finchsarms.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Finche's Arms</a> at Hambleton where we sat in the garden drinking copious amounts of fluid in the quiet garden overlooking the water. As the evening moved on we decided to stay for dinner. The service was a little haphazard and there were elements of Fawlty Towers with the manager bemoaning to me the fact they were busy (note to manager - never complain about anything to the customer, I'm there to eat not commiserate; service should be <a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/smiley-face-emoticon.jpeg"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-4025" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/smiley-face-emoticon-200x200.jpeg" alt="" width="79" height="79" /></a>transparent). Dinner was very good - cod on a bed of asparagus and samphire. We sat talking until the sun was cooling off. I drove home with the roof down and the temperature still showing 23 degrees. I rolled up on the drive just before 11 pm. I slept really well.