A Group Ride Report Wed 15 Sept. Walton - Yateley - Upper Halliford

 

We last visited Yateley in April 2018 attracted to the Dog & Partridge for its history as the home of the Monster Raving Looney Party, as well as its speedy food service. This time I had hoped to be able to include the northern extension of the Blackwater Valley cycle path which was clearly under construction in 2018. The recce proved that little progress had been made since then, but dry conditions promised an attractive off-road meander across the Blackwater meadows.

In the event Tuesday’s massive rainstorms suggested that an on-road route might be more welcome to the peloton, and after discussion with my co-leaders Neil and Simon that is what we planned.

My group departing first from Walton made good progress until Frimley, where in the tangle of paths under and over the Blackwater Valley Road we unfortunately lost contact with three riders.  Efforts to communicate via WhatsApp messages, and even retracing the route failed to reconnect us promptly. Mark came to the rescue with a cross-country sortie which got all three to the pub without delay, though the muddy surface conditions were not universally welcome.

Lunch was served quickly, and enabled a prompt departure. On the return we stopped for a group photo (thanks Abi) on the railway bridge in Little Sandhurst where as a child Terry Lowe had spent his spare time trainspotting. Unfortunately the house he grew up in is no longer there, so no chance of a blue plaque.

Hopefully the right bridge, Terry?

I managed to navigate the maze of cycle paths around Bracknell without losing anyone, which provided a low traffic contrast to a day in which most agreed that traffic volumes were much higher than even pre-pandemic.

Frances left us at Upper Halliford, where the rest of us stopped for tea, the sun shone and all three groups met up.

Thanks to Mike Reynell for back marking my group, and apologies for losing you in Frimley.

Neil’s was the next group out.

My group of Janice, Gina, Pete B and Steves D&W left ten minutes after Dave V and had a gentle, incident-free ride. The rain kept away, the sun made a few appearances in the morning, and was at its best for afternoon tea.

As we negotiated the intricate route after Frimley we met Dave cycling towards us having a "Little Bo Peep" moment. He had lost some of his sheep and didn't know where to find them. We had not seen them, so suggested he leave them alone and they would come home (to the pub), telling their tales behind them.

We assumed they had headed for the bucolic Blackwater River and Hawley Meadows. This had been the highlight of the recce, with families of swans on the river and open fields away from the traffic. But after the heavy rain of Tuesday there was not unanimous support for this route so we took the on-road option and arrived at the pub first. In time all the other groups arrived.

The staff at the Dog and Partridge were welcoming, the food good, and quickly delivered, and we were ready to leave within a hour.

Most considerately, Dave had arranged for a few small hills just after lunch to help warm the legs up for the journey home. And our early departure from the pub meant we got through the suburbs of Bracknell before the school traffic. Good time was made, despite the increasing traffic, and we arrived at the Squires Garden Centre in Upper Halliford with plenty of time to sit in the sun and enjoy afternoon tea.

 

Thanks to Dave for the weather and the route, Pete for the diligent back marking, and the rest my group for a great day out.

And next Simon.

For our ride to the Dog and Partridge in Yateley, formerly the HQ of the Monster Raving Loony Party, I had the pleasure of leading a group of seven Monster Raving Loonies: 

Howling Laud Ward, Baron Von Fixie Thunderclap, Lady Lily Pink Berkley, Richard The Incredible Flying Brick Bailey, and our back marker Neil the Honey Monster.

We left Walton in rather depressingly familiar grey weather, making good progress until the grind up Red Road in Lightwater.  At the summit, Baron Von Fixie declared that we were now Seven-up, to a chorus of groans.   We sped down to Frimley, where a slight change to the route that we had recce'd nearly led to disaster when I was too busy looking at the Garmin to watch out for traffic, but we escaped into the maze challenge that Sir Oink-A-Lot Vine had set us all at the crossing of the A325 and A331.   Sharp right, over, sharp left, dive down, left and under, mind the nettles, quick referendum about on or off-road alternative routes, sharp left, up back to where we had been just a few confusing minutes ago, sharp right through the gap in the hedge, and Bananaman Bob's your uncle, we were on the way to lunch.   The pub was great: excellent service, great food, and the sun came out too.   Slightly marred by Captain Chaplington-Smythe Crocker informing us that he'd managed to sell all our bikes for a fiver each, but never mind.   

Cycles safely recovered from Captain Crocker

Our return destination was to the far east, so we went north for a long time, through Bracknell Forest and the John Lewis Land theme park, past the newt reserve, and emerged, blinking, to the familiar sunny uplands of Forest Road. We set the autopilot to East and after some considerable time, arrived at Halliford for tea, where our enjoyment of the day was only increased by the accidental provision of an extra slice of cake to be shared by all.   Thank you to Sir Oink-A-Lot for an excellent ride with more twists than a porker's tail, to my group of raving loonies for your company, and to Neil the Honey Monster for back marking for us.

Screaming Lord Simon

 

Finally, my thanks to everyone who rode and especially to co-leaders Neil and Simon who took on the task of mastering a complex route, not to mention the various "improvements" I improvised as we rode the recces.

Dave