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News for April 2019

Thursday 4th April 2019. Station to Bradford on Avon: Main group report from Bill Balchin: I often lie in bed on a Wednesday night and run a few phrases through my head that I could use in Thursday's report. After seeing the forecast for today which was for rain and wind all day with temperatures in low single single figures but feeling even colder with the wind chill: one phrase was “What am I doing here?”. As it turned out the ride to the Mangotsfield start was not too bad – only unpleasant as opposed to absolutely horrible. But maybe nobody will turn up and I can go home with a clear conscience. Fat chance of that! Sixteen riders arrived at the start all well wrapped up ready for Martyn's annual long ride to the Lock Inn. Phil tried to recruit a group for a shorter more moderate ride but masochism ruled the day and we set off for Coxgrove Hill as one peloton.

The climb into is not long but is still a good leg tester. There was a bit of quiet jockeying for top dog as John Davies had brought his pal Dave along (just a boy at fifty two years old). Martyn and Dave duked it out but Alf and I could not be doing with that and steamed past with a boost of electric power, although Alf let the side down a bit when we regrouped by the church and he toppled over while stationary (without injury). I told him he should not have taken the stabilisers off.

On towards Hinton now and Moira peeled off at the Little Nannies cafe as she was only out for as short ride. Sometimes we take the Road which we call the Hinton by-pass but today it was signed as being closed. I expect we could have got through but we stayed on the main road past the Bull pub. Mike S was struggling a bit off the back of the group on the climb but his determination saw him reach the top. Alf decided that the pace was going to be a too hot from now so turned back bring the peloton to fourteen. You made the right choice Alf. Even with my higher capacity battery and riding without assistance for long stretches my power reserves were dropping alarmingly.

Now on the high ground the official description was undulating terrain although some of those climbs seemed pretty steep in the relentless rain as we cycled through West Littleton, past the chicken farms and the back way out of Castle Combe to arrive at Ford. Over the A420 and we took the little lane to Biddestone which was a goat track for many years but was resurfaced a few years ago and is still in A1 condition – probably because it has escaped being dug up by utility companies. Biddestone provided another sign of the times as we passed the Biddestone Arms pub now sold and waiting redevelopment. The White Hart is still in business so I guess two pubs in the village was one too many.

We continued on undulating lanes, generally with minimal traffic over the A4 and past Neston and Atworth. Places that you would be unlikely to ever visit apart from on a cycle ride. There were a couple of times when the rain eased and the sun made a half hearted attempt to appear but they were soon over. We were all glad to make that final steep descent into Bradford and roll up at the Lock Inn at about twelve forty after twenty nine cold miles.

A sign of the cold was that some people went for a hot drink rather than a beer. The pub had reserved their barge moored in the canal for our exclusive use, which would have been great on a sunny day but most went inside the main building where it was warmer leaving just me, Martyn, Andy and Roger drinking beer on the barge. And yes, my meal was the last to arrive again. I have a soft spot for the Lock Inn. They people have a sense of humour, the meals and service are good, and the bar is decorated with quirky stuff including a CTC wheel on the wall and a Lemond penny farthing on the ceiling. Shame it is a bit far away. While we were inside the rain changed up several gears and slammed down but by the time we were ready to leave it had stopped and stayed that way for the rest of the day. The simplest way back home is the canal towpath which is also the most unpopular (with me at least) with it rough surface littered with puddles. So we were all thankful to Peter Toft who came up with an ingenious route home that took us over the canal then immediately right and up a steep hill then on quiet little lanes through Westwood, Freshford and into Midford right by the railway bridge that carries the cycle way over the road by the Hope and Anchor. Then a nice flat ride home through the two tunnels. I was glad there were no more big hills as my battery died on me one mile from home.

