Monday 11th March, which means it's our wedding anniversary. Our 31st. So an exciting outing to celebrate 😉😂.
DD called John at 07.30 with the news that he had a puncture. D struggles with this wrists, so John suggested he drive over to us and John would fix it, which he did. So Deflated Dave, was back to Dangerous Dave. We drove separately then to meet Daphne and Linda at Frost Folly car park.
My gravel bike is in for new brake pads, so I took out my road bike today for the first time in MONTHS. (annoyingly, I can't change a puncture on this one on my own, just too tight. Which limits when I can use it). John also took his old road bike. It felt a weird riding position to start with, but a lovely bike to ride once I got going. I just needed to allow for a little more braking time with the block brakes.
I've done this route a few times now. It makes a bit of a change, and most of the surfaces would at least be clean. More rain yesterday, so a few puddles were expected, infact a bit of a river running down the road from Frost Folly. A gloomy day between 6-8 degrees with a "feels like" of 4 degrees. So several layers yet again.
We set off passing Warfield Church, passed the Honesty Cafe in Cranbourne, then passing Lakeview Fishing cafe, a left turn in to busier roads for a coupe of miles before reaching New Road, and into Ascot Racecourse.
 |
| Gloom! Daphne stopped to fuss over a dog, then I realised she knew the dog owner, her niece Caroline, who lives close by. |
Ignoring the entrance to Watersplash Lane, we continued on a nice long downhill to Cheapside, then in to Mill Lane to the Black Nest Entrance to the Great Park. I spotted one large white Magnolia in flower, but otherwise no colour yet to see, and the weather today didn't help. Although we did see a lot of miniature daffodils as we climbed up the rise to Smiths Polo Lawn. After the annoying speed ramps, a right turn to eventually arrive at Saville Garden cafe entrance. We got a table ok, but by the time we left it was packed.
 |
| Saville Garden cafe. |
 |
| The toilets here are very smart. Linda, Daphne and me having a bit of fun for a selfie. |
 |
| Someone is not looking! |
We carried on after the cafe stop, following the road around, and then a right turn, and a left turn to drop down passing the Royal School. A massive new timber "village" has appeared since I was last here. There has been working going on for some time, but it's now finished.
 |
| A stop for Daphne to put a layer back on before our drop down passing the school. |
We warmed up again towards the end of the park, and up Watersplash Lane. Back through the racecourse under the tunnel this time, and then to join Burleigh Road to pick up Mill Lane/Sandy Lane. It wasn't so much Sandy and MUDDY. What a mess in places. My skinny tyres not up to the mud so I scooted through much of it with my foot down. We all stopped to walk through the lowest part which was a quagmire, but once we started to climb away from that, it was dry.
The last few miles on Chavey Down Road, carrying on to pass Lambrook School. A couple more turns and we are back once more passing Warfield Church, and back to the start.
John decided to ride all the way home, and got back about 20 mins after me.
Nice to see everyone.
