News for March 2019

Thursday 7th March 2019. Winterbourne to Brookend: What a grand start to the day. The overnight rain has stopped and although it has left the roads wet the sun is shining brightly for our ride to the Lammastide at Brookend near Berkeley. But we are not fooled by the weather. It is a bit blustery now but come this afternoon the thirty starters here could be coming home in a forty miles per hour headwind. Time will tell.

Main group report from Bill Balchin: Keith Shepherd was the leader for the main group today and out on his geared bike rather than fixed. That could spell trouble for those who do not enjoy hill climbing. Andy put up his hand to be back marker which I thought was brave as Andy was on fixed – the only one today. The wind should have been in our favour for the outward trip but you know how these things work – it just seemed to blowing around everywhere rather than pushing you along as we rode Old Road, Perrinpit Road and past the road closure signs at Church Road. There were no roadworks before Frampton End Road as we made our way to Mays Hill, and through Hall End past one of my favourite free range egg farms. Passing the quarry we were momentarily delayed as two giant dump trucks crossed the road looking like monster Tonka toys. Then a turn through Churchend brought us to our first hill of the day – but going down into .

This supposedly hilly ride was looking like a pussy cat so far as we took a left at the toll house for Bradley Green. Then Hello. Up we go, and up. First to the Road then after a few yards of flat, a left into Old London Road for a major climb. The extra 250 watts that I brought along pushed me up easily but I was well impressed with our folks on regular bikes on this big climb. Even Andy on the fixed almost made it but was hampered when the road narrowed. He could 'zig' but did not have room to 'zag'. Following a brief stop after the first steep section we continued along the flat before the next climb took us past the golf club and we reached our high point of 818 feet or 220 metres for you remain voters. I was having trouble figuring out the route when we went right at the crossroads then took the left fork and left again for the white knuckle descent into Uley. Wet patches on the road and oncoming cars demanded caution on the descent but we all got down safely. I waited at the bottom after the peloton turned left for Dursley as first Jenny came into sight not trusting her rim brakes and taking it easy, and then Andy, also concerned about brakes plus spinning his legs into the red zone on the fixie. Our little group of three now set after the peloton into the freshening wind – but where have they gone?

With no sign of them I led us through Dursley (where a few spots of rain started but soon stopped again), continued past the Yew Tree pub and onto Taits Hill. I wondered why Andy was overtaking me on the Berkeley Road towards the Prince of pub but it was Martyn leading the peloton. They had taken a detour to see the old Lister factory where John Davies had spent some time as an apprentice back in the day but construction traffic messed up the visit so they had put the hammer down and caught us up. With the group now back together we pushed on through Breadstone for the last three and a half miles with speeds often touching 20mph to the Lammastide to complete a ride of just over thirty one miles according to Ramblr.

The moderate group had comfortably beaten us to the pub where things went as smoothly as you could expect with our crowd. I was pleased to see Proper Job on handpump, my ham, egg and chips was very good, and to make my day, Moira announced that I had won the prize for naming the most locations of the pictures that she posted on the ride to Arlingham in January. Just the small matter now of the ride home into that wind. It did not seem too bad to me (well it wouldn't with an e-bike Bill would it – Ed) as we took the usual way back through Berkeley and Ham but on the Rockhampton Road with no shelter it was tough. I tried to maintain a easy pace so that people could tuck in behind but only a handful of stronger riders kept in the groupetto. Anybody want to organise a whip round to buy me a rear view mirror so I can judge the pace better? Just the one major climb - but it was a biggun. See it here.

Moderate paced ride report from Steve Hicks: I was woken this morning by the sound of rain lashing against the bedroom window, ‘ah perfect’, I thought, ‘just the day for a ride to Brookend with the BTOTC’. The BBC weather forecast did little to improve prospects for the day with winds gusting in excess of 40 mph and showers of just about anything cold and wet to boot. By departure time from home the skies had cleared and the sun was shining but that wind was threatening already.

