After yesterday's burst of hot, sunny weather and the sunny start to today, it was rather disappointing when skies clouded over after we left Fairoaks. Still, at least it stayed fine - well apart from the odd spot or two. There were sixteen of us in B Group - Irene, Stephanie, Liz, Angie, John G. and John M., Mick, Frank and Francoise, Eddy, Bernard, Norman, Godfrey, Laurence, Terry and me, Gill. (Thank-you Terry, it was invaluable having you as back-marker!) Setting off from Fairoaks Airport and aiming for The Cricketers, Warfield/Winkfield Row the other side of Windsor Great Park, we headed out basically westwards doing a loop through Burrowhill and Valley End before turning north to Sunningdale, Cheapside and eventually to Downside. With several steepish hills behind us, it was now a level ride westwards across to Winkfield village and Maidens Green where we turned south to find Cricketers Lane and the pub! Arriving about 12.30 p.m. we were served pretty quickly, though Angie and John M. found themselves last to be served despite early ordering which caused some discussion about the difficulty of preparing their choices. However, all was well in the end. We had opted to sit outside which enabled several people to try and make friends with some fine-looking young black bullocks on rather short legs (a special breed?) - were they the source of the roast beef baguettes we wondered! Lacking sunshine and with rather a cool breeze, everyone was happy to make a move and we set off on the homeward leg. Turning east and south, some newly laid tarmac on the way up to Chavey Down was much appreciated especially as after this we turned off onto an off-road section of bridleway. Ending up at Ascot Racecourse we cycled towards the new grandstand and out through an underpass. More new tarmac made cycling easy before reaching Cheapside where a nice downhill stretch along Watersplash Lane brought us back to a gate into Great Windsor Park which we had passed on the outward route. Following Dukes Lane we saw several open horse carriages being driven and the group even became divided for a short time with one of these in our midst after a road junction. Once out of the Park at Bishopsgate, it was a familiar route back to Staines and the towpath to Shepperton Lock for tea. Waiting to join the main road at Chertsey Bridge, we were surprised to see A Group riders flying past and it seemed both groups 'feared' the other was heading to their tea spot as I caught up later with A Group in Shepperton village - there were eleven of us and what looked like a similar number of them!! (Gill Finlay)
Author: Pete
