Mud bath

When I got back from University today I decided to make the most of a lovely, sunny, autumn afternoon and get off to the park on my bike. Conscious that my usual route would probably be like wading through porridge, thanks to the recent rain, I took a different path intending to cycle around the edge of the park, hopefully avoiding the worst of the mud. All was going well until I rounded a bend and hurtled into a huge expanse of muddy water, half way through which my front tyre got sucked into a particularly deep, boggy puddle, and I was unceremoniously dumped into the cold; stinking, stagnant mire of rain water; mud, horse droppings and who knows what else besides. So much for avoiding it!

Still, I didn't let it put me off and I enjoyed the remainder of my soggy circumference. I had thought about taking my camera backpack with me (instead of the one containing my pump and other cycling gear) but considering the thorough soaking I received, I'm very glad I didn't.