Cotswolds V.2 - 2nd November

First topic message reminder :

I decided to use what may well have been the last day of proper summer to do a first recce of the reverse route.  And this time Fish Hill was devoid of ****s in overloaded Kia Picanto's clogging up the overtaking lane.

Well, it's not exactly the reverse of last time's route.  In fact a lot of it will be different, but hopefully just a enjoyable.  And this time, as there should be a bit less tourist stuff about, we can go through one or two more picturesque places that I avoided previously.

I'll stick with my proposal to start at Hein Gericke Oxford (actually about 5 miles west of Oxford on the A40, but still reasonably accessible and findable).  But that does involve a fairly long first leg - about 50 miles and 1 1/2 hours - to a decent coffee stop, which is at a farm shop a little to the west of Stow-on-the Wold.  Not the cheapest, but the cake is worth the trip and there is plenty of outdoor seating.

Then we'll go via Chipping Camden and up Fish Hill to Broadway Tower.  That's only about another half-hour's riding, but it will still take us to about 12:30, and I got the impression that most felt it was a good place to stop for lunch, as well as having a good view.

Then the last leg will meander down through Guiting Power and Andoversford and we can get some fuel near Cirencester (where the south-western brigade can peel off if they wish) before a final blast up through Bibury to finish at the same pub by the River Windrush as last time - again, plenty of space to sit outside.

I'll be doing a couple more runs to firm up on the exact route for the bits around Chipping Camden and Guiting Power - when I did it yesterday I used some fairly twiddly roads and there may be better alternatives that need to be checked out.

I just hope the weather is as kind at the end of October as it was two weeks ago.

'fraid I have to bow out as well Bob, sorry. Hope you all have a good one.

S

Just checked the forecast and it looks like there might be a dry(er) slot during daylight hours, though the wind will be picking up later.

Not done a recce recently (been away for a bit) so no idea if there'll be any fallen trees etc.  But this being the Cotswolds there will almost certainly be mud.  And maybe one or two ex-tabloid-editing sex romp love rats enjoying a final taste of freedom.

Here I am sitting in a cafe in Swindon, not far from where this rideout is heading. I think the best description I can come up with for the weather I can see outside is 'sheeting rain'.

Hope it went ok! Sorry I couldn't join as I moved house last weekend and have a million things to buy (eg curtains).

Well, it's an ill wind, as they say.

Having waited until after 10 and no-one had turned up, I went and did a bit of the route, which was drying out nicely. When I got to Burford I decided to pop down to Swindon to see if ex-Geo-White's had any cheap bike covers, and guess what? They are having a birthday sale, with stuff both in the main building and a marquee outside. So I ended up with not just a bike cover, but a load of other stuff as well (good job I had the top box on).

Worth popping along if you're in the vicinity. Best bargains (for me) were a 3-pack of neck buffs for a quid and a spare visor for my HJC helmet for £4, but there's lots of other stuff.

Got a bit damp on the way home, but it's cleared up again now.

Sorry to hear it was a very mini ride out.

Glad to hear your weather wasn't too bad and you got some bargains to boot.

My excuse...had 15 screaming weans at the science centre instead and I'm hundreds of miles away.

Cheers
Rosco

Sorry it didn't get the weather Bob, keep posting rides and I will try and join one if the weather is ok

No worries.  I needed to get back into the routine of riding bumpy, slimy British roads in "changeable" weather, after two weeks of being spoilt by dry mid-20's in southern France.  Just to make you jealous, this was a mere 5 days ago - you can almost feel the heat coming off the tarmac:

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I really miss my Euro rides for months after I get home