Monday ride, and Daphne is back in the saddle after missing a few weeks, and Linda also free. I have never been to Blackbush airport cafe, so suggested we do that. Its open every day, so another useful Monday cafe. I asked Cathy is she had a route which I could use, since I was uncertain how to actually find the cafe within the airport grounds, without going in the A30 entrance... which I wasn't prepared to do.
Cathy's route was 15 miles, and went through Yateley, but got to the cafe after just 8 miles. So I reversed it, and added a few miles to the middle section to make it 25 from Finchampstead. It had been a bit tricky to plot the exact route, since some of the roads/paths were non existent on my map. What could possibly go wrong? 😉
We met at Linda's and peddled along Nine Mile Ride, joining the new 9MR extension, to connect to Sheerlands Road, cutting through at the "Snickett! On our way, we passed this Old Tudor House in the middle of the new development. Presumably it's staying.
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| Old Tudor house on the new Nine Mile Ride Extension |
We climbed Farley Hill, sticking to the left hand fork on Church Lane. It was a bit messy, and would not be the last messy road we peddled on today! At the top, left then right and down Sandpit Lane. Pretty messy on the bottom bend, where it becomes Nutbean Lane, but otherwise ok. We were entertained by a little foal in a distant field. It was having great fun, frolicking in the field.
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| 2 horses and a foal off Nutbean Lane. The foal just now stopped its jumping around. |
Into Swallowfield and we used Trowes Lane, and turned into Carlton Lane. Linda had a way-hay moment on the gravel as we turned. At the top, a dog leg into Barge Lane, and we stayed on Barge Lane to do the dash across the A33. It was clean, but we turned left to climb Bull Lane, which was a disaster. Mud and water everywhere. When we reached the top, this group of cyclist were repairing a puncture right in the middle of the road! Sods law a car came up behind us so they had to move in this slightly better position to continue the repair. They were heading to Hartley Witney.
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| Other riders doing a puncture repair on Bull Lane |
We dropped under the bridge and turned immediately right into Sun Lane. I had thought of going straight on to cut through the track, but the Garmin suggested a wiggle through a couple of residential roads. Seemed like a cleaner option! I had also planned to ride on The Devils Highway down to the ford, but we opted for Part Lane/School Lane/Ford Lane instead.
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| We missed the turn for Welsh Drive, and did 2 other sides of the triangle. Hard work and pretty messy at times. |
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| Was not expecting this kind of track. (But we missed Welsh Drive) |
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| New little trees growing alongside the path just we got back on track. |
We re-joined our route on Welsh Drive, and peddled along the huge wide expanse of very good surface, and through Collards depot. This meets the A327, and we went straight across to ride between two lakes surrounded by Gorse bushes.
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| Between the A327 and Coopers Hill |
Straight over Coopers Hill, and open views now across a lake.
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| Just off Coopers Hill. Looking to an area called Castle Bottom. |
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| Linda and Daphne waiting for me. |
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| Now through the side of this gate following a good surface until we come to a bit of query! |
We nipped through a gap and found ourselves at the car auction sight which is enormous. We rode for a bit, and seemed to be going round in a circle. We could see the airport buildings, but couldn't work out how to get to them. (When plotting my route I just did some straight lines at this point, and it was not at all clear where to go.) We spotted a car salesman, who didn't know other than send us to the A30.
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| We nipped through a gap and found ourselves on the old runway. |
We spotted a dog walker in the far distance and I shot after her, to ask for help. We finally got there! It's half term, so lots of families with kids there, but we sat at a sunny bench outside, and saw plenty of action from planes in the short time we were there.
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| Bit breezy so it kept the temperature down. |
We backtracked around the runway perimeter, a sharp left and back over the two "humps", then we were back on course heading through a track towards Yateley. It helped that Daphne has walked in this area, so were feeling more confident of finding our way out, than we were coming in. 😂 The track emerges on Monteagle Lane, Yateley. We lost our way a little finding Moulsham Lane, but I see now that at the first roundabout we should have NOT gone straight over, but right then immediately left into the little track that I have used many times. (It all looks different approaching from the opposite direction!). But we found it, and then a new bit for me. At a bend on Moulsham Copse Lane, a track takes off on the left, and goes all the way around the edge of The Lake.
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| Colebrook South Lake |
My plan was up Dell Road, but I got outvoted and we slogged up Ambarrow Road instead. We left Daphne at the roundabout and Linda and I peddled along Heath Ride back to her house. Heath Ride surface was fine.... thank goodness. Enough of off road for a while! Hard work, and dirty bike, which I now need to clean.