It is the peak time of year to enjoy the colours of the Chiltern Beech Woods, so our ride today was planned with that in mind. I've done a few variations of Chiltern Rides for Breeze now, but tried to add a few different approaches today.
We met at Caversham Tennis club car park, arriving a little late thanks to traffic in Wokingham, and also I had an 9.45 start in my head.... but it was actually 9.30 start. Sorry ladies! Although a few of us also arrived just in time, so no harm done.
On Kidmore End Road, we often continue to drop and up to Kidmore End Church, but today, we turned left into Grove Road, and a couple more turns took us steeply down Gravel Hill, to cross Bugs Bottom. Then, guess what? A steep climb out of Gravel Hill. That was our first warm up of the day.
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| It was a a route of two halves today. Half up and half down. (funny how that always happens!) 😂 Gravel Hill in Red. A cheeky little warm up! |
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| Emerging from Gravel Hill, we now join Tokers Green Lane. |
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| The happy birthday girl on her new Orro Bike. (She loved it!) |
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| She's off |
The road undulates up and down to Kidmore End, where we turned left at the church, and soon enjoyed the next beautiful tree canopy on Park Lane, Cane End.
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| Park Lane |
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| The fallen leaves really add to the picture now. |
Some of the ladies spotted a stag in the woods just past this point, and eventually I spotted it too. Always a treat to see these beautiful animals in the wild. A left turn next into to the "Quiet lane" leading to Exlade Street, which I have not used in a while, since there is often a big flood of field run off, and it's a mess. BUT we visited friends at the weekend for dinner, who live nearby and they told us that the road has been raised up. It was, and now has pipes running below the road level for the water.
Crossing the A4074, we pulled up at the Oratory School to remove a layer for some, and within a mile were shooting down the 2.5 mile drop into Goring. Amanda O, off at the front. She like to whizz downhill. I took the back, just in case of any problems, since I didn't fancy cycling back up!
(Jessica and I both lost the signal to our Garmins at this point, and mine was showing an average speed of 0.5mph! It didn't recover and a few miles later, I restarted it. So no correct data today and only recorded the last 17 miles. )
At the bottom of the long downhill, we turned right before reaching Goring, into Icknield Road, and started the inevitable climb back up. It's a long time since I rode on this hill. It was fine, and we all got there in our own time. The landscape now changes to big open views.
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| At the top of our climb on Ickneild Road, passing Pig City. |
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| Well done Amanda T. (she's still smiling.) |
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| Well done Amy and Rose. |
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| The group ahead on the right waiting to regroup, before we drop down down a little, before our next climb. |
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| A 2 mile climb now back up to Woodcote. Slow and steady since it's not too steep, just long. |
In Woodcote we rode along the quiet Tidmore Lane, to emerge opposite the Oratory School once more, and back over the A4074. Not far now until we are in Checkenden, and more pretty leafy lanes to the farm shop. Potholes galore as usual.
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| Checkendon Lanes leading to the Blue Tin. |
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| Me, Amanda T, Amanda O, Rose, Jessica, Amy, Linda, and Louise. |
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| As we were leaving, I noticed Amy had a Buddlea branch attached to her 😂 (photo by Rose) |
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| I think best leave it behind Amy. (photo by Rose) |
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| They have added more tent style covers for the winter. |
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| The garden at the Blue Tin has had turf added since my last visit. |
We backtracked a mile or so, with gradual climbing, via a different loop back to Checkenden, before going downhill on the lane which we more often climb, in Bluebelle season. (Emmens Lane)
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| Emmens Lane, Checkenden. Much easier down it downhill. |
Then along Wyfold Road, with one final stop at the Wyfold X Roads which is another favourite photo stop.
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| Wyfold X Roads. The undulating Wyfold Lane next to Peppard Common, then through the edge of Sonning Common and up to Binfield Heath. A "road closed" sign but we ignored that and got through. We are now at 26 miles, and all the climbing done as we drop down to Dunsden Green and where we turned right to pass the Loddon Brewery to get us back to Emmer Green. Well done ladies. A lot of hills today to earn our sausage roll or cake.  |