Some time ago Vic muttered on here that rides were sometimes a bit samey and rarely ventured into the North West quadrant of the putative Wayfarers' territory. So, having discovered a fantastic Pub at Hedgerley I thought I would kill two birds with one stone.....
Thus, with the sun shining encouragement on our endeavours, our gallant band of 16 mounted our trusty steeds and ventured forth toward that part of the Wayfarer map beyond the M4 & simply marked "Here be Dragons"!
First to Chertsey, and the river; thence to Staines. Onward rode our gallant crew! Wraysbury, Datchet, past the jousting fields of Eton onward ever faster to the Slough of Despond beyond the M4 - where the Dragons struck!
Tony was the first to fall - victim of an errant cone, Jeff and Peter too were attacked! But our trusty brothers are made of stern stuff. Up they got, tended, their wounded steeds and prepared for further trials. Jeff and Peter volunteered to venture on to face the unknown challenges ahead while Mike of Morley, generous and gallant soul, volunteered to accompany our wounded Italian Troubadour to the safer territories of the Homelands.
Onward we rode through the Poges of Stoke and into to Enchanted Forest, not far from the wondrous Beeches of Burnham. Then on, down the precipitous slopes of Hedgerley Hill and safe to our destination - the famous White Horse of Hedgerley, a marvellous hostelry famous for serving serving warriors of our ilk ale and sustenance since the 1920's and oft voted the best ale house of the region by those stout and bearded Defenders of the Faith - CAMRA! Therein we found our trusty colleague Staring Bob - magically there before us!
Fed and watered, we ventured forth. North to the foothills of the Mountains Of Chiltern. South we turned to Fulmer, passing close to the Magical Kingdom of Hogwarts in the Pine Wood, eventually to rejoin our outward path of the morn, braving once again the deadly cones of Slough, retracing our tracks to Shepperton and thence on the the Walled Garden to be waited on by the wenches of Sunbury.
Paul Kelly
A blazing sun was ideal for
dragon hunting as we cantered via Row
Town past Addlestonemoor
cemetery and the chance to shoulder bikes over the railway line. We avoided
some Chertsey traffic by following the peaceful banks of the Bourne before
spinning along familiar roads to Egham and Runnymede.
Here the offer of a comfort stop provided an irresistible, if sensible, place
for Brian to suffer his first puncture in 5,000 miles, and give the group an
excuse for some idle sunbathing. Within less than two miles of remount it was
dismount for puncture number two, with Paul falling victim to the treacherously
smooth, hard, hot tarmac. These Marathons just aren’t used to it! While Paul
worked, some supervised and the rest absorbed more sun and my carefully if tightly
timed programme inexorably unravelled.
Lunch was unhurried, which meant
our departure was nearer 3pm than 2pm. We left Bourne End via Harvest Hill, to
follow the Chiltern Way
for a while. Unfortunately, not everybody had the same idea, which built in a
little more delay, but charity prevailed! With head and headstrong tail briefly
reunited, we meandered through some peaceful Buckinghamshire lanes and tracks
to Hedgerley and the chance to climb Hedgerley Hill, which we had descended the
previous week with Paul. Then it was Fulmar and Alderbourne – film buffs will
know or remember the locations used by Pinewood Studios in the 1953 film,
Genevieve. Before my time, I’m afraid! After Pinewood it was helter-skelter due
South via Shredding Green to Poyle, and another separation of head and tail. The prospect of tea in Walton had by now
completely evaporated, so we stopped at Vermeulens Garden Centre – alas too late.
We improvised with a vending m/c in the aquatic centre. The last leg was via
Ashford, Charlton and the spiral bridge to Shepperton. Some branched off at
Stanwell and the rest at Shepperton.
Brain-teaser of the day - how do you remove the bearing/bolt?
