We are enjoying an Indian Summer! So I offered a new Breeze route today, starting from Chieveley to make the most of the beautiful sunny weather. This time of year, we are probably at the peak of our fitness (I peaked a while back!) I have done this route several times, usually on a Sunday with hubby, but I think only once on my gravel bike during Lockdown. (normally use my ebike in West Berkshire😉). But since I have done it on my normal bike, thought some of the fitter ladies amongst the Breeze group would enjoy the challenge. Not sure they even bothered to read my route description... they just booked on anyway. 😂
After a painfully slow drive through Wokingham due to temporary lights, myself, Louise and Kim got there at exactly 9.45... our start time. Everyone else was already there, apart from Amy who arrived within 2 mins. John had also come with me, and set off ahead of us. It was only 13 degrees as we started out, and since the first couple of miles were freewheeling into Winterbourne, it felt a bit chilly!
Route link (photo of map at end)
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| Shooting straight into sunshine at our start on School Road, Chieveley. |
Following the Winterbourne Stream,. we passed through this pretty village with its thatch cottages, and eventually passed the amazing sculpted hedge in Bagnor at Kimber Cottage. I've photographed it many times. I love how the Silver Birth tree trunks come out of the hedge.
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| Bagnor Village. |
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| Rose, Louise, Kim, Amanda T, Amy, Cathy, Gill. |
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| Passing the Watermill Theatre, Bagnor. |
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Bagnor Village, all nice and flat as we follow the stream. The Winterbourne
Stream, now joins the River Lambourne. |
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| Beautiful Day. If anyone still, cold , they are about to warm up. 😊 |
Passing the Christmas Tree plantation, which this time of year is also "pick your own pumpkins, we turned right on a slight rise to pass the Woodspeen cookery school and restaurant. (We have been several times, and highly recommend it.) Then a long downhill, to turn off into Snake Lane, heading to Stockcross, which climbs steadily then a
very cheeky uphill to join Rookswood Road at this junction. .
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Emerging from our first climb of the day to this flat section, where we join the B4000,
but only for a couple of hundred yards, then a left into Church Lane. |
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| Pulled over part way up Church Lane, to allow a car passed on the hill. |
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| Continuing up Church Hill, Stockcross. |
A dash straight across the A4 and a nice long downhill to Marsh Benham, with a couple of 90 degree bends, passing a black barn building. This is all very flat marsh land, hence the name, and crosses the River Kennet, and Canal. No surprise then, that we now have our next climb on Irish Hill Road. (This road is one that I often ride to climb out of Kintbury in the opposite direction. )
A few more turns on very quiet single track lanes, and we head to West Woodhay.
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| Stunning trees at West Woodhay House. |
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| This is always impressive any time of year. |
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| That is what I call a stripey lawn. |
We had a couple of right hand turns after this, and I could only see 5 in my mirror, not 7. So after the second right.... on a steep hill.... I stopped and told the others to continue. Of course as soon as I did that, the other 2 appeared. I couldn't get back on, so was the only one to walk today! I caught up with the others who had stopped with a vehicle blocking the road into Inkpen. It was a farmer who had moved his sheep. We just missed them.
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I recognise that bike already parked up at Honesty Cafe, Inkpen. 😂 But he did
start off ahead of us. |
John had heard us arriving... not sure what he meant! So he ordered his second coffee ahead of us. Kim announced "oh another Honesty Cafe!" Well yes, that was in the ride description, which was when I realised no one bother to read them. 😏 I was flattered of course, that she wanted to come regardless.
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| We dropped down from Hungerford Park, to cross the K&A Canal at this bridge. |
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This boat skipper was struggling to line it up! We left him to it,
since us watching was not helpful. 😂 |
Canal .... therefore uphill again now. Not too bad for a short climb to cross the A4, then vertical to Upper Denford! Phew! A this point, John appeared behind us. ( after his detour we had got ahead of him).
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Photo by John. Out of focus, but Amy next up with Kim behind.
Climbing to Upper Denford |
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| Another tough 11% to Upper Denford. |
Quite a few climbs today were peaking at 11%. So we felt them. The next section was a bit I couldn't remember, until we came to a right hand bend with a building facing us. " Winding Wood House". Ah, I know now! I said to a couple of the ladies, that I was pretty sure there was Vineyard near here, and sure enough half a mile or so later there it was.
At this point, Cathy on her ebike was leading, and John on his super light road bike, was with her. I stopped for a photo of the pretty vineyard, then had some catching up to do on Church Hill, another long steep climb to a X roads at Wickham.
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| Winding Wood Vineyard |
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| We saw this a couple of years back when newly planted. |
Across the B4000, for the second time today, under the M4, and a long downhill through a nice valley all the way to Welford. Cathy commented that she thought there were a lot of downhills today.😅 That's because there are lots of uphills!
A cheeky right hand climb in Welford opposite the church, and back under the M4 again, continuing on this road back at Lambourne River level, before a left turn into Boxford. (A property at the junction was having a new thatched roof. (Think it was once a pub.)
We didn't see the best part of Boxford on today's route, since we took a right turn part way through the village, onto Winterbourne Road. I pulled over just to take this one photo, but told then to keep going with Cathy.. and that a big climb was coming. 😓
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| One of many thatched cottages in Boxford. |
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On the hoof one handed shot of the group climbing the "easier" part of Winterbourrne Road
out of Boxford. This was about 7% gradient , but it increased to 16%. |
We hadn't seen John for a few minutes, but he was waiting ahead with his phone camera. Unfortunately we were going so fast, that they were not in focus. 😅
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| John's photo. Cathy and I leading. (I started at the back, so am quite pleased about that!) |
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| Terrible photo. Well done ladies. |
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This one of mine. Rose finishing her 16% gradient climb.
(The steepest she has done to date. ) |
So, what goes up must come down, as we dropped back into Winterbourne to retrace our last couple of miles to the start. They had of course been downhill in a cool 13degrees this morning, and now all uphill in 16 degrees, so not at all cool!
Well done to all of you (and me). That was a tough one, but we did it! And of course a beautiful new area for most of you today. The elevation and speed say it all. Up and down all over the place!