A large crowd had gathered at Amcor by 10am as Keith Shepherd set off with the ‘fast and furious’ for some gratuitous hill climbing leaving eleven of us to enjoy a more sedate journey to the Lammastide. Taking our traditional route north along Old Gloucester Road it was good to see Mr Vince’s wind turbines earning their keep, though the flashing shadows on the road cast by the blades was a little disconcerting. Our only incident of the morning happened as we turned into Road where Nisha found a pothole and some very uneven tarmac which resulted in some acrobatic bike handling and a jumped chain. Those following were extremely complimentary regarding Nisha’s ability to stay in control, suggesting that skills acquired on the ski slopes may have been a key factor. The chain was soon replaced and a quick test showed gear changes to be working correctly, and all was well.

We decided to avoid the notoriously wet section of lane from Baden Hill into and instead headed for and the B4058, always a busy section of road but at least our feet stayed dry.

Today’s point of interest was Court and arboretum so we headed down the long drive from Tortworth Road for a brief history of what is now a hotel and wedding venue. Interesting to note the speed limit along here is posted very precisely as 8¾ mph which roughly translates as 14 kph, not quite sure why? The next surprise was to see two horses apparently grazing on the green immediately in front of the hotel though closer inspection showed them to be very realistic willow (or something similar) sculptures. With Phil and Don having taken some photos to record the event and the history lesson over, we headed for Damery, Lower Wick, Stinchcombe and across the A38 to Breadstone. The wind was now in our faces and slowed us down as we struggled along through Halmore to Purton and Brookend.

Arrival at the Lammastide was around 12.10 and no sooner were we seated than lunch began to appear from the kitchen. We were then joined by Alf who had woken this morning to find he had omitted to recharge his e-bike. A quick charge using some of Mr. Vince’s green energy meant he had missed the start but arrived in good time for lunch. By the time the ‘fast and furious’ arrived after a marathon morning in the saddle, we were busy planning moderate-paced ride leaders for the coming weeks. We do still have some vacancies so don’t be shy, just speak to Don or myself and be assured that your efforts will be very much appreciated.

Our journey home was a fragmented affair with small groups setting off according to preferred route and final destination, just one problem – that head wind! Follow the route here. Thursday 14th March 2019. Station to Hinton Blewett: Storm Gareth was doing us no favours today with a gusty wind from the West/Southwest driving drizzle into your face. There was a smaller than usual group of about sixteen waiting to hear the choice of ride available – or choices, plural, as it turned out. When you lead a BTOTC ride it is your choice for both the route and the pace. Peter Metelerkamp was down for the main group ride and having checked it out recently decided to shelve it in favour of a shorter, less mucky alternative of fifteen miles.

That raised a few eyebrows. How can we make that last two hours. Don outlined the moderate paced alternative which included it's own options for the final approach to Hinton Blewett where anybody needing some extra miles could put in an extra loop around Chew Valley lake. So now we have two groups, later to become three groups with what would have been the main group only containing five riders. I had better refer to them as the official group.

Official group report from Bill Balchin: This is going to be tricky as our average speed would need to be under eight miles per hour to get to lunch at noon. But Peter was not hanging around as we set off down the railway path to Saltford hanging on to the handlebars as the gusty wind wrenched at them relentlessly. We caught Don's group by the Bird in Hand where Phil was fixing a puncture. Peter had our route fixed in his mind as we climbed up out of Saltford on familiar lanes then dropped into Stanton Prior and made our way through Markesbury and Farmborough.

Although the lanes were familiar Peter had forgotten some of the junctions so we made a few route corrections before we got to Timsbury. At Timsbury Peter turned off the usual way into the High Street (looking more like a back street) and led us to Connies Tea Room cafe. As an apology for going wrong, and as a way to kill some time, Peter treated us all to a cup of tea and cake. That is overly generous and unnecessary Peter. Don't start a precedent or I will have to bring extra cash with the number of wrong turns I have taken. It was very pleasant to get out of the wind, rain and cold for a while, especially so because when we came out it was much drier and brighter. Heading for High Littleton we only had to double back once to get on Langfords Lane which was a treat overlooking hills and fields in the sunshine before we dropped into Hallatrow and turned into Harts Lane – another beauty. Although the hedges are still bundles of bare sticks the grass verges on our way through Temple Cloud and Cameley were full of spring flowers as we rocked up at the Ring O'Bells at five past twelve to find Don's group inside and the hard riding quartet of Shirley, Maggie, Guido and Roger Ireland still on the road.

