Wednesday 16th October Addlestone to Dorney

When I put myself down for Addlestone my first thought was to join Tony Hopkins' ride to the Palmers Arms on the Wednesday of the free wheel. He led a fab route crossing the Thames west of the usual Eton Bridge. I was also lucky in reccying with Carolyn who knows the area well and having Ray (a member of friends of Windsor Great Park) as sub leader and Tim Gibbons who would never get lost in Windsor Park, as I feared I might. Good to see Tony Hooker out and also new man Rob, and also Pam now back in the saddle and all the rest of those for whom Addlestone was not too far. The A s were in Costa but the B s were more than happy with the Golden Cafe where we had table service and a full English breakfast for those that needed it. We were in two groups of 9 a piece and the first group led by Steph received last minute advice from Pam who had been severely delayed coming into Addlestone. Following her advice we noted the tail end of a traffic queue at the end of Crouch Oak Lane and did a neat triangle by Green Lane and the cyclepath along the A road to avoid it. We were soon at the lovely toilets at Virginia Water. There was some discussion here but the day was warm and the foot traffic was much less than at weekends so we rolled through. A beautiful ride through passing the totem pole, the village, polo grounds and statue of Queen on horseback to exit the Rangers Gate. Soon we were at our second toilet stop, reccied by Carolyn, inside the Leisure centre where the toilets are placed to the left as you enter so very convenient and available to the general public. Sustrans route 4 is well known to many and we all noted the high levels of water in the Thames. Lunch was prompt and tasty, the second group following quickly on our heels. Return was direct via Datchet and Eton Bridge, before Staines Bridge I missed Mullens way and that shorter cut would have got us ahead of the train at the level crossing. The new cyclepath by the river at Runnymede got us almost to the crossing point over the watermeads to Egham. A quick look at the greenery outside the new Shepperton Studios and into Halliford Garden Centre for tea. Ray's report We set off with overcast skies and the threat of rain, plus having been warned by Pam about the amount of traffic on the beginning of the route, a sense of foreboding. At the junction Crouch Oak Lane and Chertsey Road, we found that the road Pam had found traffic bound was now clear, so we forgot about using the Green Lane alternative and proceeded on the original course to Roakers Avenue. Here I made my first mistake of the day and missed the route through to Eastworth Road and demonstrated why you should always do a recce. A quick U turn and back down a path put us back on track. Through the back of Chertsey and then another blunder and U turn at the roundabout at Chisley Green Road where I missed the path to Cowley Avenue. From then on, I was on familiar roads and no more mishaps. We then proceeded passed Virginia Water railway station and onto the car park at Virginia Water Lake. Here we carried out a quick look to see if there were any, “No Cycling” signs in evidence as the parks web site states that cycling is not permitted south of the lake. Since none were found, we proceeded through the park to Rangers Gate taking in the great views and scenery. We bypassed Windsor using Bolton Road and crossed the Thames using the cycle path along side of the Royal Windsor Way main road. Then down to the off-road paths and roads to Dorney. The Palmers Arms once again proved very efficient and provided our preordered food quickly and good seating, next to the window. Brilliant. By the time we left the sun had come out and we enjoyed a sunny autumn afternoon ride back to Upper Halliford. If only all rides could be the same! Back to Eton using the path along side of the railway, across Eton Bridge, then through Datchet, Old Windsor, and Egham where Pam left us. Then into Staines and along one of the worst roads for potholes in the area, Staines Road, then on to Laleham, Shepperton and into Squires in Upper Halliford for tea. On reaching Squires, we were waiting for the second half of the group to appear only to discover that Tony Hopkins had a puncture that delayed their arrival. Eventually they arrived and we enjoyed our tea with brilliant sunshine coming through the window that made us think it was spring rather than autumn. A big thank you to Geoff, sub sub leader and Bernard who was back marker. Plus of course Sabina, Pam, Gill, the two Tonys, Ian and Rob whose company was much appreciated. On the way to Dorney photo on wotsapp.