We had a competition to design a memorial bench for Coombe Abbey in Coventry when I was teaching furniture making at College.
The student who won, Jan Waterston designed this one, and I helped him make and install it.
It’s gone now. Rotted away and jumped all over by excited kids.
I do like a good mid-ride bench to sit on and enjoy a cider. This is a favourite, although disappointingly the kebab shop across the road has been consumed by the ferrari garage. Spent many a late night drunkenly snaffling meat products followed by a wobbly ride home across the forest.
I don’t think I have one. My grandad passed away on his favourite bench. He lived in Ramsgate and would walk down to the front over looking the harbour with his paper whenever the weather permitted. He drifted off peacefully there. I couldn’t say the exact bench as I was only young when it happened. Sorry to bring the mood of the thread down.
This one used to be mine, it was on a nature reserve at Morgan’s Hill, near Calne, the one day I went up there for a walk, and it had disappeared! It was leaning forward a bit, but nothing that a bloke with a posting spade and several lengths of rebar couldn’t have fixed, but either Wiltshire Wildlife who oversaw it and decided it was a hazard, or someone took a shine to it and nicked it! It would have required some considerable effort either way.
Still makes me sad, it was a nice place to sit, the view is fantastic; on a clear day you can see must of the edge of the Cotswolds, from just north of Bath to up near Stroud, and beyond that, if you know where to look, you can see the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains, including Sugarloaf.
I’ve been sitting on it a couple of hours ago. At the top of Bank Road, Matlock, we call it old mans crevice. Set into the wall and perfect for post Farmacy, Newsroom and Bentley Brook Brewery afternoon session – chips and curry sauce from Wellington Street chippy! A picture would be more than any of you could take!
(Obscured by bike) stone seat in shedden clough on the Mary Townley loop. There’s a carved dedication to someone, I can’t make it out. Always stop there for a snack and a quiet rest.
Edit first time I’ve tried to post a pic from phone! Never mind.
Edit edit sorted
He lived in Ramsgate and would walk down to the front over looking the harbour with his paper whenever the weather permitted. He drifted off peacefully there.
That sounds like a great way to go to me.
I’m partial to this one at the top of Macc forest. Just a really nice place to sit, chill and think before ending a ride with a couple of choices of downhill bits and then cruising home
Clent Hills, on a quiet track, looking out to other hills.
It’s not the best view in the world but it was the only place that could clear Mrs Lunge’s mind when she was really struggling with depression. We’d sit there for hours just looking out, listening to the birds and occasionally talking.
We don’t need to go there much anymore, thankfully.
For that reason alone, it’ll always be my favourite bench.
I don’t have the photo of the bench, but I do have a photo ‘from’ the bench 🙂
Why?
It might not have a backrest, but its curved just so to make it really comfy after a long day on the bike and invites you to lie down.
Its old, dedicated to someones memory, and slightly off the way.
Its at the top of probably the worst hill on the SDW for a singlespeed, its calf snapping just walking!
I don’t have a picture but my favourite is in Milton Keynes – it’s place less than 50m away from the M1.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone sit on it, but it makes me smile each time I cycle past it.
One halfway up a local hill, cut into the rock by someone years ago. Surrounded by woodland on all sides, small lake about 100′ feet below it.
Used to love to sit here late night/early morning when the trees have full canopy and just observe. The owls and foxes you hear and see going about their business is gorgeously meditative.
Was lucky enough to doze off one night, about 3am, to be woken by a family of about 7 badgers snuffling around me. You ever heard a troop of startled badgers run full pelt through the woods? Sounds like a herd of cows.
Anyway, that bench.
When I used to work in an actual office I used to religiously walk up to the parkeach lunchtime Theres a secret spot by the bowling green with a bench that’s an utter suntrap. Even in the cold and wind, so long as it’s sunny you can lie down for a snooze.
It’s probably the only thing I miss about going to the office!
‘My’ bench is on a headland off Myrtle Bay on Derwent water looking over towards Keswick.
My first memory of it is in 1987 as a sixteen year old camping in the woods nearby for a week with mates.
34(!) years later I regularly go to the caravan site in Manesty woods with the family (this week in fact) and the kids love sitting reading the ancient initials carved into it and it’s now ‘their’ bench.
Nice bench WCA. Plenty of space for tool boxes. Did you do those inset bits specific to bosch or festool boxes
Seen a number with a router table one end, saw bench the other.
Nice sized workspace too. Wish I had something that size to get as messy and cluttered. Mines small and cluttered 😆
This one, next to the Stanza Stone at Scammonden dam. It’s just a really nice bench cut from layers of local stone in the shape of the reservoir (when full)
shouldn’t that longitude coordinate be -3?? As it is puts you in a field in northern France.
OOPs yes -3 but probably rather be in a field in northern France.
All the years I have been sitting on this bench I never took a photo of it just from it.
On a clear day I can see over to Lyme Bay with Portland on the horizon.
Takes me a couple of hours to ride there and feel really miffed if someone else is sitting there when I get there.