Bikes and... wait for it, wait for it, Churches!

[non-fixie]

The Duomo in Cremona, Italy, with the Méral and the Koga-Miyata:

 

[sjcprojects]

I thought I should end my short tour of West Sussex churches with one of the most notable around these parts, the Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin, Sompting. It's notable for the fact that the Saxon tower is topped with a Rhenish helm style roof, which is very unusual for an English church, being much more common in Germany.

Typically for this part of the South East, it is now sadly sandwiched between a busy dual carriageway and the foot of the South Downs, though at least it's a nice ride there via Steyning and a rather testing 10%+ climb, which on a properly chilly day did a good job of warming me up...

 

[bikeworkshop]

Italianate extravaganza
at Hoarwithy


Fabuloso!

 

[sjcprojects]

St Michael & All Angel's Church, Hathersage. This one is notable because it claims to have the grave of Robin Hood's old mate Little John in the churchyard. Despite a headstone saying 'Here Lies Buried Little John, Friend and Lieutenant of Robin Hood', that's from the 20th century and needless to say, there's no actual evidence to support that claim (after all, it's far from clear that Robin Hood himself actually existed). Some people might suggest it's just the grave of an unusually tall bloke and the locals came up with that story to increase tourism in the area.