Perhaps it was the early morning drizzle, or the promise of a long ride to the Far North: only nine joined the A group ride to the delights of Buckinghamshire. By the time we left, the sun had come out, and it stayed sunny for the whole day. A steady ride on fast roads took us through Laleham, Staines, Wraysbury, and Datchet, for a tour of the highlights of Slough. After Farnham Royal it was onto leafy lanes, through Burnham Beeches, and more lanes took us briefly to the A355 near the temptations of Wetherspoons at Beaconsfield motorway services, but we resisted. Our destination was near, so we headed through Beaconsfield to Forty Green and the Royal Standard of England, which claims to have been selling ale to 'wayfarers' for 900 years. Dave Vine remembers visiting from school (???) when the pub didn't have electric light, and it still retains a wonderful old world ambiance, with ancient wood beams and the odd piece of armour, which was probably left there by a customer hundreds of years ago.
We enjoyed good food, good company and, er, hydration, in the garden, until Tony found a copious supply of recently fallen hazel nuts nearby, when behaviour degenerated somewhat. On the way back we met a rider with two ponies, one of which was startled either by the bright shirts or John's 'Laurence of Arabia' headdress - but no harm was done. The return journey was 99% downhill with a tail wind and just a few short sharp uphills, mostly on good surfaces but a few interludes of appauling gravel or holes. On one of these near Fulmer, Geoff gave a masterclass in how to fix a puncture, while we all helped by watching. Then it was back past Pinewood Studios to Colnbrook, and after noting the time (nearly 4pm), we decided to take tea in Vermeulens at Stanwell Moor.
41.7 miles with 1109 ft ascent from elevenses to tea.
Thankyou to all for an enjoyable day out, and to Colin for acting as back marker.
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