Words by James Roberts
Photos by James Roberts, Tom Scott and Steve Narbett
What a day Tom picked for this ride – the sun was out and it stayed out all day.
Martin and I were the first to turn up and get ready; slowly, people started turning up, and all in all 15 riders signed in, and then signed in again, this time with our surnames… sorry Kat!
We set off with Tom up front and Pete at the back; it was a very slow start – something about getting a GPS signal. We cycled through Savernake Forest with the sun on our backs, making progress at a steady pace, even for the new faces in the group (well, new to me anyway), winding though the forest on to the Grand Avenue with the ups and downs and the dust clouds of the back wheels. Dusty trails are just what we like.
From there, we popped out on to Savernake Road, took a little road ride down into Burbge, then headed to Crofton Beam Engine with a (completely necessary!) stop for ice cream and photos.
A little bit more road riding (we crossed a railway, climbed up a farm track, then found a nice little downhill bit with a jump) and we ended up at Wilton Windmill. We followed the road for a bit before heading back on the dirt with the Kennet and Avon Canal path.
After a nice stop at one of the many locks for food, we were back on the bikes following the canal back to Savernake Road, before heading back down towards home on to Grand Avenue again. The legs were slowly giving up the ghost but kept pedalling all the way back .
Cheers for Tom Scott for the lead out.
