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Sun Apr 26th 2015

Newbury Mini Series - Le milieu	3*

Leader: Ursula Hallam	Start Time: 9:00 am	Start Location: Newbury - see below for details and directions
Description: Ride #1 of a mini-series starting from the Newbury area and venturing south to areas outside the reach of regular Wantage rides. This first ride will be an all-day, middle-distance, relaxed 3-paced ride. ~90km, some hills and a lunch & coffee/tea stop. Starting just south of Newbury, we will head further south, hopping over Watership Down, through Ashley Warren and along the handsome lanes of Hampshire. Skirting round Winchester and avoiding the rickety roman road, the planned lunch stop is at the Fox and Hounds in Crawley. Returning via the beautiful Bourne valley, we will finish with a climb up to Ashmansworth, descent to East Woodhay and tea/coffee/icecream at the Yew Tree garden centre. Meet at The Chase National Trust Car Park (free), off Station Road, Woolton Hill.* From the A34: Follow this route or directions below: Driving south past Newbury on the A34, leave at the A343 junction signed 'Highclere, Wash Common'. Turn left at the roundabout signed 'Newbury, Wash Common'. Then 2nd left, signed 'Enborne Row, East Woodhay, Ball Hall' and also for The Furze Bush Inn and The Yew Tree Garden Centre. On crossing under the A34, take the first left into Station Road. The car park is a short way down on the left-hand side.
Riders: Andy Pixton David Smith John Tranter Katherine Boyce Louis Hall Nick Stokell Nicole Pethybridge Ursula Hallam Riders = 8 Weather: Report: A cloudier and colder day than of late saw 8 of us donning our longs again for today’s ride. Louis and Nick, having ridden over from Wantage were warmed up and ready so it was just a matter of a photo-shoot for Katherine and her shopping basket before we were off. The Hampshire lanes were beautifully quiet, albeit slightly loose-stone-washed after the overnight rain, until a sudden pssst from Louis heralded our first puncture of the day. Several hands helped out while the rest of us pondered the challenge of the Watership Down climb ahead. Up and over the climb to the misty views, we were soon sailing down and through Ashley Warren where John became victim to puncture #2. Again, many hands made short work and we were soon on our way again. The ride to lunch along old roman roads and through pretty villages passed with no further incident. The Fox and Hounds at Crawley was both very welcome and very welcoming as we arrived exactly at opening time (the upside of those puncture delays). Lunch duly ordered, the boys instigated a ‘controlled experiment’ in the recovery potential of 1 pint beer vs. ½ pint beer vs. beer shandy vs. diet coke. After lunch, it was a little hard to get the legs working again. But the sight of some real cycle racing in the form of the Stockbridge Down Road Race passing us by, seemed to give us the inspiration we needed to tackle the Bourne valley and the couple of climbs towards home. Pausing only to admire the topiary in Ashmansworth and the marvellous views over the Kennet valley we whooshed down to East Woodhay where a tempting selection of cakes awaited us at the garden centre. Job done! Many thanks to everyone for a lovely days riding. And well done to Louis and Nick for making it a round trip from Wantage. It seems that the results of the controlled experiment were inconclusive! We will just have to do it all again
Distance: 95.00 km (59.03 mi)	Ride Details: http://ridewithgps.com/trips/4488302
Katherine... A good contender for a caption competition! More excellent topiary in Ashmansworth, south of Newbury. Excellent topiary in Ashmansworth, south of Newbury.
Proposed Route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/7209762"
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Start Locations: WMP
Wantage Market Place; OMH
Old Mill Hall, Grove

Categories: 1* - Suitable for irregular, social, beginner or family riders, pace will match the slower riders. Not hilly or long. Expect rides up to 3 hours. Gentle exercise.; 2* - Suitable for regular riders who prefer to cover some distance but at a more relaxed pace. Likely to be half-day rides. Solid exercise.; 3* - Suitable for experienced riders, may be hilly, long, quick, or any combination! Likely to be half or full-day rides. Challenging exercise.; 4* - Suitable for athletic riders who can ride safely above the 3* standard. Quick rides for the fit.; More Information