Club Rides Saturday 15th November 2014

Our invitation to 'Vintage Heaven' at The Organic Farm Shop

For the first and quite possibly the last time ever, on Saturday the members split into two groups and went in entirely different directions. As you'll be aware, where possible, we normally offer a short and a long route to the same destination. However, on this occasion, avoiding main roads, we couldn't shorten the 49.79 mile Bibury course.

And so it was that 5 of us headed northwards to the Cotswolds whilst an equal number rode in a southerly direction. As yet, I haven't spoken to Howard to find out where they went, but there was mention of an excursion to the Allington Farm Shop as Mike, Steve, Heather and Ewan didn't go there the week before.

I'd like to be able to tell you about the glorious views we enjoyed in the Cotswolds, but sadly the fog didn't lift until the afternoon, by which time we were well on our way back home.

Some may beg to differ, but I think I just about managed to deliver the promised hill-free course. Admittedly some of the ascents came pretty close.

We opted to pass on the Chedworth Farm Shop experience, reached after 24 miles. I'd thrown it in as an option in case anyone was flagging, but it was never a serious contender. On a previous outing, not on a club run, my homemade soup had the consistency of sludge and the milk for my tea arrived with fat floating on the surface.

Having clocked up around 34 miles we arrived at the Organic Farm Shop just outside of Cirencester. A schoolboy error on my part was there for all to see. During the planning stage I'd failed to check if any events were taking place at the venue. A charity bazaar was in full swing which included a female vocalist, and very good she was too. We took our seats to her rendition of 'Hey Big Spender.' A very appropriate number for those members who currently have new bikes on order.

Disappointingly, hot drinks and cake were being dispensed from a temporary counter. This meant that the usual selection of coffees wasn't available. Cake was on the expensive side. Proceeds were being donated to various charities and so we tempered our grumbles. The table serving as a counter might have been because the coffee machine wasn't working. Phil appeared to have got to the root of the issue, but with the singer's volume control needing some slight adjustment, I couldn't hear a word he said. Refills would probably have been in order, but drowned out by the lively atmosphere, we cut short our visit.

Having safely negotiated Cirencester's town centre, something we tend to avoid, we enjoyed the last leg back to Malmesbury, particularly when the sun burst forth after Oaksey.

Garmin reference: http://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/8363954