Sunday 25 August 2013
CTC ride to Martin
The group meets today at Wimborne Recreation Ground ready for our ride out to Martin via Cranborne for coffee. Derek has rung the cafe and warned them to expect 12 for coffee, there are 17 of us already!
We head out under overcast skies but we are not worried there is no forecast for rain and it might be a bit chilly now but it will brighten up later. We British and our eternal optimism with regard to the weather.
We head off through Gaunts and up to Horton where we turn to go via Woodlands and Edmondsham on an undulating route that passes the Remedy Oak Golf Club and the Remedy Oak itself. The golf club is one of the UK's premier clubs and annually holds qualifying tournaments for the Open. The Remedy Oak, the tree the course takes its name from is and ancient oak said to have healing powers. Unfortunately its powers did not stretch to fixing a broken spoke that happened just as we got to it. Fortunately Derek does not carry his golf clubs while cycling as we would have lost our leader to the golf course. He would probably have had to sell his hand built carbon bike to pay the green fees and I don't think lycra is 'de rigeuer' for the course either!
From here it is onto coffee at Cranborne Manor which is the home of Viscount Cranborne, the eldest son of the 7th Marquess of Salisbury. Cranborne Manor has a long history the original Manor house was built as a royal hunting lodge for King John in the 12th century. Cranborne Chase was a royal hunting ground from at least the time of William the Conqueror until the 17th century. In 1604 the Manor and its surrounding land was acquired by Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister to Queen Elizabeth I and James II.
We however are not invited for tea with the viscount and must make do with the garden centre tea room. As soon as we get our bikes parked and are in the cafe the heavens open. Now what was I saying earlier about it brightening up - now trust me it's just a clearing up shower! While on the subject of best laid plans we now find our numbers swelled to 27, so Derek was it 12 you told the cafe. I doubt they are complaining as 27 hungry and thirsty cyclists are good for business if not a logistical nightmare.
After coffee our numbers are seriously depleted, probably due to the rain, which has now stopped, and we are down to 10 for the ride onto Matin. We take the slightly damp road to Damerham which rolls its way through some beautiful Dorset countryside passing through the hamlets of Crendell and Bull hill en route to our lunch stop in the church yard at Martin. Martin itself is a picture postcard perfect village that looks like it hasn't changed in years.
While some of us stayed outside and ate our lunch others took shelter in the porch, it was so tempting to snap that pad lock shut!! (see photo)
After lunch and the mention of a climb our numbers were down to 5 as the group split again. So Derek, Dave, Doreen, Kathy and I set off in search of the hill. I think that somewhere in the CTC rulebook it must say 'lunch must be immediately followed by a climb'. We find our climb and it does not disappoint - 18% in places so can be classified as steep. The climb leads us via Boveridge back to Cranborne where we take the main road back to Wimborne and onto home having had a great day out, only having to don the rain capes twice and finish the day once south of Wimborne in beautiful sunshine!!
We head out under overcast skies but we are not worried there is no forecast for rain and it might be a bit chilly now but it will brighten up later. We British and our eternal optimism with regard to the weather.
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| Remedy Oak - sadly could not fix a broken spoke |
From here it is onto coffee at Cranborne Manor which is the home of Viscount Cranborne, the eldest son of the 7th Marquess of Salisbury. Cranborne Manor has a long history the original Manor house was built as a royal hunting lodge for King John in the 12th century. Cranborne Chase was a royal hunting ground from at least the time of William the Conqueror until the 17th century. In 1604 the Manor and its surrounding land was acquired by Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister to Queen Elizabeth I and James II.
We however are not invited for tea with the viscount and must make do with the garden centre tea room. As soon as we get our bikes parked and are in the cafe the heavens open. Now what was I saying earlier about it brightening up - now trust me it's just a clearing up shower! While on the subject of best laid plans we now find our numbers swelled to 27, so Derek was it 12 you told the cafe. I doubt they are complaining as 27 hungry and thirsty cyclists are good for business if not a logistical nightmare.
