Monday ride with the girls and boys. I checked with Sarah from Cookham as to how the Cookham Greenway path was (ie still a muddy mess or not?), and she said fine, and the rape crops are out....... we're off. The ground has dried out a lot this past week, thanks to endless strong winds, and a bit of sun. No sun today though, and feeling decidedly chilly. Winter gloves AND liners for me.
Daphne drove to me with Linda, and we all met up with Dave, who drove to Cantley. (Otherwise too long a ride from Finch and Crowthorne.) The U3A were also gathering at Cantley, where we chatted to Kim, Louise, Denise and also Andy Bloomfield.😂 They were heading to Holyport..... and so were we .... initially. So we got off sharp, to get out of their way.
Route link screen shot at end.
Our usual route to Shurlock Row, Paley Street, and Moneyrow Green, where we detoured around the pretty Langworthy Lane. Then soon a dogleg across the busy A308, to join the road into Bray. We stopped for a nose blow on the green, where the Chestnut Trees were looking very majestic.
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| Bray, on The Causeway |
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Emerging at the other end of The Causeway. I only found this lane a few weeks ago.
Nice way to cut through avoiding Hibbert Road. Impressive house with Wisteria. |
Through Braywick area to then join the pathway alongside the Strand river through Maidenhead, which joins up with the Greenway to Cookham. I stopped and put my rain jacket on since it was not a passing shower. It was light rain for the rest of our trip today. 😞
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Completely out of focus selfie! oops.
The path now goes straight through the fields behind. |
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| Apart from this little bumpy section at the start, the path was absolutely fine. |
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| any second now. |
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| Daphne on a mission to get to the teashop. |
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There was a large "puddle" which John stopped next to photograph.
Unusual to see Rape Crop next to water. |
We went into Cookham village to the Teashop, putting our bikes into the back garden, but no way were we sitting outdoors. It was 6-7 degrees, and wet !!!!
The teashop was pretty busy, but efficient service and lovely cakes as usual. Warmed through, we set off for our return route, which involved a bit of climbing intially, which was good to keep us warm. Just passed the railway line, and into High Street, we normally continue all the way to the end, all uphill, to then drop and drop down Whyteladyes Lane. When I was plotting the route, Garmin suggested a cut through across Alfred Manor Park... fair enough. Lets do that then. It was a proper tarmac path to start with, which then disappeared into a football pitch.😂 John was leading at this point, and just aimed for the far corner. No one was playing football, so it worked well, emerging almost at the foot of Whyteladyes Lane.
For a change from climbing up Long Lane (past Flat Harrys), we went a little way along the Switchback Road and into Malders Lane. I've not used it all winter, but all nice and dry now, and not quite so steep as Long Lane. A dogleg into Golden Ball Lane, and our usual route into the quiet Lee Lane, and the not so quiet Henley Road around Pinkney Green Common.
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| millions of wild Cowslips on the Common. |
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| Waiting an admiring from a distance. |
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| John's photo. |
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| Daphne making friends. |
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| The info board at the Common |
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| photo by John |
My original plan had been to use the pedestrian bridge into Maidenhead Thicket, but with it still raining, opted for a quicker route home, and so across the A4, downhill on Canon Lane, and into Breadcroft Lane. We then joined the Knowl Hill circuit where the first section was also looking zingy today.
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| photo taken by Dave |
We joined Bottle Lane, and I also thought to cut through Shottesbrook today, but since the lambs are not there atm, instead we continued on the main road to WSL and cut around Hall Lane to where the lambs were YESTERDAY! But they have moved them!! To the field opposite, but they were a long way off.
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| Shottesbrook lambs and sheep. |
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| Zoom in shot. |
At the WSL 5 way X roads, we took Sill Bridge Road (I was making this up now), and continued past WSL School, and since Brook Street has been flooded for months (and now dry) used that the link to Hungerford Lane. I think at least 2 of group were now lost.😁. Back on The Straight Mile and over the Cantley motorways.... oh joy.
Dave's Garmin was not recording his miles correctly today, and just for the record Dave, an impressive 35ish for you from Cantley. A nice flat route, and our average speed in the first 15 miles, as we approached Bray, I noticed was over 12mph. That's fast for me!
