M7 Cycling Club

Athos, Porthos, and Aramis

Sharon balancing a sack on her helmet

The Warwickshire sunflower trail

Low fat cake

Stomach in chap

Great cake Steve

When's the pub stop?

Our mobile sunflower

Seventeenth Ride; Saturday 12th August
Routemaster; Doug Freeman
Riders: Doug Freeman, Dave Shuttleworth, Steve Darby, Pete Johnson, John Hancock, Sharon Hancock
Total mileage: 24 miles (digital map reading)
Average Speed: 10.66 mph (low tech estimate)
Fastest Speed: 100 mph (Steve see postscript)

It was a cloudy, cool (19c) day, with a 13mph wind from the north. It being the holiday season, the Routemaster was prepared for a low turnout and was pleasantly surprised not to be a lonely “cycling no mates”. The ride had been advertised as a real coffee and tea run, with no other refreshments, with an expected to return to the village around midday. The Routemaster was quizzed about the location of the selected coffee shop, but his lips were sealed and left the M6 guessing.

At 9:30am, the M6 set off from the Village Hall and were soon cycling north with heads down into the wind. Doug was in the lead and provided amusement for the following pack as he tried, with limited success, to understand the dynamics of getting his left foot into the toe clip on his new bike. This would be a feature of the ride as he was rarely successful in his slow bike race attempts not to dismount at road junctions, and so he got plenty of toe clip practice.

The M6 cycled through Bascote Heath and Bascote, across the A423 at Long Itchington, up Collingham Lane and onto Birdingbury. At Birdingbury, we headed north past Birdingbury Hall, and Steve and John were now convinced that we were heading for the coffee shop at Draycote Water. Doug teasingly stopped by the Sustrans off road route just under Birdingbury Bridge, but instead turned left up the testing incline to Frankton. Steve and John were now totally confused, but the rest of the M6 were more interested in gear changes. We passed the Friendly Inn at Frankton, through Bourton on Dunsmore, and then the great downhill stretch back to Birdingbury Bridge. This loop was virgin M7 territory.

Back in Birdingbury, we headed south past Davenport Farm, across the A423 and up Shakers Lane. Doug managed a rare successful slow bike race at the temporary traffic lights before Snowford Bridge, and then turned right towards Hunningham Hill. On this road we noticed yet more sunflowers, there were great displays in Frankton, and it was commented that it was more like rural France than Warwickshire. At the top of Hunningham Hill we turned left on the Fosse Way for a short distance before reaching our coffee stop at Hill Top Farm.

The coffee shop was very busy as we ordered our six pints of Timothy Taylor Landlord and sat outside. Steve was tempted by the coffee shop slices of homemade cake, but in true M7 style went into the shop and bought a “cheaper” low fat cake and with the use of Pete’s Swiss Army knife distributed M6 doorstep portions. We were impressed by the look of the full English breakfasts being served, and so this was noted for a future outing. Steve had also bought a cake for Maureen, but more about that later.

Suitably refreshed, we agreed our return route would be back the short distance up the Fosse to Hunningham Hill, left towards Hunnigham, and then left and left again and on the quiet country lane to Offchurch. We climbed the steep hill out of Offchurch, over the dismantled railway, across the Fosse, and up to Welsh Road Farm. We then sped down Welsh Road over the canal and rejoined the outward route at Crossroads Cottage. The journey back to Harbury was uneventful, and we regrouped at the edge of the village to say farewell as we departed on our different routes home.

A good ride, a slightly demanding route, excellent company, wonderful beer and cakes, but Doug still had not mastered his left toe clip.

Doug.

Postscript; Steve arrived home and presented Maureen with the cake he had purchased. Let’s say that Maureen was less than impressed, having spent the morning baking cakes for her visiting offspring and the Bones’ German visitors. This is when Steve reached his 100mph as he made a speedy exit.

Your scribe sampled Maureen’s wonderful cake late that evening, and I can only imagine that Steve had a lot of humble cake to get through. For me it was a three cake day as my daughter Kathy, who arrived home that morning after a year in London, had made a wonderful chocolate fridge cake. Some days you can have your cakes and eat them.

# posted by M7 Cycling Club @ 8:49 am