The manifesto for the ride said "Autumn Extravaganza" - who could resist? Well, quite a few, as it turned out. Autumn was firmly in charge, with a dank and misty ride to elevenses. Despite my glowing advert for the ride, only four had gathered at Addlestone by 10.30, but this doubled by the time we left to a respectable, if not massive, peloton. We were pleased to be joined by Gemma, who rode with the C&M a few times in May prior to a charity ride from Brussels to Frankfurt.
It started simply enough via Ottershaw and down Stonehills road. By now it was bright but cloudy. The sun came out briefly but didn't make much of an impression. After that the route plan was simple: avoid the direct route. A zigzag circuit through the lanes led us almost a complete circuit around Chobham, back to the main road at Burrowhill before attempting the not-very Steep Hill, and another loop through more lanes, decidedly less leafy than a week ago, led us eventually to Windlesham and lunch. We were served quickly with good food, and we were on our way before 2pm.
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| The Magnificent Eight (Vic & Simon not pictured) |
I had a nice bit of off-road lined up to start the afternoon, but in view of the heavy rain last night, I saved it for another day, so it was avenues of mansions leading through Sunninghill and into Windsor Great Park, where we took our chances with walkers and dogs around Virginia Water for some more autumnal views. Pretty straightforward riding back from there to Chertsey and to the Ferry Cafe at Shepperton for tea and cake. A nice day out with good company, no rain, and very few potholes. Thank you all for your company, and especially to David W and Graham for back-marking.
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