Before I started to write this blog on our latest ride I decided to have a swift count up of the miles completed since we started recording our weekend rides. Well without revealing an exact number I shall just say that the bubbly is on ice to celebrate a significant milestone which we should reach on our next ride.
Moving on to this ride, previously I have only ever driven to Mere, and my thought then was that this is a long way to come for a day's paintballing - now we are choosing to cycle there!
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| Airfield and cafe |
We meet up with the group on a gorgeous sunny morning at Wimborne Square and it looks like the day is going to be hot and sunny so the sun screen is out. We head off for Witchampton and on to Long Crichel following our normal route to Compton Abbas and the Cafe at the airfield our first planned stop. Our route takes us through the pretty villages of Chettle and Tollard Farnham before we turn off for Ashmore and onto the airfield. It's funny how your brain works; now bear in mind that the airfield at Compton Abbas is on one of the highest points in Dorset, so why would you forget that the ride to it is mostly uphill? The human brain has a wonderful capacity to only recall the good stuff, hence all those childhood memories of long hot summers. Talking of which, we are cycling on just one of those days as the temperature starts to rise into the 20's. The airfield is really busy today as there appears to be a large flying event on judging by the amount of planes we see arrive.
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| View over Dorset |
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| Kathy takes a break.... |
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| ......along with the rest of us! |
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| Church at Mere |
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| At lunch! |
After coffee we head off towards Mere down one of my favorite descents down Donhead Hollow you can really get some speed up if you hold your nerve. A reminder from John our ride leader to take it steady probably slowed us all a little today. Our ride then takes us through a collection of small villages known as the Donheads, as they all share this prefix, before heading to East Knoyle. East Knoyle is famous for being the birthplace for one of England's greatest architects Sir Christopher Wren who was famously responsible for the design of Saint Pauls Cathedral and also for the Royal Naval College at Greenwich. He was also responsible for the design and rebuilding of 52 other churches after the great fire of London in 1666. Leaving East Knoyle behind we climb steadily further into Wiltshire and on to Mere where we stop for lunch taking our sandwiches in the churchyard under the shade of the yew trees before heading to the pub for refreshments prior to the ride towards home.
Our next planned port of call is Cafe 65 at Blandford and this is reached via Gillingham, Child Okeford and Stourpaine. Gillingham (pronounced with a hard G as in goat) is Dorsets most northerly town and has seen settlement since the stone age through the Romans and is mentioned in the Domesday book. Stourpaine is now renowned for the staging of one of the UK's biggest steam and historic vehicle events in the Great Dorset Steam Fair which is held over the August Bank Holiday every year.
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| Blandford |
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| Cafe 65 |
Milkshakes for some and ice creams for others at Cafe 65 and then on to home. Another long but enjoyable day in the saddle and it looks like the after sun lotion is going to be needed - I hope I haven't got 'panda' eyes!
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