There was some debate about the Ring O'Bells. I think one of the reasons that numbers were down is that the menu choices that we were asked to pre- order from did not contain smaller meals and sandwiches that many people prefer when cycling. They had also asked Pete for a five pounds per head deposit to guarantee our tables in case another group got in first. Naturally Pete declined. (As it turned out I think we were the only customers). The service was slick, the meals were good and you can always order sandwiches either by phone or over the bar on the day. Add that to the fact that the location is good for cycling and this pub is probably going to stay on our good list.

What about going home? Some of the hard cases still needed more hills so completed their circuit of the lake then retraced our route of two weeks ago in the opposite direction along Parsonage Lane and Winford Lane over Dundry. I stayed with the moderate bunch for a direct(ish) journey via Norton Malreward and back to Bitton with no rain and mostly sunshine. And even the wind had calmed down slightly.

See the official route with Timsbury Tea stop here.

Report of the Moderate Ride to Hinton Blewett from Don Ford: Even by March standards, this has been an exceptionally windy month. Once again the maximum speed was over 30 mph for our ride to Hinton Blewett and there was heavy rain to contend with as well. The ride to Bitton was comparatively dry and the sun even put in an appearance but this was not to last. Shirley caught up with me on the way. She was minus Chris who had punctured and sadly had to abandon the ride.

After some confusion as to who was riding with which group, eleven of us set off on the ‘moderate ride’ along the Railway Path to Saltford. As soon as we left the path it began to rain heavily. Phil Warry then had a puncture which turned out to be very slow enabling him to pump up the tyre and continue. It was only two weeks ago that we took the route to Saltford but for variety we didn’t follow Manor Road and instead took the lane up to Burnett Village and a very early stop at a point of interest.

Burnett has had only two owners in the last 900 years. It was owned by Abbey until it was dissolved in 1538. A wealthy wine merchant, John Cutte, bought the village and its lands. He took on an orphan, John Whitson, as an apprentice. When Cutte died of the plague in 1575, the manor passed to his son Nicholas. When he died, Whitson married his widow and took possession of Burnett. He was clearly a man of some ability becoming both Mayor and MP for Bristol as well as one of the Merchant Venturers. Despite his wealth and status he did not forget his origins. He died in 1628 and left Burnett and other monies and assets in a trust to set up a school for orphaned girls. He left instructions that they should wear red cloth and so was founded The Red Maids School in Bristol. It is now the oldest girls’ school in the country. The school choir regularly performs in Burnett Church in honour of the schools’ founder.

From Burnett we pressed on in driving rain against a strong wind. On reaching Compton Dando we took a sharp right turn up Cockers Hill passing through the attractive hamlets of Woollard and Publow. Just beyond Publow, as we crossed the River Chew yet again, Mike Finch passed us going in the opposite direction. Mike enjoys an alternative start and had set off from Ashton. A quick about turn and our group became twelve for the descent to Pensford and the impressive Railway Viaduct with its 16 arches. A very wet and muddy Pensford Lane then took us almost all the way to Stanton Drew.

From there we took Moorledge Road and Denny Lane to reach Chew Valley Lake. It was here that the skies cleared and the sun came out for the rest of the day. Given the hard ride we had had up to that point, there was now a choice of routes. Shirley led a group of four on the longer way via West Harptree. Eight of us took the easier option via Bishop Sutton and Sutton Hill reaching The Ring O’Bells at 1158. We were the first to arrive and enjoyed good service.

We began to leave shortly after 1pm only for me to find that I had a puncture. Thankfully, it was the front tyre and, with a large thorn in it, was easy to locate and replace the inner tube. I was extremely grateful to the five who stayed with me and assisted with the repair. Our return back to Bitton was in the sunshine and on the drying roads was a most enjoyable. Many thanks to all who braved the conditions and came today. It turned out to be another memorable day and the pub was excellent. I hope we can keep coming here.

The moderate group route is here.