Thursday 11th April 2019. Ashton to Nailsea. Main group report by Mike Finch: Bit of a change from the wind and rain of last Thursday- beautiful and sunny today but with a keen easterly wind. Julian set off from Ashton at a brisk pace with a group of 15 stringing out behind. We took the traditional route along Festival Way to Flax Bourton and Julian had originally planned to head up to the airport via Chapel Hill and Backwell Hill Road. A road closure at Chapel Hill (more roadworks...) meant a change of route. This got us all guessing as the peloton got fragmented by traffic on the A370 and after 20 minutes' cycling, half of the main group was spread all over Backwell Hill and Farleigh. Mark suggested it was like an outdoor adventure game where we had to find where Julian had gone and so we set off along several new roads that many never knew existed, and climbed up to the airport along a fearfully steep hill - Cheston Combe - that none of us had ever ridden before. Eventually, in ones and two, the group gradually emerged from out of the countryside to reform a single group and continue the chase on to and around the airport runway.

Just past the airport Peter Chivers stopped for a mechanical. He seems to be a man of habit who determines to get out with BTOTC and routinely undertake some bicycle maintenance at break-neck speed at the side of the road. Today he stripped down his bottom bracket (or some such feat) at lightning speed and then cycled back down to rejoin the group just as Julian was hesitating and wondering whether it would be sporting to wait a moment to give Peter a chance to catch up. And so, with the fun and games over, the main group set off down the exhilarating Long Lane into Wrington. After a diversion through Iwood we headed for Yatton, battled a headwind across Kenn Moor and arrived at the Moorend Spout at just after 12, slightly after the moderate group. Despite a full pub (lots of normal people as well as BTOTC) food was served up promptly and efficiently and we headed out into the sunshine before 1.30 for the ride home. At this point your reporter took a direct route back home to the Chew Valley after another enjoyable Thursday trip...... Touch here to see the fearfully steep hill, and one almost as steep on the way home.

Thursday 11th April 2019. Ashton to Nailsea. Moderate Ride report from Shirley Hume:What a difference a week makes! Last week 15 hardy souls battled 30 miles through wet and muddy lanes [with hills] to The Lock Inn Café, where hot drinks were the order of the day. 29 people turned up at Ashton this morning in bright sunshine, although with chilly temperatures, to ride to The Moorend Spout. We had nearly an even split between the two rides, with 15 leaving on the moderate ride 5 minutes behind the main group. I was under strict instructions not to go too fast or I would be doing my own bike cleaning and maintenance for the foreseeable future, so a steady pace took us along the Festival Way, Wild Country Lane and Hobbs Lane to the A38. Right turn to Dial Lane and on to Felton, which after 5.5 miles completed the climbing for the day [if you discount motorway and railway bridges]. A swooping descent of Brockley Coombe reminded us that the day was not as warm as the sunshine suggested, but helped by a useful tail wind we were soon rolling along the flatlands of Kenn Moor and surrounding area. But what’s this? A suspicious looking character is lurking in the bushes at the side of the road as we roll along Claverham Drove – and to our surprise out pops ‘Dodgy Hodgy’ or Phil H as he is normally known in the group. Now up to 16, I resisted Phil’s attempt to turn directly for Nailsea and headed across to the Kingston Seymour triangle [akin to the Bermuda triangle for the unsuspecting]. On my last recce of the route I managed to do a complete loop back to the Church in Kingston Seymour without realising I was going 180 degrees in the wrong direction by the end. All was well this time and a final run past The Hand Stadium took us to the Nailsea turn and an arrival at the pub seconds before Julian’s peloton could sweep us up. A mad dash for the bar ensued although, despite getting well to the front of the queue, Chris’ meal was about the last to arrive. There was some debate about sitting outside, but in the end it was deemed just a little too chilly – and in any event we had filled the garden space with bikes! The route back was again more or less an even split, with Don taking over the leaders reins to lead a group back via the cycle path to Long Ashton, while a second group took on Wraxall Hill and back via Beggar Bush Lane – mainly to avoid Ashton Court on a sunny afternoon in the school holidays. 24 miles to the pub, lovely weather, good food and better company – bring on summer!

