South Bucks CTC Ride Report

3^rd May: Joint ride with South-West London CTC. A very wet start to the day, perhaps no surprise that only four  at the Holmer Green start – John and Sue I. plus Jack and JC; we were decidedly damp before we even reached Beaconsfield, John I. was wringing out his waterproof gloves and John C had modified the route to avoid the puddle-filled, muddy lanes. 

Even the bluebells looked droopy and forlorn  and it was an early arrival at the cafe in Burnham Beeches, still raining but not so heavy; coffee; more glove-wringing and then we welcomed Ken Bailey, Mac Crombie and David Winterburn, but we were even more pleased to see a line of cyclists coming up the path to the cafe. Nine riders from S-W London (covers an area from Richmond to Sutton, Cheam to Kingston-on-Thames) had met at Hampton Court , ridden via Feltham and Datchett to arrive at precisely 11.00 despite the rain. It was great to see Tony, Pam, Caroline and the others; more coffee and social chat. Some of us knew each other from CTC holidays or the 2014 Golden Beeches, when the arrangements for today’s joint ride had been made.

John & Sue, Mac and David had other commitments, so just three South Bucks and eight visitors departed for lunch at Aston. The weather forecasters had predicted the rain would stop late morning and so it did, as we left the cafe to pursue a route past Dropmore, Cliveden, Bourne End to Cookham Bridge. Cookham had some sort of Bank Holiday Arts-Fest with decorated streets and the Stanley Spencer Gallery open, but we had no time to stop, except to divest ourselves of damp tops as we pressed on to Winter Hill, down the zigzags into Marlow. We had intended to use the lanes through Bisham and Hurley, but the thought of more mud and puddles led to a change of plan and we rode past the Leisure Centre en route for the Hambleden Weir crossing. The Thames was in full spate and two canoeists were having great fun paddling against the surge. Onto lunch at the Flowerpot, sitting outside in full sun.

After lunch, the pace slowed to enable one of our visitors to catch up after a puncture; the route took us  past  Knowl Hill, White Waltham, Holyport and Bray to afternoon tea at Dorney Court, after which we went our separate ways. Home at 6.00, escaping some very heavy showers. A grand day out and many thanks to Tony Hopkins and his colleagues from South West London CTC

John Capell