Report from the ‘Let’s get our money’s worth’ group by Shirley Hume: I don’t think anyone could ever accuse BTOTC of being an easy to control, predictable bunch, but today was certainly a step up in the chaos. Don and Bill are doing the main reports, but a number of us who would normally ride with the main group found ourselves opting for the moderate group based on the promise of 20 miles to the pub [and a point of interest] instead of 15 miles plus coffee and cake [I know – some people really shouldn’t be allowed out].

After about 13 miles, at Chew Valley Lake, Don announced that we could turn left and ride 3.5 miles to the pub or turn right and ride 7 miles to the pub. Of the 12 riders a group of 4 decided to turn right and so the third group of the day was formed. Apart from three sets of road works between the turn point and East Harptree all was going well, but then there was a moment of indecision about which of the steep climbs up to Hinton Blewett we should take. Roger and I, being the only two who knew any of the hills, felt that the road up to the back of the pub was likely to be in a very poor condition after current rain and wind, so we headed for the hill up from Litton, to admire the views and wonder what seismic incident had caused Hinton Blewett to shift position.

Finally in Litton we decided to look at the map on Guido’s phone, which managed to give us the rather alarming news that we were 585 miles from our destination. Further examination revealed that the phone thought we were in Mirabelle [???]. Anyway by a process of trial and error [mainly the latter] we eventually got on the correct road to the pub, timing it to perfection with no queue at the bar and 22 miles completed from Bitton

On the route home we had a reshuffle of bodies at several points but 50% of our breakaway group, plus a leisure rider from the ‘Coffee and Cake’ group, made their way back via Chew Stoke, Pagans Hill, Hounsley Batch, Winford Manor and then down to Winford, over Dundry and returning to Ashton via Yanley Lane – stick with me boys, lots of new roads to explore, hills to climb etc. Thursday 21st March 2019. Ashton Station to Portishead: Main group report from Bill Balchin: The twenty eight starters at Ashton Gate had some reasonable weather in prospect for the ride to the Windmill pub in Portishead. Light wind, no rain, dry roads – we can put up with the lack of sunshine in exchange for that. I joined the main group under the leadership of Peter Toft and the back markership of Phil Hodgson as we zoomed off along Long Ashton high street at a zippy pace. Although Peter is one of our stronger riders I think he was being egged on by others as we rode to the end of the Flax Bourton railway path and turned left for the climb of Backwell Hill. Because my e-bike motor cuts out at 25 kph (15.5 mph) I struggle when the speed is around 18 mph but it is a different story on the hills and I was able to shoot ahead for a picture. We were all glad of a regrouping stop at the top. What goes up must come down so we descended on Brockley Combe as far as the Tall Pines golf club and circled the western end of Bristol airport into Redhill. The pace was still pretty hot so I was impressed that Andy Short was doing so well on a fixed wheel bike. That nice descent into Wrington now took us past Congresbury and Claverham on flat roads for a while. A left turn into Jasmine Lane was a rarity for me. I go home via Claverham almost every third week but have not ventured onto the Kenn Moors this way for years. Then it was back to trying to hang on to those speedsters in front again.

I am reading Mark Cavendish's second autobiography, “At speed”, at the minute. His policy for mountain stages in the TdF is for Bernie Eisel to bring him to the front of the peloton on the flat sections. Then on the climbs he slips back through the field saving as much energy as possible before descending like a demon and repeating it all again on the next mountain. Practically the reverse of what I do.

Entering the outskirts of Clevedon, Peter's nifty route saw us take the right fork onto Norton Wood Lane as far as the first turning, then left into Moor Lane to take us onto the climb up to Portishead from Walton in Gordano with the minimum distance on the main road. It is always nice to get that slog out of the way before a ripping descent on Nore Lane got us to the Windmill by about twelve fifteen – not bad going for a journey of almost thirty miles.

