A full Monday team once more today, and I fancied a ride to Cookham. But it's 40 miles from home, and mid 35ish if we start from Cantley. So with a showery day forecast, I suggested we meet at Shurlock Row pond and planned a route of 24 miles, which we could extend to 28 at the end if the weather was ok.
"Where is Shurlock Row pond?", Dave asked John. 😁 Well it's the one that we pass almost every other week if heading north of Wokingham. But a pond, where almost no water is visible, and Dave had never noticed that it was in fact a pond. John stuck a pin on a map, so he would find us.
Route link screenshot at end.
When we arrived, I spent a few minutes looking around, since usually we pass though straight over at the X roads at the pond, and not along on "The Street". I noticed a couple of buildings.
 |
| Shurlock Row with the pond on the right although not very obvious... to Dave anyway. I had never noticed the brick building on the left before. |
 |
| Opposite the pond. |
 |
| Chapel 1863. |
 |
| Next to the Chapel is South Lake House. No signs of a lake on the map! |
 |
| South Lake House, has the same architectural style at the one next door called Shurlock House. |
Right, everyone present and ready to leave, we passed the pond & towards Beenham's Heath, continuing over the M4 bridge to Drift Road, and then back over the motorway to turn right passing Waltham Place and church. "ROAD CLOSED". But we ignored that and got through a barrier with just enough space. There were builders working on a wall of a property, and not actually working on the road.
 |
| Church Hill |
 |
| Church Hill, and beyond this all open again. |
 |
| Lovely start to the day passing St Marys Church White Waltham, on the downhill. I had photographed flags on lamposts in White Waltham last week, but they were much more noticeable today flapping in the strong wind. (Current trend in the country. A protest against migrants, or just being patriotic, that is the debate. A bit worrying of trouble brewing.) Continuing all the way to the A4, we went straight across to join Henley Road. (We usually turn off into a private drive, but will do that on our return later). First right from Henley Road, to pass NT Maidenhead Thicket, which Daphne recognised as the place where earlier in the year it was covered in Cowslips. 😇 |
 |
| Opposite the wide open expanse of Maidenhead Thicket on Pinkneys Drive, before our turn into the quiet Lee Lane. |
Lee Lane was not quite so quiet as Daphne hoped, as she was in search of a comfort stop! 😂
A dogleg next into Golden Ball Lane. I had not planned the route to go over into Malders Lane here, incase it would be a mess after a reasonable amount of rain this week, but changed my mind. Its a gravelly track, so good drainage and it was fine. It offers amazing views at its high point, and today we spotted Windsor Castle in the distance.
 |
| Top of Malders Lane and if you zoom in, Windsor Castle to the right of the big tree |
 |
| Zoom lens shows the castle outline. Looks like it's raining in Windsor! |
 |
| And looking the other way, towards Cookham, blue sky. Wooppee. |
 |
| Taken by a passing dog walker |
To Cookham High Street now, using the raised causeway path into the village, and to The Tea Shop. We opted to sit outdoors since it was warm, and hoped that the rain would hold off, which it did.
 |
| Dark clouds gathering as we arrived...... |
 |
| Blue sky as we were leaving. 😎 |
 |
| As we left Cookham village, this horse rider was into the village. Very timeless other than the high viz jacket. |
So.... a few raindrops as we started to climb Terry's Lane, and then suddenly much heavier, so we pulled over to get our jackets on. But we kept going to get the main hill done, then Daphne requested a little cover under a tree hoping it would pass.
 |
| Taking shelter under a tree canopy on Terry's Lane as we climb to join Winter Hill. |
By the time we climbed to Winter Hill it was barely raining. The others, slightly ahead, all went passed the next turn, assuming the usual route. But my planned route was to go left to explore a new part of Cookham Dean, which we hadn't done before. After waiting for a delivery truck to come up the narrow lane, we took our time heading quiet steeply downhill, loosing a lot of the elevation we had just gained. Some very nice gated properties on this tiny lane called Startings Lane.
 |
| Emerging at the bottom of Startins Lane to cross over into Cookham Dean Bottom, with these Victorian Properties. |
 |
| 1837. The start of Victoria's Reign |
 |
| 1887 on this one. Not sure of that significance. |
And a left turn just passed the cottages into a rather cheeky climb on Popes Lane! Which joins Hills Lane which we have slogged up before and which starts to flatted out at St John Baptist Church, Cookham Dean, and where we regroup.
Just passed the church, we took a right fork, into Bigfrith Lane, and I stopped to admire this view to our right at NT Bigfrith Common, and next to "Cookham Dean Book Exchange" aka an old phone box. The others pulled over too.
 |
| Taking in the view over Bigfrith Common, |
Photo by Dave. Seems that I had time to stop for a read of Isaac Simov booked called Foundation. None of us knew who he was, but Dave spotted a few books by the same author in the phone box. Has Dave read them all? Sci Fi, so not my thing!
 |
| Cherry Garden Lane, Wooly Green |
 |
| Cherry Garden Lane as they continue. |
 |
| Cherry Garden Lane. They have gone, but I stopped for this photo of signs of Autumn, with the light catching the foliage. |
Passing Breadcroft Lane on our left, the turn onto the Knowl Hill circuit now to the big open views. Also time for jackets to come off again.
 |
| Sunshine all the way home now we hope. |
The final few miles were on Bottle Lane to White Waltham. Everyone was happy to continue on the extended version of the route, which took us into Waltham St Lawrence, over Milley Bridge and left into Castle End Lane to reach Ruscombe. Then, a left to return back to the same WSL X Roads on Waltham Road. And as we took the turn towards Shurlock Row, a few spots of rain again, but we made it.
