Some very poor excuses from certain ladies today.
Gill "Sorry, I'm in Barbados"
Louise "Sorry, I'm still in Australia".
Martina "Sorry, I have stained a muscle"
With a dry weather window forecast after 10, we delayed our start and Lynne, Jeanette and I set off to ride Lynne's Sandhurst loop (which she rode with Martina last week).
As we got to the top of Blagrove Lane, it started to rain quite heavily. 😢 It was also cold this morning with a "feels like" temperature of just 1 degrees. But we were dressed accordingly, back to thermals etc, and rain jackets.
At the bottom of Blagrove, a flood, but passable. Jeanette, whose heart definitely wasn't in it this morning, decided to head back home. (she thinks it's not going to rain in Scotland for the whole month of May when she is cycling there...... hmmmm. Not sure how to break this gently to her.😕)
Cutting through a mucky Nashgrove Lane, then California Park, we climbed White Horse Lane, also very mucky today, with water running back down the hill. The road is closed to traffic atm, and even has a temporary timber gate at the top next to the pub to stop traffic coming through. So a very quiet ride up the lane.
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| Finchampstead Church |
An easy few miles followed as we dropped downhill to Eversley Cross, then on Firgrove Lane into Yateley. Lynnes route had cut across a green space, but the path looked horrible today, so I suggested we just skirt the edges and join up with it elsewhere.
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| We skipped cutting across the green and instead turned left passing these houses on Old School Lane. |
The next mile or so was through a housing estate, cutting through a few alleyways, before emerging to cross straight over Cricket Hill Lane, into Stephen's Hill. (thankyou Stephen!) It's not too steep and joins into the messy Potley Hill Road. Lots of puddles every where today, but we managed to go around most of them.
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| Entrance to Ruby's Play Cafe. |
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| What on earth? |
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| I was much relieved to see no sign of ANY children inside! 😊 (They all go straight upstairs from the lobby) |
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| Another space in the cafe. |
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| The cake was delicious. |
Lynne and Martina had been here last week, so Lynne knew it was fine. There are two sessions of kids play Mon-Fri. there is another cafe upstairs for the parents to sit and watch the kids play. So , they get busy spells twice a day, but the downstairs cafe never has kids! Strange concept.
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| Just about to join South Drive. The gorse looking nice and the white stems of Silver Birch beyond. |
From South Drive, we emerged at the copse of trees next to the imposing walls of Broadmoor Prison. Around Broadmoor, then UP School Hill. (This hill was really for Jeanette, so a shame that she missed it.😉) It peaks at 9%.
Then of course a fast downhill, before we disappeared from Old Wokingham Road into the old TRL site now known as Bucklers Park. More and more houses going up here, and our route through was a wiggle between new housing with unfinished road surfaces. From a road names Buckler Ride, we joined a section of Nine Mile Ride, riding along the footpath. There were 3 substantial puddles on the road alongside, and we had to time it carefully with passing traffic not to get a soaking from the spray!
Finally, through the cycleroute of Great Hollands, Easthamstead Park, and the northern distribution cyclepaths all the way back to Emmbrook.
Thanks for leading Lynne, and I hope a few more can join us next time. Have a good weekend everyone.
