Exercising my new found freedom for Tuesdays I rode over to Stoke Charity to join one group of Pedallers for a ride to The White Lion, Wherwell for Christmas Lunch.
As I rode down Lovedon Lane I spotted Sara and Debs ahead of me. Fortunately the were not going too fast and I was able to catch them on the hill out of the village. I had not seen Sara for ages and Debs only a couple of brief times so it was great to catch up with their news.
We were soon at SC where we were joined by Martyn. I had not ridden with Martyn before although we had met a few times. So that was good too.
We received a message from Sarah telling us that she and Graham were going to CP to join the other group, so we set off via Hunton for Whitchurch and H's for coffee.
I popped in to Caroline's as we passed her home to see if she and Ian would like to join us at H's and ride with us to Wherwell. They duly did so.
As we left the town a lone cyclist from North Waltham came alongside me as I was riding Lantern Rouge. I chatted with him for a while. Poor Sara who was just in front thought I'd gone dolally as the other 4 were in front so she thought I was talking to myself. She was relieved when he rode past and greeted them all.
We were ahead of the other group at the pub, good move as we got served at the bar very quickly!
The other much larger group consisting of :-
Karen, Bill, Brenda, Barrie, Alan M, Barbara, Dave, Carole, Chris, Sarah, Graham M, Graham S, and Alan G,arrived soon afterwards & Yi-Chun a few minutes later, having come by car from work.
Some with healthy appetites had opted for a starter and these soon arrived and promptly disappeared.
Pies and other fare came next. There was a very lively and convivial conversation that was only muted as we got stuck into our pies etc.
My pie, lamb with mash and garden peas, was delicious and very filling. I only just managed to eat it all.
Here are a few pictures of the group.
To view them as full screen slideshow click on any picture.
All too soon it was time to head for home so that I arrived there before it was dark. My original three companions joined me and we set off just before 2.30.
Our route was via Newton and Barton Staceys. Martyn left us near S. Wonston and the ladies were soon at home in Lovedon Lane. I just failed to make it home by 4 p.m.
A great way to celebrate my new found Tuesday freedom
Saturday 13th December 2014.
I felt it was time to enjoy another ride with my Alton CTC friends and to wish them a Happy Christmas so I arranged with Simon to join them. They only do afternoon rides but have moved their starting time to 12 noon. Which suits both Simon and me.
To avoid the possibility of riding home from Alton in the dark Simon took us in his car. It is spacious enough for us to pop both his Boardman and Posh in the back.
We parked in the Old Winchester Road and rode to the usual RV by the civic centre arriving just in time to slot into the group as they rode away.
There were 21 of us altogether and our leader Dan had decided to change the route and tea stop to a more suitable one for such a large group.
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| The Bunch Departing from the Civic Centre. That's me in the middle with my South Hants Jacket and Simon in the red on the right. |
Here is a map of our route from which you can see that Dan found a very interesting circuit. (Looks a bit like Cyprus).
With the mid day start the frost and ice had nearly all gone and our main hazards were minor flooding and mud.
Dan led us out of Alton via Holybourne and under the A31 via the underpass near Neatham Mill.
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| By Neatham Mill. |
I had tried to guess what route Dan would take and this was the first section I'd not foreseen. Soon we were through Binstead and down the hill to Blacknest. A lot of water in some of the lanes to Frensham and a couple of very muddy ones too. I wondered if I should have come on Sporty.
As we turned South and West the sun was right in our eyes and we were a little worried about cars coming from behind not seeing us.
Our tea stop was at the Country Market near Kingsley. Some of the group went in by the back door, some by the front! Fortunately we did not lose anyone. The cafe had an efficient system working to ensure we got served quickly (Unlike the Andover Garden Centre which took ages on a recent ride).
After the stop some riders left us to ride home having come from places other than Alton.
Dan led the rest through Oakhanger. Unfortunately Mark had a puncture just afterwards and urged the rest of us to carry on. Several riders decided that we could not abandon him and stayed behind while the main group continued to Selborne.
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| Posh and I climbing the hill near Selborne. |
Our numbers had dwindled even more by the time we reached the edge of Boyneswood. Dan suggested that we took the gravel road through the wood but Posh was not happy with that idea so we continued through Medstead, Wivelrod & Theddon to the edge of Alton. Simon and I found ourselves alone by now as Dan had turned back to look for a missing rider. We waited until Janice appeared and said our good byes thanking both her and Dan for a good ride only spoilt by a few idiots in cars who hurled abuse at us as they drove past in the opposite direction. (Why?, Just because we were cycling it seems).
We were soon back at the car and were home in the daylight, just in time to pass Paddy on The Avenue returning from a solo ride. We had time for a chat with him as we unloaded a rather muddy Posh.
I, for one, thought that although it was not my longest ride or my fastest ride it had been an exceptionally good one.
Thanks Dan and Janice!
P.S. I rounded of the day at 11 p.m. by spotting 8 Geminid meteorites in about ten minutes, it was too chilly to stay outside in the scary dark any longer. If you haven't done so give spotting some a try tonight if it is clear.
The sky was beautifully clear last night with many stars visible, Orion taking centre stage and a planet, maybe Jupiter, low in the East.
Gridironman.
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