A Sunday e-bike ride with John today, on a route which we have done most bits of before on a variety of routes, but not all in one go. I got a new Garmin badge today for my biggest ascent in one ride. It was certainly up and down! (2,300feet). John's Garmin claims his ride was 2,800 feet, but his data is always more then mine, so I will happily go with his figures on this occasion. 😬
Although we were on ebikes, I only really used green power when I needed any assistance, which helps with the extra weight of the ebike, bringing it more inline with my gravel bike. Only twice did I opt for red power. So, I think would be interesting to repeat on my gravel bike some day. Challenging, but doable, with plenty of lovely downhill to get a rest.
Route
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We set off from our usual parking spot in Chieveley dropped down into Winterbourne
with this elevated field on our right. Not a cloud in the sky today. |
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| Same scene, a closer look, with Winterbourne church in the background. |
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Looking a little left from the same spot, and the hedgeline is the hill we will
come down on our return route into Winterbourne from Boxford. |
But for now we stay in the valley, and soon pass the very recognisable hedge in Bagnor next to Kimber Cottage. I took this shot, since I might have a go at painting it. Love the white birch stems emerging from the clipped hedge.
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| Bagnor clipped hedge |
Passing the Windmill theatre, the Christmas tree nursery, and the Woodspeen restaurant, we turn left into Snake Lane, to soon join the B4000 for a short stretch before dropping down Furze Hill to cross straight over the A4.
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| John ahead as I stop for a photo on Furze Lane. He is about to cross the A4 |
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photo by John, of me joining him after I crossed the A4, now in Milkhouse Road
where we stop for the railway crossing. |
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| Milkhouse Road, Marsh Benham. |
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To our right whilst we wait to the railway crossing. A bit of clearing gone on
alongside the River Kennett. |
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| K&Avon canal just after the railway crossing. |
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| Other direction |
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John waiting, with what looks like an old Mill House ahead.. always means a climb coming!
The road changes its name here to Park Lane. |
We follow on lovely empty lanes, taking a left turn into Watery Lane, then a dogleg into an unnamed lane, but heading to West Woodhay. From this lane, a long staight one, we can see Coombe Gilbert to our left. (The highest point in Berkshire). We have ridden up there a couple of times, but not today. As we got to the end of the road to turn right, several cyclists shot past, and we hoped they were not heading to "our" cafe.
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I spotted the church spire of the next village of West Woodhay
(This is the church where you can also go into the garden) |
John assured me I will recognise something soon, since I couldn't remember what there is at West Woodhay... but I did remember just in time, that there is a BIG house with a lake. Phew!
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| The impressive West Woodhay house. |
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| They had drained the lake quite recently, which was quite a mess, so it was nice to see it looking back to normal. Shame they have that shrub in the way of the reflection. Must drop them a note. 😂 |
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| Straight on to Inkpen now. |
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| As we drop downhill towards Inkpen, this beautiful display of crocus at eye level, since this garden is elevated with a retaining wall. Handy! |
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| Honesty cafe Inkpen. A bit of a wait today, since this group DID get there just before us. |
Looking closer at our route last night, I spotted somewhere with a camera icon, called "Inkpen Crocus Field". Well, since it's crocus time, I thought we should detour to have a look. We peddled up and down a lane looking for it, and couldn't find it. Even locals weren't sure where it was. But we did find it in the end, part way down a lane called Pottery Lane, where a grass gap between two houses, led to a gate.
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The entrance. but not any evidence of any crocus!
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| But if you look a bit closer..... |
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| John looking a bit closer.😉 |
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| A local then told us that towards the end of March, there are many, many more to see. |
So, detour over, we left Inkpen behind, dropping down that long hill to pass Inkpen Church, which is well out of Inkpen. Then left along Spray Road, and at the village green in Ham, a right turn to join Ham Road, which changes it's name to Cutting Hill, with a big down, then up again to cross over the A338. After just a couple of hundred yards, a left now to climb to Stype.
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| We saw so many snowdrop patches on our route today. |
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Right turn here between Stype and Little Bedwyn.
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| Near Stype. Typical of today's quiet lanes. |
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I was waiting for John, and these shadows reminded me of our route profile today.
Up and down all over the place. |
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| Here he comes. |
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| Soon, we cross the K&A once more, at Little Bedwyn. |
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| And turn right towards Froxfield. |
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| Spotted these deer as we rode along the very open Brewhouse Hill enroute to Froxfield. Terrible photo, since had to be quick. We also saw our second Hare of the day.... and its not even March! |
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| They dashed towards these trees, but I see from the photo that they maybe stopped since one is facing the opposite direction. |
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| The wide open landscape above Froxfield where we saw the deer. |
A steep downhill into Froxfield village to cross the A4 for a very short distance, then turn left to climb Littlecote Road, next to the pretty old hospital building. It's a long, steady climb up, which we have done without an ebike, but much easier today. It's followed by a lovely long downhill, passing the entrance on a corner to Littlecote Manor, and continuing down to run alongside the River Kennet.
We turn left at the bottom to cross over the Kennet on a bridge into Chilton Foliat, and immediately right to climb up to Leverton. John again said that I would soon recognise it, which I did. A huge walled garden, and opposite, 5 dumpy looking old thatch cottages. (One with a tarpaulin on its roof today. Storm damage?) We climb out of Leverton, continuing straight over any junctions, passing Upper Eddington, Denport Park, Radley, and Clapton. At the end of the road in Clapton, this property on our right which I remember.... to be followed by a climb up Church Lane to Wickham.
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| Orpenham Farm, Nr Clapton, with its vineyard out front. It's grown since we last came here. |
At the top of Church Lane Wickham, we crossed the B400 to climb a steep section, then under the M4 continuing into Welford. A nice road, and signs advertising "Welford Park snowdrops", at their peak right now of course. A cheeky steep right turn opposite Welford Church, then it flattens out again and under the M4 once more in Easton, and after half a mile or so , we come to a Xroads and turn left into Boxford. (more often have come out of this junction).
Part way through Boxford, today's route take a steep right turn into Winterbourne Road (been saving some power for this bit!), and it undulates all the way before finally dropping into Winterbourne at the hedgeline I photographed at the start.
We saw a couple of young boys today in Winterbourne on a home made Go Cart, made out of ply. Almost there, with just one more climb out of Winterbourne, then retraced out route back to the van.
(NEWS - Whilst we are out cycling, without a care in the world, we come home to see on the news that Day 4 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Putin has put a nuclear deterrent on "special alert". The man is a nutcase, and the world is watching. How on earth can this happen. He needs taken out!)
