A Hampshire Adventure - ride report

 

The plan was to do a train assisted ride into leafy Hampshire and with a vague idea in mind I decided to ask the advice of the route maestro himself, Dave Ward. Based on Dave’s recommendations a route was planned to Ash for lunch and then on into Hampshire and a return by train from Bentley

 

Having navigated the torturous sign up procedure and not being sent all the relevant pieces of info to join the ride, twenty adventurers miraculously showed up at the New Haw centre.

My trusty subleaders Julie and Gill H were to lead groups two and three so I set off first with Tony H, John A, Lilian, Terry and Tim G kindly back-marking.

The morning took us on reasonably familiar roads to Ash and lunch at a new venue, The Greyhound where we were very well looked after by Carly and her team. Definitely one to re-visit.

After lunch we headed south to Tongham and over the Hog’s Back into Hampshire with its splendid leafy lanes and pretty villages. As we passed through Tilford, I spotted a photo opportunity beside a large oak stump.

On further inspection we noticed that there was quite a bit of debris around the tree to indicate that it had recently been felled. We then saw the sad notice about the tree’s demise. It had been planted to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897 however had succumbed to Bracket Fungus and deemed to be unsafe. Sad.

A welcome cuppa awaited us in the very busy Alice Holt Forest café heaving with children on half term break. Tim G demonstrated remarkable restrain in not getting them to line up and be quiet!

Many thanks to my group for their excellent company.

 

Julie’s report

 

Sue had devised a lovely route for us through pretty Hampshire villages and Alice Holt Forest. Lunch at the Greyhound was great and service good. Thanks to all my excellent group for their company and to Tim for back marking so efficiently

Gill’s report

A train assist ride to explore further afield makes a nice change and our group of seven left on time in pleasant weather towards lunch near Ash.  The roads were not too busy being half term and we made steady progress, stopping only for a photo op near Aldershot, to a background of pines, beautiful rhododendrons, and rifle shots!

 

As all of my group, and a few from the others, had decided to cycle their ways back home after lunch a reduced two groups carried on the afternoon route which turned out to be a very pretty ride with some great off-road sections. Tea and ice creams in the sunshine at Alice Holt and a short cycle to the station through the woods rounded off a lovely day.

Thanks Sue for an enjoyable route and my group of Paula, Pam, Liz, Paul, Gill and Tony for their company, albeit short-lived!