After coffee our numbers are seriously depleted, probably due to the rain, which has now stopped, and we are down to 10 for the ride onto Matin. We take the slightly damp road to Damerham which rolls its way through some beautiful Dorset countryside passing through the hamlets of Crendell and Bull hill en route to our lunch stop in the church yard at Martin. Martin itself is a picture postcard perfect village that looks like it hasn't changed in years.
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| Church at Martin |
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| clock ... |
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| ..and explanation. |
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| Please don't fee the animals! |
While some of us stayed outside and ate our lunch others took shelter in the porch, it was so tempting to snap that pad lock shut!! (see photo)
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| Pigs on the hillside |
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| Top of the climb |
After lunch and the mention of a climb our numbers were down to 5 as the group split again. So Derek, Dave, Doreen, Kathy and I set off in search of the hill. I think that somewhere in the CTC rulebook it must say 'lunch must be immediately followed by a climb'. We find our climb and it does not disappoint - 18% in places so can be classified as steep. The climb leads us via Boveridge back to Cranborne where we take the main road back to Wimborne and onto home having had a great day out, only having to don the rain capes twice and finish the day once south of Wimborne in beautiful sunshine!!
Thursday 22 August 2013
CTC Thursday ride to Fritham
Its a Thursday and we have a day off so we can go cycling, how I love flexi time!!
Today we meet at Hurn stores and it initially looks like a huge group until we realise that the 'Dawdlers' are also meeting here. Our run is taking us north of Ringwood to the tearooms at Hyde and we set off up Matchams Lane which since its resurfacing is a joy to ride. After passing through Ringwood we join roads that Kathy and I used to regularly ride pre CTC when we used to do our solo rides starting from Ringwood. The route takes us past the Alice Lisle pub at Rockford on through Mockbeggar, South Gorley and Hungerford before doing battle not only the stiff little climb before coffee but also 'white van man' who didn't seem to think we should be on the road!
The tea rooms at Hyde are a lovely place to stop and we meet up with
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| Tea rooms at Hyde |
Alan and Ann who have come out to join us for coffee. After the usual chat we leave Alan and Ann who are heading home and set off for our lunch stop at Fritham a place kathy and I have often cycled past but never stopped at.
The route to lunch takes us out through Frogham Frogham is the location of the annual Frogham Fair – a traditional village fete which takes place on the afternoon of the Saturday of the August Bank Holiday weekend in the fields near Frogham crossroads. A highlight of the fair is the wheelbarrow race up the exceptionally steep Blissford Hill; a hill that today we 'blissfully' miss (perhaps another day).From here through Allisford and on to the Roger Penny Way that rolls its way along the ridge line on the top of the heath.
We turn right at the Forest Road crossroads and head down into Fritham to have our sandwiches on the green before seeking refreshment at the Royal Oak.
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| Green at Fritham |
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| Royal Oak |
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| Light refreshment |
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| Asleep on the green |
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| First outing for Kevin's new bike |
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| Good to know the 'Royals' are welcome ............ |
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| ....... OK so the whole story! |
Some interesting facts about Fritham:
From the 1860s until the 1920s Fritham was home to the Schultze gunpowder factory.The factory specialised in smokeless powder for sporting guns and was established in 1865, it was at one time the largest nitro-compound gunpowder factory in the world, with sixty separate buildings and a staff of a hundred. It supplied three-quarters of the world's annual consumption of gunpowder for sporting purposes and often sent 100-ton consignments to the Americas. Little now remains of the factory except for the superintendent's and gatekeeper's houses. Eyeworth Pond, near Fritham, was specially created by the factory as a reservoir to hold water needed during the manufacturing process.
Four young men from Fritham went down with the Titanic in 1912; Leonard Mark Hickman, Leonard Hickman, Stanley George Hickman, Ambrose Hood they were all second class passengers seeking a new life in North America.
