I decided to join the CTC Tuesday ride with the expectation of meeting some old friends and also some of those I met for the first time last Saturday. I was not disappointed, when I got to the RV I found another 11 riders keen to enjoy the lovely sunny day. Martyn was our leader with Janet playing the stoker role on their tandem. Also present were; Ken E., John S.,Julie, John & Eileen, Jane H., Linda, Caroline M. and Jocelyn.
Martyn had planned a good route to Oakley, following the usual one through Stoke Charity and Micheldever but then taking a loop to the north of the Whitchurch to Basingstoke road. As we had not stopped for coffee we arrived at the Barley Mow in Oakley on the stroke of 12. I must say I do prefer this kind of timing as it usually means prompt service at the pub before the lunchtime peak.
We had the dining room to ourselves and the landlady looked after us extremely well. There was a large choice of food and I opted for fish and chips, tasty but a tad expensive in my opinion.
As always we had plenty to chat about, one of the more serious items discussed was the sacking of Chris Juden by the CTC and their current management policies. Anyone wishing to know more can find further information on this FaceBook page:
Here is my record of my route for the day from which you can see I left the group on the return journey at Micheldever Station to return to Alresford. I did take PP's alternative route from Northington Down through Itchen Abbas rather than descending Mollie's Dismount to Abbotstone, thus gaining a few more miles towards my target of another Ton this week.
Another good day out with friends. Thanks Martin!
Thursday 5 March 2015. HCMF Meet at The White |Lion, Wherwell.
Yet another sunny day. Still a bit on the chilly side after an overnight frost. However the roads were lovely and dry so I opted to take Posh for a spin. His first this year.
He did seem to make the going easier as you will see from my average moving speed for the day of 12.4 mph by far the fastest this year.
I did not want to ride the obvious direct way to the meet, preferring to save that for a fast return after lunch as I had family duties to perform later in the afternoon.
My first test came in Northington where I climbed the steep hill through the village rather than taking the easier option from Totford. I certainly needed that bottom gear of around 26".
In East Stratton I met Martyn and his friend on their way to Petersfield and we had a short chat before continuing our merry ways.
At the end of Hunton Lane in Wonston I caught up with Roger who had stopped to check the route on his map. We rode together to Barton Stacey where he opted for the most direct route. I headed towards Longparish pausing en route to snap this tractor ploughing. It was surrounded by seagulls, but of course by the time I got my camera out they had all disappeared!
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| John Dere Tractor with Six furrow one way plough. |
The soil seemed to be turning over perfectly, moist but not muddy.
From Longparish I climbed the lane to join up with the Andover to Basingstoke road. I only discovered this lane last year and had never ridden up it. It is a gentle climb with a dip or two through lovely fields and woodlands. I encountered a large cattle wagon which had just finished loading animals, a moment or two earlier and I might have got another interesting snap. Never mind!
To avoid going right into Andover I turned past Picket Twenty and along the lane through Cowdown and out onto the Stockbridge Road near the golf club. Instead of climbing over the hill to Wherwell I followed the road south until I got to Cottonworth, A busy road but one I'd not ridden before. A couple of nice little hills both up and down to spice it up.
From here I followed the valley into Wherwell Village. At the pub there were a good number of members and I was soon enjoying a nice pint while discussing CTC policies and the sacking of Chris Juden once more. A lot of riders knowing nothing about this.
A number of members had come by car, it is fine that these folk keep in touch despite health and old age problems.
A number of members had come by car, it is fine that these folk keep in touch despite health and old age problems.
It was soon time for me to get going again and high tail it for home. The A272 is not the nicest road to ride having a rather rough surface and also being quite busy with cars, but I did manage a decent pace to get me home well before my 3 p.m. deadline. When I got there I found I had left my keys on the table in the pub. Just as I was about to phone to see if anyone had found them the phone rang it was Angela who told me she had them, so arranged to pick them up from her as I went to Henry Beaufort School to collect my Grandaughter. What a stroke of luck! Thanks Angela.
Satuday 7th March 2015. Posh takes me to see the sea.
When I found out that the Winchester CTC ride was to Oakley, following a very similar route to that ridden on Tuesday I decided that one more visit to Oakley in such a short time was too much.
So as all of the other members of the Alresford Groupetta were otherwise engaged so I decided to do my own thing. I decided that Titchfield was a suitable target with perhaps a quick visit to the Haven.
As I headed towards Bishop's Waltham I found that there was a strong headwind and struggled to get up the hill past the Milbury's. However once into the shelter of the woods I found it much easier. Three other cyclists passed me with a cheery greeting but they were going too fast for me to get into their slipstream.
It was a lovely day and I soon encountered more cyclists making the most of the sunshine.
I had always thought the road from B. Waltham to Botley to be quite flat driving along it. It seems rather different on the bike but I was able to make good progress. Lots of cars about for the next 10 miles as I entered the more built up areas. I had looked at a suggested route using the computer which detailed a route through the Whiteley area. It seems that this route was along a private lane so I continued through Burridge and Swanmore into Lock's Heath.
I stopped to consult my map several times here as there are lots of roundabouts but very few direction signs. Eventually I found myself on the outskirts of Titchfield where I paused to talk to a lady runner who gave me directions to Hook and the Solent Breezes Caravan Site where I could enjoy the view over the Solent to the Isle of Wight. I was on the National Cycle Route 2 here and had expected to be able to ride through to Titchfield Haven but I found it unsuitable for Posh being rough & muddy so I turned back to Titchfield
Starting my return journey I used the pedestrian crossing to get over the busy A27.
