We met in school in 1966. We were 11 years old. One day Dave asked me if i would like to go on a cycle ride with him to Woburn Abbey. Without asking any other details i answered “Yes”

This was our first real adventure.

We informed our parents of the plan and with a packed lunch of sandwiches and a “Jelly” my Mum had made we set off on the 27 mile ride to Woburn Abbey (54 mile roundtrip)

Woburn Abbey

We had no sense of distance, being just 11 years old, but we had a map to navigate with and rode through old English villages such as Wollaston, Bozeat, Olney and Sherington on the way. We did make it all the way to Woburn Abbey, had a look round the grounds and inside the house, took some photos with my Kodak Brownie camera and rode back to Wellingborough.

On the back of my bike was a saddle bag in which i carried the food. With all the bumps etc along the way , the lid of the jelly container had come off. The jelly, of course,  had spilled out and was a mess all over the inside of the saddlebag. That was my first lesson on what not to bring on a trip 🙂

Dave Bamford somewhere along the road to Woburn.

This is the only photo i have that remains from that first cycle ride, and it is of Dave when we stopped for a rest and climbed one of the embankments along the road.