From Fritham we ride through Forest along the road that was once the air field runway north of Stony Cross and past Red Shoot Wood and back to Ringwood. Some of the group decide to stay at Ringwood for tea but Bob, Derek, Kathy and I decide to head on for home and choose to take the route to Hurn via Bisterne where we discover the annual Scarecrow Festival is taking place.
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| Tempted but we didn't stop ...... |
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| let the train take the strain ... |
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| ... anyone we know? |
After enjoying the scarecrows on the main road Kathy and I decide to come back on Saturday for a proper look at them all. So it's on to home via Hurn Stores and a farewell to Derek and Bob as they load bikes back onto cars.
Another great ride, new roads discovered and as always in great company we can heartily recommend club and group cycling to everyone.
Sunday 18 August 2013
CTC ride to West Stafford
It's a meet at Merley Bridge and on via the usual route to coffee at West Holme. At West Holme we join up with a large group who have come directly to coffee but after the break we are still the same number that left Merley Bridge!
The route from coffee takes us on a steady climb through East Stoke, Wool, Moreton and Woodford before reaching (via one of Bob's infamous short cuts) West Stafford. West Stafford was originally known as Stanford, from the Old English for “stony ford”, perhaps alluding to a crossing of the South Winterborne which flows through it, or even of the River Frome just to the North. Curiously, there are two manor houses in the village. The elder of the two, Stafford House, is considered to be one of the best examples of Stuart architecture in Dorset.
We take our lunch in the village playground by the water meadows where we watch a pair of herons flying.
After a refreshing lunch and a stop to repair Kevins first puncture of the day we head off towards Tincleton where we pass Pallington Lakes home to 'Sculpture by the Lakes' which reminds kathy and I to plan a visit over the coming bank holiday. Just past the lakes I have my second puncture of the day and we have the usual repair by committee scenario and all the 'helpful' advice that goes with it. We carry out a temporary repair to a small cut in the tyre using that universal save all - duct tape. New tyre required when I get home.
Our route from here takes us via Clouds Hill (home of Lawrence of Arabia) and Lane End and on towards the A35.
After a steady ride along the A35 and some very well mannered drivers we turn off at the Bakers Arms and head for the cafe at the Courtyard Centre for ice creams an cold drinks.
From here its time to head home and a refreshing shower to get rid of the dust from the road, although dust is fine as all to soon it will be mud!!
The route from coffee takes us on a steady climb through East Stoke, Wool, Moreton and Woodford before reaching (via one of Bob's infamous short cuts) West Stafford. West Stafford was originally known as Stanford, from the Old English for “stony ford”, perhaps alluding to a crossing of the South Winterborne which flows through it, or even of the River Frome just to the North. Curiously, there are two manor houses in the village. The elder of the two, Stafford House, is considered to be one of the best examples of Stuart architecture in Dorset.
We take our lunch in the village playground by the water meadows where we watch a pair of herons flying.
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| Shelter from the elements in the 'Wendy House' |
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| Play equipment doubles as a cycle rack! |
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| Or enjoy the sunshine on the bench. |
After a refreshing lunch and a stop to repair Kevins first puncture of the day we head off towards Tincleton where we pass Pallington Lakes home to 'Sculpture by the Lakes' which reminds kathy and I to plan a visit over the coming bank holiday. Just past the lakes I have my second puncture of the day and we have the usual repair by committee scenario and all the 'helpful' advice that goes with it. We carry out a temporary repair to a small cut in the tyre using that universal save all - duct tape. New tyre required when I get home.
Our route from here takes us via Clouds Hill (home of Lawrence of Arabia) and Lane End and on towards the A35.
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| Kathy, |
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| Derek, |
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| Graham and Bob C |
From here its time to head home and a refreshing shower to get rid of the dust from the road, although dust is fine as all to soon it will be mud!!
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