Well it wasn't the balmy late-summer ride that I'd imagined. Sunday was a day for knocking the icicles off your bike before leaving the house - grey but thankfully windless. We huddled in the Golden Café for warmth and nobody seemed in a hurry to venture out. Eventually we set off leaving Maureen, Alan and Bob plus Margaret and Bill to return home from 11s. Familiar roads through Lyne led to a risky detour through Wentworth - past the clubhouse in fact - trying to act as if we had left our golf clubs with the caddie. But we got away with it, riding through across Ascot Racecourse to arrive at the New Leathern Bottle just before 1pm. The pub looked strangely familiar - and then I remembered: we had been there on Neil's ride, only the previous Wednesday. We were served good food very quickly, opting to sit indoors as it was still cold.
Then came the most dangerous part of the ride: climbing into the play tractor for a photo, before heading back through Maidens Green and Cranbourne towards Windsor Great Park, dodging the crowds around Virginia Water (the lake) and exiting towards Virginia Water (the village) on the way to Great Cockrow, site of the miniature railway. Decision time: should we brave the outdoor café at Great Cockrow, or play it safe by going back to Addlestone? The lure of the nearby café won the vote. While we were there the sun came out for the first time, making it almost warm. On the way home from tea we had a couple of heavy showers, which I hope most will have missed. 32 miles from 11s to tea: a very enjoyable day out, but definitely autumnal.
Welcome to Geoff Gregory who joined the C&M for the first time, and thankyou Geoff for back marking and taking photos.
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