Just Daphne free for our Monday ride today since Linda is shielding her other half against Covid infection, for imminent surgery. (May not see her for a few weeks sadly.) We got a lift with "the boys" to Chieveley, and did this route to the Honesty Cafe at Farnborough. (Saddleback farm shop). I have done many bits of this route before, but more often in the opposite direction, and on my ebike. Eeeek!
Storm Carrie had been raging in the north of the country last night, and today the wind was certainly noticeable as we set off towards Chieveley village, alongside the open field next to our start point on School Road. We all had several layers on, as it just over 2 degrees.
Route
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| Car park and a bit grey and miserable |
We immediately dropped down on this lane, then up (it's not so cold after all!) turned left, then after half a mile or so, a right turn into Downend Lane. This joins Oxford Road into World's End, which we pass through then turn right to drop downhill passing under the A34, and a country lane to Bothampstead. It been spitting and spotting, but never came to much.
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| Open views to our right as we come to Bothampstead at 4.5 miles |
We continued and joined a short section of the B4009 towards Hampstead Norreys, but stayed high today, taking a left turn before reaching the village. All nice and easy, then a bit of climb to Comptom, passing the road to Aldworth on our right.
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| arriving at this junction we turned left towards East Ilsley |
It's a reasonably busy road, so we split up, passing these fields of harvested crops on our left.
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| Views from Ball Pit Road, East Ilsley. Not the best light today. |
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| Daphne catching me up on Ball Pit Road as it levels out..... |
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| ... with our next climb just ahead. Oh good. 😓 |
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| Ball Pit Road. |
Continuing straight, we joined Hayley Lane into Stanmore, branching off at a right turn into Sheep Leaze Lane.
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| Views from Haley Lane, Nr Stanmore. |
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| Haley Lane, nr Stanmore. That looks like a climb ahead. |
We joined the B4494 for a hundred yards or so, then a right turn to face our next climb. (A porta loo was in the middle of a field on our left! For shooting parties maybe?)
Passing woodlands on our left initially, it opens up and we continued up hill for a while. Daphne with John on this section, and me with Dave. Nearing what we hoped was the top, a car behind, and me and Dave opt to pull over to let it pass. (This is also where John and I previously met some scramblers on their bikes and stopped for a chat at the Xroads.) We went left today a the XRoads, looping through the village to see the church, and not straight on).
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Views looking back on Long Lane as stopped for a car to pass.
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Daphne and John ahead as we climbed Long Lane to Brightwalton.
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| Brightwalton Church. I know where I am! |
A right turn on Common Lane, and soon views of Farnborough Church.
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Farnborough Church is on the hill behind John's head.
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We turned right at the junction, and dropped downhill to come to the sharp left hand corner where you almost double back, and the Honesty Cafe is on the right. The church now straight ahead of us uphill.
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Views to Farnborough church, from Honesty car park .
Guess we have a climb next then! |
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| Honesty Saddleback farm shop |
Nice and warm, fed and watered, we climbed up hill, and I couldn't resist stopping to get the view looking back down, as this pretty lane snakes around the bends back to the farm shop at the bottom.
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| Looking back as we climb up to Farnborough, away from the farm shop |
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| A bit more uphill to catch up with the others now. |
Once at the top, a left turn, then left again as we started a very long, and chilly, descent towards Chaddleworth. We passed through a crossroads, where on a previous ride John and I had turned left following a road back up to Brightwalton. We stopped just beyond it, to allow a car to pass. It's stupidly steep, and follows the hedgeline behind these sheep in the next photo. Thankfully not going that way today, but we do still need to get the same elevation. Just going a longer way around.
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| Hello sheeps. Glorious day now |
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| Sheep also in the field opposite. Next left for us into Mount Lane. Not quite so flat. 😔 |
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Views from part way up to Chaddleworth
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| Part way up Mount Lane, nr Chaddleworth |
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| At least we are still smiling, even if knackered. |
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| oh look Daphne. There's more of a climb to get to Chaddleworth. |
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| Soon we arrived from this lane on the left of the photo at this community garden and bench |
Left at the bench, passing the Ibix Inn, and almost immediately right. It's called School Hill. Great. But then it was more easy going for a while, eventually turning right into Goose Lane, and we came to this bend in the road in Leckhampstead. The sky very bright ahead.
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| Leckhampstead views. |
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| The bend in Leckhampstead next to this amazing house. It's now Manor Lane. |
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Manor Lane, Leckhampstead. So presumably The Manor House.
(Looked it up. It is a C17 Manor House, with additions and Grade II listed). |
All downhill now for a few miles, passing under the M4, and the main road into Boxford, although absolutely NO traffic passed us on this section. (only ever come the opposite way before, on my ebike, when it was all slight up hill). Boxford Thatch cottages always lovely, but no pics today.
Once through Boxford, we followed Lambourne Road alongside the river Lambourne, to Woodspeen, with just one cheeky climb as we approached The Woodspeen Restaurant. We stopped for a moment for a look at the extension, since it was all covered in scaffolding and boarding last time we passed.
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| The RUST building is the new bar extension. Quite a contrast. |
A left turn soon after The Woodspeen and then followed alongside the Winterbourne Stream into Bagnor, where there was a little Snowdrop display just near The Windmill Theatre.
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| Bagnor Snowdrops |
Only about 4 miles to go, and passing "Kimber Cottage" on our left, with it's sculptural pruned hedge, we passed through Winterbourne, and oh oh.... a hill to climb. Feeling pretty tired now, and I stopped to remove an extra layer, knowing that it's all uphill to the end. Once under the M4 and a right turn, we just had that annoying rise back to the start. Phew.
Well done Daphne. She claimed to have 24 uphill sections today. But also 23 downhills. So that's good! A more gentle ride next week I promise.