The moderate group had almost finished their lunches as we arrived to find half the people had sat upstairs where we normally sit and the other half downstairs in the area reserved for us by Pete. The staff coped with us without drama and the meals were good with something for everybody, so all good. With an early arrival by the mods and slick service many were ready to leave at one o'clock. Unheard of, as we often don't get served by then. There was a gradual 'drift away' kind of departure. I left in the last quartet with Jeff, Jenny and Maggie. As Maggie is a relative newcomer to Bristol we took her on a tour of the open air swimming pool and the Sheepway on the way back to the M5 bridge. Must try to include the Marina next time we are out that way. See how we got to Portishead by clicking here.

Thursday 21st March – moderate-paced ride report from Steve Hicks: Planning today’s route to Portishead should have been a simple task as we have been there many times in recent years and there are not too many possible variations that would work for a moderate-paced group. The choice came down to Harris Lane, Sandy Lane and Failand or Portway, Avon Bridge and Pill. After that it would be the old favourite route via Clevedon Lane, Walton in Gordano and Redcliff Bay to get us to The Windmill at Portishead. The choice was eventually determined by today’s ‘point of interest’, so Portway it was to be.

Our group of eleven was missing several regulars today but boosted by one or two who had baulked at the thought of Peter Toft’s main ride - 30 miles including Backwell Hill! We navigated our way along the cycle paths to get us to the Ashton Bridge where we encountered a couple of Metro buses using the guided section then weaved around the old Bond Store and across Cumberland Basin to pick up the Portway shared path. A dash under the Suspension Bridge and on down river we were soon approaching our ‘point of interest.’ A left turn at Sea Mills dropped us down to river level and caused some puzzled expressions among those who hadn’t checked the Facebook page.

So, here we were in the one-time Roman settlement of Portus Abonae. There is very little today to indicate how significant this place was for around 400 years during the Roman occupation. Selected for its position at the confluence of the Avon and the Trym and with high ground behind giving good visibility of anyone approaching from the sea, this was a typical site for a Roman settlement. We talked briefly about the river Trym and its tributary the Hen - also known as the - before discussing the 1960’s Bristol City Museum excavations (http://www2.glos.ac.uk/bgas/tbgas/v105/bg105015.pdf) of two of the most important archeological sites in Sea Mills.

After our brief review of historic Sea Mills, we headed for the Avon Bridge and into Pill and Easton in Gordano. Then over the A369 into Portbury and off down the Gordano Valley. Clevedon Lane turned out to be wetter than expected with significant mud and deterioration of the road surface for a short stretch so we had to keep our wits about us. Thankfully there was very little traffic to worry us so progress to Walton in Gordano was fairly rapid. Just the small matter of the climb up through the bays of Walton and Redcliff and we arrived at The Windmill slightly before our scheduled ‘time’ of mid-day.

The Windmill was as efficient as ever with tables reserved for us (thanks Pete) and food delivered promptly. My lasagne went down very well with the help of an excellent pint of Gold. The main group, looking suitably tired, arrived shortly after twelve prompting a discussion about how they managed their 30 mile route in only just over 2 hours.

Don took the lead for the return with his Garmin helping us navigate through Portishead to Sheepway, then over the M5 into Portbury for the long climb up to Failand. My sincere thanks to Peter Ralph for his back-marking duties, to Don Ford for leading us back and to the remaining eight ‘moderates’ for their company today. Click here to see the route via Portus Abonae.

Thursday 28th March 2019. Amcor to Wotton-under-Edge: Main group report from Pete Campbell: A few good weather days made me hope Guido would be able to pluck just one more good day out of the weather man's ragbag for his ride to the Royal Oak at Wotton-under-Edge. A breakfast check of the Met Office website promised all-day sunshine and that was how it turned out. Twenty-three people arrived at the Anchor start with a few in shorts. I'd not seriously considered that. Tights and a wooly jersey seemed a good bet for March. Guido's group of thirteen set off into the morning chill via the Winterbourne tithe barn and the main road to , then skirting Engine Common on Chaingate Lane and Tanhouse Lane which BTOTC often used when I started ten years ago, so it was good to see the old favourites again. Anyway, we're not just on our bikes to enjoy ourselves. After Horton and part of Hawkesbury Common, Guido's education interval focused on the church of St Mary the Virgin in Hawkesbury. This is grade 1 listed, twelfth century, with various twelfth century components redistributed around the church during the nineteenth century restoration. And yet they still gave it a grade 1 listing apparently! The day's first climb came next, up to . And then fairly flat

