Bike Route: Southampton to Poole via NR23 and NR2 40mi 1500ft climb. Mile 2: Hythe Ferry across estuary.
Accommodation: Small private room near Sandbanks (Airbnb); hosts Gillian and Geoff. A small room with private bath in the penthouse of a small block of six apartments. It's often described as living in a tree house. Very light Italian style.
Dinner: Baffi woodfire pizza restaurant. We shared a fennel sausage pizza, large salad, and cheesecake. It was just as good as it sounds.
Our host was still away cycling when we packed up in the morning. We got a fairly early start after a light breakfast of yogurt, granola, and fruit. The biking was fairly easy, the weather was beautiful, and the day went fast.
The last stretch of our route was along the beach road in Poole, with the ocean on our left and beach huts and restaurants on our right. At the end of the beach, we climbed up through a carnival entertainment area and wound our way through huge beach houses, apartment complexes, and estates to a quiet area developed in the early to mid-1900s near the village of Canfield Cliffs.
Our room for the night was inside Compton Acres, an exclusive community with award-winning gardens, hotels, and restaurants that is often a wedding and events venue. Our hosts were Geoff and Gillian, incredibly kind and helpful people with a huge family who have lived in the penthouse for six years. Gill owns a local estate agency that is now run by their two sons. We felt instantly at home. After a pizza dinner a few hundred yards away in Canford Cliffs and warm showers back in the room, we got an excellent night's sleep.
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| At mile 2, we boarded the Hythe Ferry for a 10-minute trip across the estuary. This saved us about 8 miles of riding on a busy highway up and around the water. |
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| Ken has more fun talking to the animals. The first half of our journey was through the New Forest, where herds of wild horses roam freely. |
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| The gorse was in full bloom in the forest. |
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| Horses grazing peacefully beside the bike trail. |
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| Horses ignoring Ken as he rides by. |
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| Bike path along the beach into Poole. Despite the heatwave, few people were braving the cold sea. |
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| Sunday is photo day at the kennel, and Izzie posed expectantly on her walk. We are guessing there is a treat just in front of the camera. We really enjoy the videos and photos that her kennel posts on Facebook while we are away. |