Thursday 18th April 2019. Amcor to : Main group report from Bill Balchin: Assume is a word that can be taken to mean “make an ASS of U and ME”. I was in danger of becoming a donkey for today's ride by making a number of assumptions. One: The route would probably be mostly flat (actually Pete confirmed this by posting the route on our Facebook page earlier). Two: The pace would probably be high. Three: A heavy e-bike with no assistance at speeds over 25 kph could be a liability. Four: Maybe I should bring my carbon bike out for the ride to the Huntsman Inn. Luckily I had a short trial run last Saturday and realised that I would be hanging off the back on the flat stuff so it was volts and amps as usual for me today.

The weather forecasters had been predicting improving weather for several days by now – we were expecting temperatures up to twenty celsius, sunny spells and dry. But as the twenty five strong group assembled outside the Winter Stream Farm for a ride to the Huntsman at Falfield there was a chilly wind blowing under a dull, misty sky. You could tell that most were expecting an improvement later in the day as only a few were in longs, some in three-quarters and a few in shorts. Andy was noticeably in the shortest shorts seen for many a day – borderline indecent. Photographic evidence has been witheld to protect those of a nervous disposition.

Pete's group of fifteen with Peter T back marking were first to depart along the Old Road to Frogland Cross where we turned left into Hortham Lane. No hills yet but that little rise at Frogland and then the ride over the motorway reminded me that there is no such thing as a flat road around . Once over the A38 and the swoop down Fernhill into , it was country lanes all the way. The hedges are still mainly bare but are gradually greening up plus the occasional bunch of bluebells and primroses brightening the verges points to Spring getting into it's stride.

From Elburton we worked our way in a generally north east direction following the line of the Severn now into a tough headwind. Approaching Oldbury you could make out St Arilda's church in the distance sitting majestically on it's own hill, although from the twisty road it is not always obvious which side you will pass. I sprinted ahead through Cowhill to get a photo by the church but missed the first few who rode too fast for me to distance them. Chasing after the group through Oldbury, Peter T the back marker waited for me and actually gave me a push at about twenty mile per hour. I knew he is a strong rider but that was just awesome as we rejoined the peloton – thanks Peter.

Through the open country past Hill the wind was relentless so I took the front to try to provide a bit of shelter. It worked pretty well I thought. I have difficulty looking behind but hearing the bunch happily chattering away behind me let me know that they were still there. Up to the outskirts of Ham and we turned right, thankfully now out of the worst of the wind. The hard riding bunch had got ahead of Pete's schedule so we put in a small detour towards Rockhampton, turned left into Stone and crossed the A38 into Damery Lane which is one of my favourites. Over the Little Avon river and past the service entrance to Michaelwood Services we climbed over the motorway to descend into the pretty dell of Damery and my chance for another photo, hopefully including the carpet of bluebells in the roadside woods.

Just that tough climb out of Damery and drag to before we could enjoy the superfast descent back over the motorway into Falfield and our lunch destination. The moderate group arrived at the same time, bang on noon, so some kudos for both of today's leaders. Pre-orders had been requested and the pub set us up a big table to cater for that number. A few extras made it a bit of a squash so I sat in the garden and enjoyed the sunshine which had now burnt of the mist. A fragmented departure saw some taking the A38 south and the goat track which is Brinkmarsh Lane into Tytherington. I stayed with Pete and rode Sundayshill Road into Rockhampton. Going past Thornbury rugby club I swapped bikes with Chris Hume on the drag up to the Thornbury road. I think he liked from his gasp of surprise as he took off. Come on Chris, come to the dark side, you know you want one. Click here to see the route taken by the main group.

