This year's Easter Tour, delayed from 2020 by Covid, was based at the ancient Red Lion Hotel in Salisbury. 46 people attended including quite a few newcomers, and four others would have joined us but for last-minute problems - you were very much missed. The group was a mix of off-road riders, on-road riders and quite a few who came along to enjoy the excellent company and hospitality, and to explore Salisbury. People arrived by various methods including riding all/part of the way, trains and cars.
Rides were organised on Saturday and Sunday, with plenty of time to socialise, and the weather was perfect: sunny and not too hot. The hotel provided evening meals, and Simon Mitchell had organised a display of photos, including photos of previous Tours and a list of all the Easter Tour destinations going right back to 1951! (See separate post.)
On Saturday Steve led 23 road riders north and west to ride past Stonehenge on a grassy track which was "reclaimed" from an A road a few years ago. The close proximity to the stones led to an extended stop for photos, more photos, just one more, etc, before we finally got under way again to elevenses at a Methodist church hall in Shrewton. We then ventured across the rolling plains to Chitterne and Codford (no, I'd never heard of these places before either). After a pub lunch we meandered back on very quiet roads along the beautiful Wylye valley, a very relaxed ride allowing us to chat and enjoy the lovely scenery. An alternative, longer route to the village of Imber was also offered by Steve as a self-guided bonus, but nobody took up his kind offer. Imber was taken over by the military many years ago for use in urban warfare training, and is only accessible to the public at Easter. Several had been there on previous Easter Tours and say it is well worth a visit.
Sunday's ride was led by Pete Beyer and headed south to the New Forest. We headed down the river Avon valley, but the roads did not co-operate and seemed to delight in finding short, sharp hills wherever possible on the way to elevenses, which was outdoors at a golf club near Hamptworth. Soon after that we entered the New Forest and the hills became more gradual with long stretches of open heathland and plenty of ponies and cattle grazing at the roadside.
Pete managed to find a pub in Rockford, just south of Fordingbridge, which served us quickly with good meals, and we were under way on small, quiet lanes again to Salisbury, where he treated us to a bit of exciting off-road near Salisbury racecourse.
I don't have details of the off-road routes, except to say that on the first day they rode north to a pub that can only be reached by a track, and on the second day they went south. By coincidence we met the off-roaders by Salisbury racecourse on the way home.
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| Five furlongs left to go (cathedral in the distance) |
I think it is fair to say that everyone had a wonderful time, made even more special by being made to wait during the Covid pandemic. All the arrangements worked well and we are all extremely grateful to Steve and Ann for their hard work over the past three years to ensure it went ahead so successfully.
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| Our wonderful hosts |
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