Just 3 of us free today for our Friday ride, with Martina off on a jolly to Birmingham with girlfriends and Jeanette on the way home from yet another holiday.😁 I walked with Andrea yesterday afternoon, so was nice to catch up with her around the Finchampstead Church area.
I needed to be back by 1ish today to head off to collect Jack and Holly from Caterham after school. (I am writing this a day late since that journey took 2 hours and did not get home until the evening. Bracknell was gridlocked as was M25). 😔
Back to yesterday, and with dry weather continuing, we opted to add a few tracks today, a few that Gill had not done before, and a couple that Lynne and I had not done before.
Garmin
After Hurst Lanes and Shurlock Row on the Straight Mile (s), we stayed on the main road out of Shurlock Row, and once over the motorway bridge, turned left into Spinningwheel Lane.
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| Spinningwheel Lane |
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| Spinningwheel Lane |
Straight over to cut through across Howes Lane, directly into Westley Mill Road. We noticed that Howe Lane was closed, and thought a good day to cycle on Howe Lane! We soon realised however that the traffic was being diverted into the normally empty Westley Mill Road. How annoying.
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| Traffic coming down Westley Mill Road |
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| Giant Hogweed on Westley Mill Road |
Crossing the ford, we used the track to continue to Hawthorne Hill, then rode on the A330 to peddle almost all the way to Paley Street, but then left into Sheepcote Lane, around the back of the village. This field of buttercups was amazing.
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| Buttercups at Paley Street |
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| Cottage garden in Paley Street |
Now into Paley Street, Paley Street, where we crossed the M4 on the pedestrian bridge.
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| Views from the M4 bridge |
Passing through White Waltham, we crossed by the Bridle Path, and a bit more track then into Waltham St Lawrence, which went on a bit, and this time of year no views because of the dense hedges. Crossing the A4 at Warren Row into Tag Lane, we are now at the high point, and enjoy dropping down into Wargrave to the Cwtch.
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| Cross to the Cwtch |
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| Look who else was there. |
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| Thames with cattle on the lane opposite. |
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| Walkers amongst the cattle |
Up the hill now from Wargrave, trying a track which was too overgrown, so back to the original plan using Braybrook Road to connect to School Hill. At the fruit growers, Gill directed us now, through a small gap and onto a wide track passing the Strawberry houses. VERY tempting!
At the end of this track a dash across the A4 into a field, which is rape crop, and which according to Gill had a good 2 metre wide path 2 weeks ago, but now its disappeared!
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| The track disappears through the rape crop approaching Ruscombe |
At the junction of New Road, a final field entrance alongside the road, to ride past this crop of Barley.
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A good track at New Road.
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| Fieldedge at New Road, Ruscombe |
A bit pushed for time now, so shortest route home, via Hurst, as Gill peeled off at Sandford Lane.
I mentioned to Lynne that Jack loves his bike, but Holly is not keen, so we are limited to cycling with Jack when he comes. She very kindly offered for me to borrow her electric tandem for the weekend, so today I collected it and tried it out with Holly. She LOVED it! Great fun. We are just back from Bucklebury Ford messing around for the morning, so having some down time in the shade but will fit in an evening ride with the kids later, and probably another in the morning. Thanks Lynne.😊
