Low Bridge Ahead

This is the first time I've ever seen a 'low bridge' sign for cyclists!

But it's needed - this is a tiny old alley, the evocatively-named Cuckoo Lane, which runs behind the main London road.

It's an ancient route, possibly over a thousand years old - and it really looks like it's been here for ever.

At this point it nearly becomes a tunnel, which - according to the ever-informative Headington History website - was created by the wonderfully-named William Wootten-Wootten. He ordered two bridges to be built across it - one for his family and one for his servants.

This had the duel purpose of keeping a proper distance from those below stairs, and also giving him an uninterrupted view of his large estate, without having to see the great unwashed as they passed unobserved below.

I'm beginning to understand why the likes of Cameron and Osborne were so at home in Oxford!