(and sunny and wind-free) via Didmarton and Leighterton. Guido had promised a couple of ascents as well as a scary descent. Where are these? They are before we could sit down for lunch which meant up to Bagpath from Newington Bagpath, a descent into Bagpath with lots of gravel which seemed scary to me but was not the advertised scary descent. Up again from Bagpath and then the real scary one down into Wotton, dropping 440 feet in a mile and a half. Note that Martyn fancies including this in one of his rides, going up! Lunch in the Royal Oak was slick and quick (at least, for those who had pre- ordered). Alex advertised the South Glos 100 on 11 May. I asked for a volunteer to write a report for our ride to the Moorend Spout on 11 April. And I also announced that I will be giving up organising BTOTC rides in the next few months so volunteers to take this on will be welcome. I'm amazed how we normally leave the pub together, but in no time we always seem to split into small groups going different ways. Guido's return route was fairly normal, through Charfield, West End and Tytherington, but by that point we were down to half a dozen riders. But I'm sure everyone managed to get home. Touch here to see Guido's route. Thursday 28th March 2019 – moderate-paced ride report from Don Ford: It was a perfect early spring day and there were 11 of us for the slower and shorter ride. It was really good to see Max back and looking so fit after his long absence through illness. Clive too, made a welcome return on his steel bike which proved a good choice today. We took a less travelled route through the southern part of Winterbourne. Flax Pitts Lane took us right into Hicks Common Road which gives fine views of the Huckford Viaduct and Winterbourne Common. The viaduct carries the Paddington Line across the River Frome on 11 arches and is 100 feet above the river. Down Road led us to and the scenic Ruffet Road which cuts across the golf course. Once through we were on Frampton End Road which was almost completely dry for the first time this year. The hedges had been cut back making the lane appear wider than it has done for years. Needing to make up the distance we took the lane towards Nibley from Iron Acton before turning left to , eventually finding ourselves climbing Bury Hill Lane and on to Mapleridge Lane and into Horton.The lanes from here to Hillesley are the most quiet and scenic of the route but are usually spoilt by being wet and muddy. This was not the case today and we could enjoy the scenery on dry lanes in the sunshine. There was just the indifferent surface to distract us. Approaching Hillesley an inconsiderate motorist gave us little space on the narrow lane just where there was a sharp drop from the edge of the road. Clive came off the road catching the quick release lever on his wheel which came loose. Fortunately neither Clive nor the bike were damaged and he was able to continue after a short delay.From Hillesley it was on to Kingswood and our point of interest for the day.

Although Kingswood is little more than a village it once contained a large abbey. The magnificent 15th century gate house is still there. It isn’t quite the draw of other English Heritage properties like Stonehenge. In truth I was only the third visitor this year when I did the pre-ride and there were only 19 visitors in the whole of 2018. By knocking on a nearby door a key can be obtained to gain entry but unfortunately there wasn’t time for us to go inside today. Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s chief minister, made a surprise visit here in August 1535 looking for evidence of idleness and ignorance among the monks as well as to assess the wealth of the abbey. He was accompanying Henry and Anne Boleyn on a royal progress and was staying with Nicholas Poyntz in Acton Court. Cromwell closed down the abbey in 1538 and facilitated the sale to Poyntz who demolished it. He used the stone and timber to build himself a house in Ozleworth which is known today as Newark Park.

It was just a short distance from here to the Royal Oak but it is all uphill and we were glad to reach the pub almost exactly at noon. A lady seems to have taken charge and she has everything well organised. Despite not being able to sit outside in the sunshine to make it easier for the serving staff, it was one of our better dining experiences. There were just 6 of us for the ride back. After a short climb out of Wotton we enjoyed a long descent on really picturesque lanes through Swinhay, Huntingford and Damery to Tortworth and Cromhall. For the first time in many months we were able to ride the dried out back lanes from Cromhall to Tytherington before the usual route back to Amcor. Many thanks to all who came today, it couldn’t have been a better day for a cycle ride.