A Monday ride, with Daphers and Bloomers. We joined the boys starting a ride from Odiham. The Chocolate Frog is open every day, so it's a useful Monday tea stop... except there are some hills around that area.😉 But we don't mind. Do we ladies? John put the route together "to avoid the bigger hills", he told me. But when we got home he admitted that he had forgotten about some of the hills we climbed today. Champion. But we did it anyway.
Route
We left Odiham, up the High Street, heading in the Greywell direction, but stayed on Bidden Road, (not going to Greywell) taking us along the undulating main road until we turned into the much quieter Ford Lane. Then a left and right dogleg into Gaston Lane, climbing a bit more.
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| Views at the junction of Ford Lane/Gaston Lane. |
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| An unusual pattern across the fields, for wildlife maybe? |
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| Dropping into South Warnborough |
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| Dropping into South Warnborough. The Duke a great film according to Dave. |
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| The Old School desk planted. |
At the Xroads in South Warnborough our route was straight over, but there was a huge articulated truck partly blocking the opposite road.... Foyle Lane, and its quite steep and narrow. John and Dave were speaking to the driver, who was clearly lost. Linda and I squeezed passed to make a start on the hill. Daphne and Dave in the meantime, stopped the traffic on the main road, for the truck to reverse.
Froyle Lane has some lovely views from the top, before disappearing into tree lined shady areas.
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| Daphne caught us up at the top of the first stage of the climb on Froyle Lane |
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| Top of the second stage of the climb. |
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| A bit of downhill ahead... |
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The final climb is up to "the field with the horse"! One of my landmarks. 😂
So now a HUGE downhill into Lower Froyle. |
In Lower Froyle, a right turn and now the undulations to Upper Froyle, passing Froyle Park. Then dropping down once more, we crossed the A31 next to the Hen and Chicken. A very brief stop on the bridge to point out the pretty waterfall, then a climb up again but more gradual, to cross London Road, and onto Clay Lane.
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| I love this waterfall on the River Wey, just after we crossed the A31 |
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| A brief stop here for Daphne for some reason on Wyck Lane. A gloomy day. |
Just after the pretty Oast Houses in East Worldham, we did a right/left dogleg over the B3004, and I asked John if we would soon would pass a fishing lake? He said no, so we were not where I thought we were, but in West Worldham, we climbed through a leafy lane with high banking, which I recognised, and we came to a green triangle, with this signpost. (If we had continued straight here, we would have cross the Selbourne Road to Upper Farringdon, where we went to the open gardens.) But we turned left at this sign, into Hartley Maudit. (I had come from the other direction previously).
Whilst I stopped to photograph the sign post, the others went ahead, and I also stopped for the next couple of photos in Hartley Maudit.
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Daphne had gone inside Hartley Mauditt church, whilst I
had stopped for my photos. |
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| The Fishing Lake at Hartley Mauditt |
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| Pink Cow Parsley opposite the fishing lake |
With one more slog to the top of this section, we came to the next green triangle, and keeping left we dropped down the very long steep hill into Oakhanger (which I had only every slogged up before). This was fun! At the bottom, a right turn as far as the Chocolate Frog. As we arrived, it started to rain. Perfect timing.
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Orange and chocolate cake. A favourite at this stop.
Always appreciate the pretty cake fork too. |
The rain only lasted a few minutes, so by the time we left, it was dry again. We backtracked into Oakhanger, then continued passing Shortheath Common, with the old trees and ferns, but all looking a bit tired this time of year. A left/right dogleg over the B3004, and immediately into the long climb all the way to Binstead. We met a DPD van, as well as a big truck on this road, so had to stop at just the wrong point as we approached the final climb into Binstead. A bit of drizzle in the air. The church has scaffolding around it atm. so not the most photogenic.
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| Binstead church |
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| The rest catch up at Binstead where the road wraps around the church. |
From Binstead, once more we cross London Road, onto Isington Road, following it all the way to drop down passed the beautiful Mill House, before the inevitable climb and soon pass under the A31, and join the road into Bentley. (right turn here would take us back to Lower Froyle).
"I like Bentley... it's flat", announced Daphne. But she spoke too soon. 😉 A left turn in the town centre, and we climbed once more, included under a pedestrian bridge that crosses overhead connecting two gardens. There was a man working in the huge wall to our left, which is looking rather wavy in places! At the top, a drop down, with a sharp right hand bend, where we stopped for a photo of our last proper climb of the day.
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Just leaving Bentley, and we will now follow this hedgeline up and over the hill
heading towards Crondall.
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| The sky from where we just came looking rather dark. |
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A breather half way up this hill is always a good idea, to admire the view behind.
Today, not so good since there are earthworks for pipe laying. |
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| But that very dark sky that was behind us, is now blue. |
Not far now, and we freewheeled much of the way downhill towards Crondall, before turning left into Swanthorpe Lane, at the pretty cottages and then joined Itchen Lane to Roke, and back into Odiham on Cemetery Hill into the High Street.
A little weary after yesterday 36 miles, and having done 1680feet today. Well done team.
