With Sue away, I offered a Thursday ride today, encouraging those who have not yet ridden through Sonning and up the hills, to join me today. (Or those who don't do it very often). The group who signed up turned out to be all very capable riders, but no one had much of a clue where they were, so that was nice.
Route link screenshot at end.
The official start was at Cantley, with the option of meeting me at Dinton to shorten the ride to 22 miles. Caroline drove to Cantley, and Sally (I had only met once before), and her friend Dionne "D", (on her first Breeze ride), both rode from Sandhurst.
We peddled to meet Janet and Wendy McL at Dinton. (Wendy booked a place just last night). I hadn't recognised Wendy's name, but I felt sure as soon as I saw her, that I had met her before. (My blog says it was on May 31st, when I did some filming on Hazel's ride to Ferneygrove 😉).
We started out around the edges of Dinton Pastures, emerging at the Aviation Museum, Then joined Beggarshill Road, where, just before the concrete bollard, a different kind of roadblock!
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| Beggards Hill Road Woodley. The young riders pulled over soon and stopped for us to pass. They were heading to cross at Lands End Ford. |
I noticed as I drove through Woodley at the weekend, that Duffield Road is well and trully closed where it joined Butts Hill Road. At least I was prepared, and had changed my route to accommodate this. Otherwise, it could have been yet another ride when I get lost in Woodley! 😂😊
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| photo by Sally, as we cross the Thames bridge in Sonning. |
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| Top of a little climb on Blackmore Lane, Crowsley. (near Sonning Common) Used to be open views in both directions, but new houses off to the right now. 😟 |
We enjoyed a lovely long downhill now on the quiet Sonning Common Road, passing the top of Devil's Hill road. And of course that downhill had to spoilt by climbing up again. A white van wanted passed so whilst Sally carried on, the rest of stopped to get him out of the way.
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| Photo by Sally half way up the 9% gradient hill as we climb to Binfield Heath. (Wendy, and D with me behind) |
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| It flattens out now to reach the X Roads, where we turn left to the Bottle and Glass Barn. |
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| Sally, Wendy, D, Me, Caroline, Janet |
I am always on the look out for a field of poppies, and noticed the seed heads in the adjoining field
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| View at The Barn, Binfield Heath. |
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| A dark cloud over The Barn, as we are leaving, but came to nothing. |
In theory all downhill on the way back. We enjoyed the downhill through Dunsden Green back to Playhatch roundabout, continued to Sonning Bridge, once more pulling in once over the bridge to get rid of the traffic, allowing us a more peaceful ride through Sonning. This time we road on Pearson Road passing lots of beautiful properties and the old Almeshouses. D had never been there before.
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Woodford Park, Woodley.  |
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| Cows just over the cattle grid. We don't pass them, but stay to the right here. |
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| Cow stop at Dinton |
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| Photo by Sally I'm always relieved to see this bridge, then I know where I am 😂 |
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| View from the bridge. |
We retraced our route now back to Cantley, but with Janet peeling off with Wendy in Winnersh. Wendy would cycle home a more direct route. We had no longer waved goodbye to Janet, when we saw her again on Watmore Lane. She had come around in a circle. 😂
