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Past Ride

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Sat May 21st 2022

Monthly Saturday 1* Ride - Awayday from Standlake	1*

Leader: Steve Swanton	Start Time: 2:00 pm	Start Location: Standlake Village Hall car park, OX29 7SB
Description: Our regular family and social afternoon rides on the third Saturday of the month covering 16-32km (10-20 miles), usually with a tea stop, at a riding pace of 13-16km/h (8-10mph). Occasional short or gentle climbs. As a courtesy to the ride leader, please book your place by texting them (with name), no earlier than the Sunday before. For a change of scenery, an awayday ride to Witney starting from Standlake (11 miles from Grove), where there is a large car park outside the village hall. We'll ride out on narrow lanes through Northmoor and Bablock Hythe to Stanton Harcourt. We'll then pick up the delightful winding lane through the old gravel pits, passing Rushy Common Nature reserve, to enter Cogges the back way. A series of cycle paths will bring us to Cogges Manor Farm Museum. After a tea stop at the museum cafe, we'll continue through the centre of Witney under the A40 and out to Ducklington to pick up the minor road to Cote. We'll pass the isolated St, Marys chapel at Old Shifford and return to Standlake via an easy track with a beautiful tree arch. A round trip of about 19 miles, this is a relatively flat ride with only a few undulations, one gentle climb and one nice descent. At least 2 of us are thinking of cycling over to the start from Grove to make a longer ride - please let me know if you would like to join us.
Riders: Diana Whidborne Gerry Jones Lorna Swanton Maeve Moggach Martin Hook Michael Tayler Patrick O'Leary Roger Postbeschild Steve Swanton Tim Waite Riders = 10 Weather: Report: Gerry, Roger and I cycled from Grove to Standlake for the start of the ride. Good to see Martin again with Maeve on the tandem (we missed you Louise and Marielle). 10 riders and 9 bikes headed out along the single-track lane through Northmoor towards Bablock Hythe. After the recent heavy rain the verges were burgeoning with cow parsley but in several places the hedges were being devoured by colonies of tent caterpillars – we stopped by a particularly large patch to investigate more closely. We turned down to the Ferryman Inn at Bablock Hythe to see the Thames. Sadly, there is no longer a ferry across to Eaton; a long-standing campaign for a footbridge has still to bear fruit – one day hopefully. We continued on to Stanton Harcourt, picking up the Oxfordshire Cycleway route along the narrow winding lane through the lakes into Witney. This was surprisingly busy and we gave way numerous times to let traffic pass. From the A40 overbridge there was a lovely view across the trees to the spire of St Mary’s church. Entering the town, we dropped down onto the cycleway through Cogges to Manor Farm for our tea stop. The good news for Roger was that their excellent egg and bacon roll is available all-day. After our refreshments, we weaved our way through the centre of town picking up the cyclepath to take us under the A40 to Ducklington. We stopped to admire Witney lake, while Maeve took the opportunity for some impromptu tree climbing. In a change of planned route, we continued along the lakeside path and then crossed a bridge to pick up the concrete SSE road into Ducklington. Through the village, we crossed the A415 and climbed up onto the Aston ‘roller-coaster’. Despite modest elevation, this road gives marvellous views south across the Thames valley and Vale to the North Wessex Downs. After a lovely descent, we turned off to Cote and continued through the fields to Old Shifford. We split into groups of three bikes for a stretch of the B4449, only to see no traffic at all, before we turned off onto the track past the water-sports centre before Brighthampton. A final mile through pretty Standlake and we were back at the village hall just before 5pm. A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon out. Thanks to all for your company and particularly to Roger and Gerry for sweeping and for accompanying me there and back.
Distance: 30.74 km (19.10 mi)
Proposed Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39433530"
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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