Our brave group of cyclists struggled through lashing rain, over hill and dale to reach our destination of Winchester ... but I digress, that was two years ago, when an uncertain weather forecast turned out worse than expected. This time it was the same, only different. Regular readers of this organ will know that I called off the planned Winchester ride after seeing a sea of blues, reds and yellows on the forecast between Farnham and Winchester: and spent Wednesday regretting it. If there's one thing better than carrying an umbrella at preventing rain, it's calling off a ride due to expected rain.
In the event, the weather was fine with a helpful easterly breeze - rats! Instead of Winchester we pursued a less ambitious objective of Englefield Green. About eight miles as the crow flies, so the morning was an exercise in not getting there, as we wound our way around a maze of green and twisty little lanes, all different. Our group of eighteen followed the B group westwards along the canal to the throbbing centre of Woking - not that you would have known it - and escaped through Horsell to the countryside around Chobham, following a succession of lanes - Carthouse Lane, Scotts Grove Road, Beldam Bridge Road; a near miss with West End and then more wooded lanes with dappled sunshine (grrr!) towards, but not actually to Windlesham and Updown Hill. A little tour of the lesser known hills of North Surrey followed, with Chickabiddy Hill, Oystershell Hill on Chobham common, and Flutters Hill - all in the 50-60 metre height range.
Lunch was beckoning so we turned north across the M3 and towards Virginia Water and Gallowhill, a proper hill, before arriving at the Happy Man, a tiny pub in Englefield Green. The beer garden was bedecked with racks full of real ales for the forthcoming beer festival - starting the next day (just like the rain!) but a selection of four real ales was available along with a good selection of wholesome and very reasonably priced, if not gourmet, food. As we sat outside in the beer garden I anxiously scanned the clouds, unusually almost hoping for a few drops of rain, but none came. Meals arrived quickly and we departed via Tite Hill for Egham, Lyne, Addlestone, Weybridge and to the riverside café at Walton Bridge, where tea, ice cream and a limited selection of cakes was consumed. About 31 miles from elevenses.
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