It's ages since I led a ride to Goring, mainly because of the endless rain this spring, and the known flooded points on some of the messy country lanes. I was feeling confident when I advertising this route a week ago, but last night, once more, we had a deluge of rain.
As I drove over Sonning Bridge with a couple of the ladies to start our ride at Emmer Green, the river was as high as I ever seen it. The steps off the lawn of the French Horn were not only underwater, but most of the lawn was too! Not long before the road will be underwater again too if we get any more rain in the next few days. When will it end?
With the exception of Amanda T, the rest of us met at Emmer Green tennis club, where the height restriction barrier prevented Amanda parking with her bike on her roof rack. We knew this, but arranged to meet her instead just down the road on Kidmore End Road. Rose arrived in her van today, so that was a bit interesting watching her drive under the barrier! Sharp intake of breath! 😧No sweat, there was at least a hair's depth of space. My van fits under no problem.
Route link screen shot at end.
It had started to drizzle just as we set off, so jackets on, and it was cooler than we had all expected. My new 3/4 trousers had their debut outing! After last nights rain, I was kind of expecting a flood as we dropped down Kidmore End Road, passing the "golf club" which is now a residential building site, with the first houses now up. (It had been on the cards for years). I pre warned the ladies about potholes and gravel (its a terrible surface), and thankfully no flood today.
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| Views at the top between Chalkhouse Green and Kidmore End |
Passing Kidmore End church, and at the junction where we normally go over to Wyfold woods we turned left today, and then right into Park Lane.
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| Park Lane, where we now climb up Deer Lane to Checkendon |
It would have been nice to avoid the climb up Deer Lane, by using the Quiet Lane to Exlade Street, but the lane would definitely have been under water and full of sludge from a farmers field.
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| The start of Elvendon Lane, about 2.5 miles all downhill to Goring. Drizzling again ! |
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| A nature stop next to the allotments in Goring. |
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| We dropped right down to the river, not knowing if we would be able to get all the way down onto the path. |
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| The power of the water was quite scary, but not lapping over the path here. |
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| The new house opposite the lock, to replace the old one which was burned down a couple of years ago. |
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| As if they haven't enough space, they have a gypsy caravan too. |
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| A different selfie today. Layers of ladies. At Goring Lock. Me, Jeanette, Rose, Amy, Louise, Amanda T. |
The heavens opened after this photo! But we just got on with it. A mile or so of backtracking and we joined a section of the Ridgeway Path. Most is a good surface, until it isn't 😉. What a mess today. I managed to stay on, but a couple of ladies preferred to walk in the mud. Sorry about that. I've never seen it that bad before, but at least it was just a few yards. Then at the junction where we join a short section of the B4009, a lovely bit of brightness. The rain had stopped, but the roads now running like rivers.
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| The junction where we now turn left, before a loop through South Stoke. Nearly got blown away here! Very gusty where its exposed. |
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| Yes Rose... up there is the Blue Tin. |
South Stoke was looking very pretty with spring bulbs and fresh foliage. We crossed straight over the B4009, to enjoy the beautiful open landscape of Ipsden area.
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| Ladies enjoying the downhill run from South Stoke area. The Rape crops always look so uplifting. |
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| puddles everywhere thanks to that downpour. |
Back across the A4074, and to Braziers Park, to begin our climb on Garsons Lane to the Blue Tin. At this junction, 4 male cyclists had just come down the hill. (light weights 😂)
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| Quick stop. Time for jackets off for some... here comes the hill. |
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| Here come Louise and Amanda. We all made it. Well done team. |
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| Some fresh sausage rolls appeared. Perfect timing! The are delicious. Someone had a delicious Scotch Egg. And the Guinness cake was shared amongst a few us too. (Well, we did work hard to earn it) |
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| Blue Tin We had hoped to see the piglets, but they were tucked up inside their huts today. |
A gentle climbing to the top, and a quick change to my planned route, since I was sure than another known flooding point would be a mess after last nights rain. Through Stoke Row, and then all easy peasy downhill to Sonning Common. Just one more climb to Binfield Heath, and a right turn back to Emmer Green. Nice to finish on a downhill.
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| Amy making sure Rose can get under the height barrier. She got in.... so she should get out.😂 |
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| Today's route and profile below. |
