Well.... that must be a record! Not home until 6.15pm 😅 But then we didn't start out until 10.45.
Sue and Jill joined me today for a Breeze Spring social ride to the Beechenwood Farm Garden nr Odiham. (my 4th visit I think). The great thing about this garden, now open for NGS for it's 40th year, is that there is no need to prebook. So, if the weather is not ideal, we don't ride. I have previously led a Breeze ride starting from Mattingley, but decided to ride it from home this year, giving the riders the option of a 45 mile ride, or a 25 mile one from Mattingley. Like fools, all but one originally signed up for the long ride!!
One lady cancelled last week, so there has been 1 space left for several days. I got a message at 9.05 this morning, with someone asking if the space was still available? It was a lady I had never heard of, so I messaged back to ask Jo to call me to discuss. (We had 3 different starting points and times today, and had all pre booked lunch too, so it was slightly complicated. I was also slightly worried about taking someone I had never met on a 45 mile ride! 😕) After a chat, all good, and so like a Baptism of Fire, Jo bravely joined Breeze for her first ride today, during which she would meet 17 new ladies.
It was coooold to start with, and pretty much everyone got their winter layers back on, thanks to yet another blowy day. BUT the sun stayed out, and at least while we were peddling, we even got too warm at times.
Route link (screen grab at end)
I rode with Gill, Amanda O, and Jo from Woosehill, and we picked up Louise on Blagrove Lane. Sue was starting at Cantley with all the "drivers", and Jill was leading from FBC with others, including Angela. 3 were now meeting us at Mattingley. At the point where my group were approaching Eversley Ford, Angela called me to say she would be a few minutes late since she was having trouble with her derailleur. (I passed that message on to Jill, who picked her up enroute, so that was all fine).
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Kim and Cathy waiting to cross Eversley Ford
(photo by Jill) |
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Sue and her group saw the same horses a few minutes earlier
(photo by Sue) |
(I found out later that Poor Amanda T, with Sue's group, came a cropper crossing the bridge, catching her handlebars on the railings. She lost her mirror, but otherwise was ok.)
It was beautiful riding through Bramshill, with blue sky and sunshine, and soft light on the trees. And the best news is that the track is pretty much dry all the way now.... at last. Through on Plough Lane to Hazeley next, and my group picked up Barbara, Marilyn, and Amy at Mattingley church. We arriving at Rotherwick at the Coach and Horses a few minutes later.
I had pre ordered all the food, apart from Jo's since she only join up this morning. They had set up a big table for us to sit together, and the service was super efficient. We arrived within about 10 min of each other, and once we all got our drinks, the food arrived. My Goats Cheese Quiche (or TART to Daphne😊) was like a souffle. Delicious. Everyone else was very happy with their choices too.
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"Order, order". Just advising of our next move as we get ready to leave.
(photo by Louise) |
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| photo by Louise |
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photo by Sue.
Rose, Kim, Linda, Karen, Daphne, Marilyn, Anne, Jo, Louise,
Gill, Amanda O, Amy, Barbara, Amanda T, Jill, Cathy, Angela |
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Leaving the pub.
We now split in to 3 different groups for our next leg of the route.
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Any minute now.
(photo by Daphne) |
For the ride to Odiham, via Andwell, Sue set off with her group first, then Jill, then me with my 5. We caught up with the others just occasionally, but sadly Angela had to abandon, just as we were about to cross the A30 at Andwell. (Her hubby was on standby just incase, and she got picked up fairly promptly)
The undulating approach to Odiham via Greywell was looking lovely today, but I didn't stop for any photos, unusually! I knew there would be lots taken later.
Just a short distance from our last turn off left to the garden, we caught up with Sue's group, taking a photo at this gate, so stopped to join them.
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Selfie from Daphne just around the corner from the garden.
The scent was amazing. |
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| Barbara with us for the first time in months. So nice to see her again. |
We arrived at the garden around 2.30, only to find that Jills group were not there!!! Then a phone message from Rose "we're lost". They worked it out and arrive about 15 mins later, by which time, the rest of us were having tea and cake.
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| Gill and Barbara |
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| The tea room |
And of course, a wander around the garden. Its a very wild garden mostly, but lots of lovely bulbs to see this time of year. The Alliums budding up but not out yet, which was a shame.
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| Louise, Amanda O, Sue, Amanda T, Rose |
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the Breeze Champs.
(Sue now with her jacket on. She was cold) |
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Ready to head for home now, in 3 groups again.
(apologies I am infront of someone as I ran into shot) |
We now headed to Crondall, Church Crookham and Hartley Whitney. But shortly before Hartley Whitney......
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| oh no! Cathy has a puncture. |
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She was happy that she knew what to do, so as my group passed
we soon left them to it. (photo by Daphne) |
We dropped Barbara, Marilyn and Amy back at Mattingley and returned by the same route to Wokingham. Home at 6.15.
Unfortunately, I heard later that Cathy was unable get any air into her new inner tube, but a Knight in Shining Armour, from the offices where they stopped, gave her a lift home. She got there!
A lovely day out, lots of chat and laughs as usual, and everyone enjoyed it. Thanks to the ladies who treated me to lunch, drinks, and garden entry. Very kind, and much appreciated.
