With both of our regular Friday Breeze leaders not available today, I offered to run a ride to get the ladies out who can only do Friday. (I normally ride a Friday friends group, some of whom joined us too. Others were not free today).
We met at Cantley, with the overnight rain stopping just in time for us. A request to help Lee, on her second Breeze ride, to get her back wheel on her bike. She knew what she was doing, just needed to give an extra push. 😊
With that sorted, and just gone 9.30, we were still waiting for Nicola T, who had been on the waiting list, but I had told her a couple of days ago that she would get a space. I thought I had added her yesterday, when I expanded the group numbers to accommodate a couple of my Friday friends too. We welcomed Alison to her (3rd ?) Breeze ride, and introductions all round.
A strange phone call then to a Nicola T, whose number I had on my register. She answered by name, but was not the right Nicola. She had a "Brummy" accent and didn't know what I was talking about, saying she had never given her details to British Cycling. Very weird. 😲 So local Nicola, missed out.
We were 8 today, so often split into 2 groups. Thanks to all the ladies who took their turn at leading the second group, to ensure that we were not a nuisance to traffic. But we had plenty of lanes and tracks without any traffic too.
We left over the motorway bridges, and made our way to The Straight Mile, and then turned into Hungerford Lane, emerging at Shurlock Row pond. The pond still looking very empty, with just a puddle of water. (some overnight rain). Continuing straight, we climbed back over the M4, to turn right at the Howe Lane/Drift Road roundabout, soon disappearing into Wesley Mill Road.
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| Wesley Mill bridge |
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| there were 2 large fires burning in the field to the right of the track |
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the track just over the ford a bit muddy,
having had diggers clear out loads of foliage. |
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Further along the track, still pretty dry as we headed uphill to Hawthorne Hill area,
and signs of autumn colour. |
I normally cross directly over into the hedgeline track, but with overnight rain, we just stuck to using the road today, as we took the turn on the bend on Ascot Road, passed the entrance to Ferneygrove, and a downhill section to turn left into Nuptown Lane. Then straight on into Bishops Lane.
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| Bishops Lane, nr Nuptown. |
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| Lynne, Jill. Alison, Lee, Jeanette, Eva and Louise |
We were doing a loop now to the Polo club. We turned right onto Winkfield Road and would pass this junction again later. A left soon into the A330 Church Road, passing the beautiful St Mary's Church next to Tiggywinkles pre school. The road name changes to Pigeonhouse Lane! Didn't see any pigeon houses, but to our left the vast green space of 7 polo fields, belonging to the Royal Berkshire Polo club. A bit of traffic but not too busy, as our 2 groups rode for a mile or so to Gate number 2 of the polo club where the A board for the cafe sign posts for the entrance. (on North Street).
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| parking up, just opposite the cafe building. |
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| Chukkas Cafe |
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Eva, Alison, Anne, Louise
Lynne, Jeanette, Lee and Jill. |
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pretty much had the place to ourselves.
But with just one serving, it was a little slow.
A limited choice of food but fine.
(sausage rolls heated in the oven, not microwave) |
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On a warmer day, plenty of tables outside too.
But chairs a bit damp today. |
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| Ready to roll for our homeward journey. |
Leaving the cafe, 2 left turns brought us to the lovely, wide, Crouch Lane, passing the Tally Ho cafe, and soon we passed the end of Bishops Road once more, this time continuing to turn right into Cocks Lane, then Malt Hill , and passed Warfield Church.
A little climb to the traffic lights at Warfield X Roads, and into Watersplash Lane, to join the cycle paths over Cabbage Hill. Part Way up Jock's Lane, a right turn into Boltons Lane cycle path, then we used further cyclepaths alongside Temple Way, to climb up to the roundabout. Passing Newbold College, Binfield, we cut through Foxley Lane to the Forest Road, then on Binfield Road to get back over the A329M. We said good bye here to Eva who headed home, and the rest of whizzed downhill all the way back to Cantley.
Nice to see everyone, especially those I don't see so often, and the new Breeze Riders. Hope you all enjoyed today's route, even if you had no idea where you were! That's half the fun!