In the next couple of miles there are three garden centres, all with cafe facilities. I chose what I thought looked the neatest to have a coffee break and rest my legs for a while. It turned out to be a good choice and I certainly plan to use it again when I can persuade The Groupetta to join me.
I was on more familiar ground once north of the M3 and took lanes to Shedfield before heading along the nice straight road to Swanmore. Here I chose Vicarage Lane to climb to Upper Swanmore. I don't know why I've not used this lane before as it is less steep than Hampton Hill. Near the top of the lane there was a lovely display of Celandines along the verge. Here I also found a gentleman sitting enjoying the sunshine while looking after a small cake stall in aid of Red Nose Day. His two daughters were supposed to be looking after it but had left him in charge while they went for a walk. As I was enjoying a delicious chocolate brownie (50p) they returned and we all had a nice chat. Some other cyclists passing by turned down the offer of good cakes, they didn't know what they were missing!
Of course I had not far to go now but realising that I was going to be short of my 50 mile target I planned an indirect way home via Riverdown.
As I passed Corhampton Golf Course I passed a lady on a horse but as I climbed Beacon Hill I heard her galloping past me on the other side of the hedge. We exchanged greetings and shortly afterwards I got ahead again when she diverted around a hedge. Soon she galloped by again and beat me to the top of the hill. We chatted again and decided that one horse power plus one lady where stronger than one man power.
The downhill mile past the chicken farm to Brockwood Bottom saw me achieve my fastest speed of the day. A just reward for my second place on the previous climb?
I was now within a few miles home and climbed over the ridge past Brockwood House and Park, across the A272 and through Woodlands to Bramdean Common. The last few miles were soon covered and i arrived home just after 3 p.m. having ridden just over 50 miles. (I must confess that I had to use a sneaky trick I'd learnt from a pal of riding around the block to get that important milestone!)
A most enjoyable week and a new record set for the year of 139 miles in the week.
Thanks to all my friends whose company I enjoyed.
GRIDIRONMAN.
Satuday 7th March 2015. Posh takes me to see the sea.
When I found out that the Winchester CTC ride was to Oakley, following a very similar route to that ridden on Tuesday I decided that one more visit to Oakley in such a short time was too much.
So as all of the other members of the Alresford Groupetta were otherwise engaged so I decided to do my own thing. I decided that Titchfield was a suitable target with perhaps a quick visit to the Haven.
As I headed towards Bishop's Waltham I found that there was a strong headwind and struggled to get up the hill past the Milbury's. However once into the shelter of the woods I found it much easier. Three other cyclists passed me with a cheery greeting but they were going too fast for me to get into their slipstream.
It was a lovely day and I soon encountered more cyclists making the most of the sunshine.
I had always thought the road from B. Waltham to Botley to be quite flat driving along it. It seems rather different on the bike but I was able to make good progress. Lots of cars about for the next 10 miles as I entered the more built up areas. I had looked at a suggested route using the computer which detailed a route through the Whiteley area. It seems that this route was along a private lane so I continued through Burridge and Swanmore into Lock's Heath.
I stopped to consult my map several times here as there are lots of roundabouts but very few direction signs. Eventually I found myself on the outskirts of Titchfield where I paused to talk to a lady runner who gave me directions to Hook and the Solent Breezes Caravan Site where I could enjoy the view over the Solent to the Isle of Wight. I was on the National Cycle Route 2 here and had expected to be able to ride through to Titchfield Haven but I found it unsuitable for Posh being rough & muddy so I turned back to Titchfield
Starting my return journey I used the pedestrian crossing to get over the busy A27.
In the next couple of miles there are three garden centres, all with cafe facilities. I chose what I thought looked the neatest to have a coffee break and rest my legs for a while. It turned out to be a good choice and I certainly plan to use it again when I can persuade The Groupetta to join me.
I was on more familiar ground once north of the M3 and took lanes to Shedfield before heading along the nice straight road to Swanmore. Here I chose Vicarage Lane to climb to Upper Swanmore. I don't know why I've not used this lane before as it is less steep than Hampton Hill. Near the top of the lane there was a lovely display of Celandines along the verge. Here I also found a gentleman sitting enjoying the sunshine while looking after a small cake stall in aid of Red Nose Day. His two daughters were supposed to be looking after it but had left him in charge while they went for a walk. As I was enjoying a delicious chocolate brownie (50p) they returned and we all had a nice chat. Some other cyclists passing by turned down the offer of good cakes, they didn't know what they were missing!
Of course I had not far to go now but realising that I was going to be short of my 50 mile target I planned an indirect way home via Riverdown.
As I passed Corhampton Golf Course I passed a lady on a horse but as I climbed Beacon Hill I heard her galloping past me on the other side of the hedge. We exchanged greetings and shortly afterwards I got ahead again when she diverted around a hedge. Soon she galloped by again and beat me to the top of the hill. We chatted again and decided that one horse power plus one lady where stronger than one man power.
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| My Rival in the race up Beacon Hill. |
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| Brockwood Park. |
A most enjoyable week and a new record set for the year of 139 miles in the week.
Thanks to all my friends whose company I enjoyed.
GRIDIRONMAN.
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