Thursday 18th April 2019. Amcor to Falfield: Moderate group report from Don Ford: There were 10 of us on the moderate ride on what promised to be a warm and sunny day. It was good to welcome John, Richard Harman’s neighbour, who joined us for the first time today. He had no difficulty keeping up with the moderate pace and I hope we will see you out regularly with us John. Falfield is one of our closest destinations and it is difficult to create a route that is not too familiar. As we have taken routes from Amcor in a north easterly direction many times in recent months I decided to go west through Gaunt’s Eathcott, down Fernhill and left into Moor Lane. It is a pleasure to cycle these narrow lanes in dry and sunny conditions. Spring had certainly arrived with the verges covered in dandelions, bluebells and primroses. In places we also smelled the aroma of wild garlic.

From we turned right to Elberton. Needing to make up the miles we then took the loop through Littleton and the nagging climb up Stock Hill before the right to Kington and left into the scenic and flat Kington Road. The lanes were unusually free of traffic. Apart from a few tractors, an oncoming bin lorry was our only hazard.

From there it was on to Oldbury and our first point of interest. The ‘Toot’ is an old word meaning an ancient hillfort. The puzzle for archaeologists is that Oldbury is not on a hill but the fort, which dominates the village, does have the classic earth walls and ditches. They wanted to know when it was built and why. In 2015, with the help of Lottery money and other donations, a detailed excavation was begun by professional archaeologists and many volunteers. By 2017 the digging had revealed absolutely nothing of prehistoric interest. However, using a sophisticated scientific technique known as Optically Stimulated Luminescence, a construction date of between 100 BC and 20 AD was arrived at. The conclusion was that Oldbury was an island surrounded by marshland. The defences were possibly never occupied until the village was founded in the 17th century.

From Oldbury, the group were kind enough to follow me as we bumped along a bridle path known as Ham Lane. I think this lane is a first for the BTOTC as was the short stretch of road that took us to Oldbury Power Station. This used to generate enough electricity for a population twice the size of Bristol. I understand that 400 wind turbines would produce the same amount on a windy day. Still, the old power station used to employ 500 people and judging by the number of cars in the car park the decommissioning process must be employing a similar number. An article I read somewhere suggested that it will be safe to begin demolition in 2109.

Hill Lane which took us to Hill is, paradoxically, perfectly flat and the only difficulty was the wind against us. Once we turned at Hill the wind was with us and we made good progress with only the ascent of Sundayshill Lane to bother us. Arriving within sight of the pub it was clear that once again we had achieved synchronised arrival time with the main group. Arriving together was not a problem as there was little queuing and the meals arrived promptly.

Our return was direct along the A38 before turning left down Brinkmarsh Lane and on to Amcor via Tytherington. This must be one of our shortest and easiest rides and brought us back well before 2 pm. Many thanks to all who came and particularly to Roger Solomon who was kind enough to act as back marker again. Click here to see the route of the Moderate group.

Thursday 25th April 2019. Mangotsfield to Sherston: Main group report from Bill Balchin: All hail to Julian! No not Allaphillippe (although he did take a fourth place in Amstel Gold and won the Fleche Wallonne). No, our own Julian who conquered the Mendips in style last Tuesday. After a trip over Dundry for a warm-up he rode through Chew Stoke up to the top of the Mendips and then down every hill you can think of and back up again. I counted ten over 800ft as well as some smaller ones. Over 14,000 feet of climbing in a twelve and a half hour day. No wonder he gave himself a day off on Wednesday but was out again today for Mark Brough's ride from Mangotsfield to the Carpenters Arms at Sherston.

After a warm, dry Easter it was a bit of a disappointment to get back to cold, wet and windy but we still had nearly thirty riders ready to give it a go. Andy Short volunteered for the back marker role and Mark led the way along the railway path to the exit for Shortwood Hill where we stopped and pulled on rain jackets as the showers began. As you would expect on a day of sunshine and showers, by the time everybody was dressed the rain had stopped. And so continued the pattern for the rest of the day. Sometimes the wet roads would be glistening in the sunshine, other times bone dry, sometimes a bit damp as the sky swapped between stern, dark clouds and patches of blue.

