Ride Report - 'A' Group Wednesday 11 February 2026

 

What a meagre apology for a route this one was!  The only sights of any slight interest were Europe's largest women's prison, a major international airport, a bevy (as it were) of historic coaching inns, (including Britain's third oldest pub), one of our most prestigious public schools, a major theme park, and a mere three royal residences (one long-standing, one new, and one available to let at a peppercorn rent).  Call that a scenic ride!   Pathetic!   Admittedly, as a minor consolation, there were a couple of footbridges, one of which was a very dastardly example which would not have seemed out of place in a major theme park, incorporating as it does a fiendish spiral ramp, a bridge over the A4, and a tunnel under the M4!

Anyway, unsurprisingly, only 15 'A' groupers turned out for this farrago!   I blame the weather forecast - temperatures of up to 13 degrees Centigarde had been promised, and I fancy this would have been just too warm for some!   Fortunately, in the event the heat was tempered by frequent and refreshing rain showers which stopped those of us who did venture out from over-heating!

Thanks for your company everyone, especially my group (Simon, Jennie, Andy C, Dave B, Brian G and Sue C) and special thanks to Clive and Steve D for taking up the gauntlet of navigating a group around one of my barmy routes!  Thanks too to Simon for faultlessly back-marking for my group.

Of the other group's experiences Steve D writes:

'This ride started by signing up using Dave's online Google booking form, which I found very easy. So easy that I found myself selected to lead a group! Then of course I couldn't get access to the groups or the route. I seem to be missing some vital tech skills somewhere. Anyway Dave V very kindly sent me the missing data and so I spent an hour checking the route on my sat nav software. I decided to replot the route because for some reason the Garmin import didn't place the route exactly on the shared cycle paths, but sometimes on the main road where it would wander about ambiguously.

The day started with a car accident on the M25 with a nine mile queue to junction 11. This forced Google maps to reroute traffic away from the motorway. This made the normally quiet journey to Teddington very busy. Thankfully it was not raining, although the forecast was for rain at midday.

I set off with Hans, Mike R, Guy, Frances, Patrick, Dave V as back marker and Clive who also helped with leading the route. Passing through Bushey Park got us in the correct frame of mind for the way Dave W had planned it. Quiet, but tricky. Travelling through Hampton and past the Oak Avenue nature reserve we skirted underneath the M3 and rode back roads paralell to the A308 through Ashford and crossing the railway near the station. Then Stanwell, picking up the Southern Perimeter Road cycle path around Heathrow airport. Going west through Poyle and Colnbrook alond the cycle path next to the A4 we crossed the M4 via two 'corkscrew' risers to access the path crossing. Following quiet roads paralell to the A4 we once again crossed the M4 on a cycle way just north of Datchet. This brought us neatly onto the Eton college road and round the back to the Millenium Milepost at Eton Wick road where we used the cycle path along the railway arches. By now the sun was out and we had only experienced a small shower the whole morning! A quick scoot through the Eton one way system and we arrived at The King & Castle Wetherspoons. Here we could get our bikes under cover as it started to rain. The second group appeared ten minutes after us.

After a pleasant lunch in a 'posh' pub we again set off, but without Mike and Hans who had set off earlier. Another revelation of the route was the way through Windsor then following the King's Road south to enter the Windsor Great Park through the Village and across to exit at Englefield Green down Prune Hill. Instead of going through Egham we travelled south of it, through Thorpe and picking up the Staines Road cycle path to go through Chertsey and then to Weybridge and finally the Walton Marina cafe. How does Dave think of it all (should be 'why does he' - Ed)?

It is not until you look back on a map and find out exactly where you went that one can appreciate the ingenuity of the route. Many times on the way, I vaguely knew where I was, but how did I get there? I definitely would like to travel that route again. Thanks Dave W. Thanks also to Dave V for not only supplying me with the route and groups, but back marked the whole way. It is so reassuring when you have a safe pair of hands behind you. Thanks to Clive for being ready to step in with leading the ride also. Of course I got drenched on the way home, but who cares after a reasonably dry and sunny day out with good company?'

Too kind I'm sure, Steve, but thanks for a proper ride report and your fulsome praise!   On the subject of the e-booking experiment, it is working well, but there was a glitch (again) with the sharing links which are supposed to enable participants to easily access the route and ride information.   A team of boffins are working on this and e-booking will rise again!