That's me and my namesake the storm! I've been intending to follow Tony's encouragement to join the South Bucks CTC's Golden Beeches weekend for a while but other things have usually got in the way. This year the weekend was clear and the start point at Great Kingshill was only two miles from my brother-in-law's house so no need to camp in the village hall.
On Saturday we headed north past Chequers and broadly north west through Cuddington in rolling country where we were glad of the hedges to protect us from the wind. Then a steady climb to Brill at 600 feet where the old rhyme "At Brill on the hill, the wind blows shrill" was very apt. It is also as upmarket as Surrey with two pubs that have become pricey restaurants so we made do with coffee and headed into the wind west and south to Waterperry Gardens. After lunch the wind was our friend though we had the only heavy shower of the day. Six miles of mostly tarmacked Phoenix trail along the old railway from Thame took us to Princes Risborough before climbing back over the Chilterns to our start.
On Sunday we headed north west until out of the Chilterns and the east to Stoke Mandeville and Tring before heading back across the hills to Great Missenden.
These were two interesting rides through lovely countryside with very little traffic. 53 miles on Saturday and 43 on Sunday at a good B group pace - about
12mph with an early finish on Sunday to allow participants to get home. Those who want the meals organised in the hall are well fed. I would certainly do it again and by car it would be possible to join either of rides as a day trip.
2 comments:
Bruddy brilliant, Brian !
Hello Brian, I talked to Peter Southworth who said he enjoyed his chat with you. He lead one of the rides, pity I could not make it but still suffering from coach prang which right now is causing me much back pain. It's a few years since I did the Golden Beeches, but since I started time trialing with KPRC it clashes with the Redmon G.P. de Gentleman as it did this year (but did not enter). That event was cancelled due to road works on A24 in the end.
It will be sad to see the Golden Beeches ditched but alas its the sign of the times. C&M + MWW used to have a large contingent in the days of Pete Michel. I remember one year sharing a B&B with Terry Low but in later years used to stay with Peter Southworth.
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