A Monday ride, and the first time I've seen Linda for about 6 weeks, following her big holiday in Australia, and Vietnam. She has not been cycling, and recovering from holiday illness, so a big test for her fitness today. Daphne not done so much cycling over the past few weeks either.... nor Dave. So, not a fast ride today. Good!
The forecast, a few days ago, was for wall to wall sunshine and 14 degrees, but the reality was, it was gloom, gloom, gloom. Such a shame.
Route (photo of route at end)
I suggested the route, starting from Bradfield, which was supposed to be gentle for the first few miles, following the stream around Buckleberry Ford..... but it didn't quite work out that way! Sorry team!!
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| Bucklebury Road approaching the ford. Agggghhh. It had been closed a couple of weeks ago, but we assumed it would be fine by now. |
John walked along the grass verge to investigate and decided it was too wet to go through. So, we backtracked a couple of hundred yards, to climb Chapel Lane around the equestrian centre. It's a long time since I have been up this hill. I've come down it a couple of times, but not up. It passes the house with the pond part way up, after which it ramps up big time, to 17% infact.
I made it, but was knackered, and was amazed to see Linda coming over the top not long after me. No sign of the others then John appeared.
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| Well done Linda.... who says she's not fit!😇 |
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| John up next. |
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| Dave and Daphne decided to do a "walk and talk" instead of riding. |
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| Our reward is now a steep downhill to pass the Pot Kiln Pub, but then immediately climb again through Frilsham Woods on Coach Hill. |
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| At a junction in Frilsham, the road changes name to Hatchets Lane, which drops down to a X roads opposite a church. |
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| Daphne waits whilst I take the photo on Hatchets Lane, |
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| Dave and John had stopped noticing the snowdrops at the church at the bottom of Hatchets Lane. |
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| St Frideswide Church, Frilsham. |
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Wellhouse Lane was busier than usual today with several white vans and even an articulated lorry! We decided it might be something to do with the detour in place due to the flooding.
We left Wellhouse Lane, and turned right to face a climb towards Hermitage. Not too steep, but a long drag, before it drops into the town, where we turn left onto the busy B4009 for about a mile. Then into the quiet Curridge Road, which is a pretty lane, passing through wooded areas, and eventually ends passing under the A34 and the A339. We then dogleg over another road, and I warn the ladies of a climb ahead up to Snelsmore Common, on a road called Arlington Lane, passing a school on our left.
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| Daphne and I wait for the boys to catch up, whilst Linda set off to get the hill out of the way,on Arlington Lane. |
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| Views on the left of Artlington Lane, with school sports field in the distance. |
It starts off ok, but then another 17% climb! This is one that I think I've only done on my ebike before, but make it to the top, as did Linda who is waiting.
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| photo by Linda. |
A dogleg for a couple of hundred yards, and we turn right through the old woods of Snelsmoor Common. All looking a bit gloomy today unfortunately. It's a beautiful lane in spring.
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| The road with no name over Snelsmore Common, and we stopped to take in the view over looking Winterbourne. |
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| Same spot, but zoomed in as we saw this horses galloping around the field. |
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| There they go again. |
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| And just opposite, before we drop down steeply. |
Turning right towards Winterbourne, Daphne's chain came off, but with John and Dave behind, Linda and I carried on as we climbed out of Winterbourne. Then left, under the M4, and right into the road which comes uphill to the car park on the bend near Chievley, where John and I often start our Sunday rides. Daphne caught us up just before we reached this spot on the corner.
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| Looking back to where we climbed away from Winterbourne. |
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| And now we round this bend, which changes name to School Road, and undulates into Chievley. It was a windy spot! |
Through Chievely village, and we turned right to soon join Oxford Road to arrive in Worlds End.
(Previously we have approached by a slightly longer way round, on Northfields/Old Street. This joins the Oxford Road closer to Worlds End. A better route then today's slog up Oxford Road, which is all a gradual up hill.)
From Worlds End, a right turn towards Bothampstead/Hampstead Norreys, which immediately drops under the A34 on a decent width road, but which very soon narrows and passes "John's cloud tree".
Following this lane, with no name, we continue down, down, down towards Hampstead Norreys. I had previously removed my outer jacket after all our climbs, but this long downhill was cold!
We had our stop at the village community shop. I had a bowl of soup to warm me up! It was delicious. Chicken noodle soup. Jacket layer back on, as we set off to climb away from the village, and our final ascent of the day, to Yattendon. The climb seemed relatively easy compared to the tougher hills today. I stopped to photograph the sheep, mostly to capture the fact that the sky was brightening. (A bit late, since we are almost finished!)
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| Yattendon Road. It's brightening up at long last. |
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| Back before the boys. Just as well I had a key! |