A Different Road

T minus 166

For almost 11 years I have travelled daily from Milton Keynes to Thame.

In essence the route takes me from Milton Keynes to Whitchurch (via Stewkley or Drayton Parslow / Swanbourne), then on to Oving, Waddeston before ascending Winchendon Hill and going over the top via Upper Winchendon and Chearsley, arriving in Long Crendon before descending to Thame. The journey takes about 50 minutes and takes in some great countryside. The main thing is to avoid Aylesbury and it’s traffic jams.

Sunrise over the A5 – view from a Traffic Jam in Bletchley

An oncoming Storm near Whitchurch (I had just driven through it)

View from a traffic queue at Waddeston Junction (Hoar Frost illuminated by the Sunrise)

View overlooking the swollen Thame River – near Winchendon

Crow near Winchendon overlooking countryside

View of the countryside near Winchendon

Flooded fields near to Thame Service Station.

Flooded fields near to Thame Service Station

There have of course been minor variations over the years. Some have been due to changes to the road network, others due to personal choice (e.g. I used to travel via Stewkley, but now I prefer Drayton Parslow / Swanbourne).

Sometimes, like this morning, a road accident forced me to go a completely different route and I explore a new road – today it was Hogshaw along a gated road.

I know the route like the back of my hand, and I use the time to get myself ready for the day or unwind on the way home. Often I get caught for several minutes in traffic. However, so familiar is my route I have occasionally found myself the other side of Waddeston Junction, not knowing how I traversed the crossroads.

In some ways this is a metaphor for the changes coming our way. Like my journey, life is familiar and predictable and to be honest it could have carried on like this for years to come.Familiar journey through life on a predictable road to retirement.

But now I have chosen to take a different road – this time it’s not via Hogshaw or Stewkley or Quainton but Africa. Thame is no longer the destination but Mwanza is. The road will be unfamiliar and exciting, new and untried, but we’re up for it!