Our route started pretty standard – into Pucklechurch, the Hinton by-pass (which was signed as closed but not a hint of roadworks anywhere), then a skirt around West Kington. I waited at the top of the hill by the turning for West Kington to make sure that everybody kept on the main road. If you have ever stood by a railway line as a train goes by that is what it is like to be passed by our group. Not worth a still photo but next time I bring out the video camera I must capture the moment. Passing the chicken farms we then dropped into Castle Combe. There must be plenty of photos of our group cycling through 's prettiest village circulating in China. And a there will be a few more today as the tourists were out in force despite the weather. We then had a Brough special as Mark led us along narrow lanes that worked their way through open country, around Grittleton, past Foscote (no, I've not heard of it either) and through Hullavington. With so many turns on small unfamiliar lanes Mark did well to remember the way. The team stepped up as well by waiting at junctions when the peloton became strung out. We were steadily clocking up the miles when I was a bit surprised to arrive at Sherston a few minutes before twelve – and also a few seconds before Phil Warry led in the moderate pace group. So a mass arrival, how will the Carpenters Arms cope?

Well I am a pub fan. They have a tough existence that I would not want to cope with so I don't like to speak badly of any pub. Sense a but coming? Yeah, they struggled. A barrel of BOB behind the bar was a good sign, although the angle of tilt was not and sure enough it soon ran out. Bottles only now unless you wanted keg. They took food orders at the tables and I was on the first table. Maybe I won't be the last one eating again. Well I wasn't but the meals were very slow to arrive in dribs and drabs with the last people waiting till almost two and some giving up and going to the local shop instead. So all in all maybe we will not be rushing back.

There was a downpour while we were inside but by the time we left at two (leaving some finishing their meals) it was back to light showers with periods of sunshine again. Mark took us back through the Badminton estate road towards . I turned off a little earlier for Didmarton after passing the largest single patch of bluebells that I have ever seen. It really is a treat riding along there. Follow the trail of the main group here. Thursday 25 April 2019. Mangotsfield to Sherston: Moderate group report from Phil Warry: Having seen some unfavourable weather forecasts earlier this week, I was hoping that I wouldn’t get a repeat of my planned ride to Bradford on Avon 3 weeks ago, when I didn’t get any takers! So I was pleased that there were 7 of us on today’s moderate ride. I decided on a route of just over 22 miles on some familiar roads which avoided the steeper climbs, so we set off along the cycle path to , then up the hill at , at which point we did catch a short lived shower, then on to the road briefly before taking a left along Sodbury Lane then a right turn to Dodington. We then took the relatively easy way on to the past the Cross Hands, which also has the benefit of the traffic lights at the A46 crossing.

Before taking the left turn to Badminton, we made a short detour on to the drive to Lyegrove House to stop at today’s point of interest, one of the air shafts on the railway tunnel. This line was not opened until 1903, before which all trains to Bristol and South Wales went via Bath and Bristol, so was very much needed to reduce congestion and provide a direct route to the Severn Tunnel. However, it had to cross the Cotswolds, so a 2.5 mile tunnel was built with 6 castellated air shafts, now Grade II listed. This rather ornate design was partly at the request of the Duke of Beaufort, as the tunnel went under the Badminton Estate, so he wanted something that was in keeping with the landscape.

Our route then went on mostly quiet lanes through Badminton, , Littleton Drew and Grittleton, finally arriving at the pub just before 12.00 only to find the faster group arriving at the same time. I won’t say too much about the pub, as Bill has already covered this in his report! However, it seems I took Bill’s usual place as being the last to get my food, at nearly 2.00 pm!! So having offered to lead a group on the way back, most people had – hardly surprisingly – left by the time I finished eating! However, Peter Ralph, Alf Howard and Andy Short joined me on the way back through Alderton, Littleton Drew, Burton then across the A46 at the Crown. Alf and Peter then turned left on the Hinton By-pass while Andy and I continued through Pucklechurch and Shortwood.