Five rides started from the Square today, the least popular being the President’s guided tour of local tracks on the way to the new National Trust café at Tinkley Farm. Still, quality outshines quantity and three of us set off down Southgate Street, where interest was piqued by the Police incident tape at Discovery Court. Despite the name, there was nothing to see so the leader pressed on to Stroud Road from whence an unexpected turn took the group through the St Barnabas roundabout by bypass, under Cole Avenue. Randwick Park offered the first taste of gravel before a long tarmac section took the group to the innocuous sounding Harescombe Lane. Plenty of gravel was available here, if you stuck to the middle of the road, but the 23% indicated gradient suggested you’d be wiser to stay at the side where the tarmac surface offered some grip. The gradient eased before the turn onto the Cotswold Way, but too late for one of our party who had chosen bipedal transport over bicycle.
Leaving the blacktop for a while, all enjoyed the climb to Cromwell’s Stone, which thankfully no longer includes steps, then a smooth descent towards Beacon Lane. The second brutal road climb was avoided with a conveniently placed MTB trail that led to the NT car park and entry to Standish Woods. Through the woods, then, to emerge as the low lying mist was clearing the view over the Severn to the Black Mountains and, perhaps, Sugar Loaf.
Into the Frome valley and our part time hiker decided it was time to head home leaving, a dynamic duo to cross the railway at Ebley, grabbing a few metres of cobblestones as they did, and tackle the day’s final climb to Selsey Common. The common proved sufficiently dried out to offer a good surface all the way to Penn & Stanley Woods, whose singletrack offered reward for the climb. Emerging near Coaley Peak’s Long Barrow, a final roadside single track led to Nympsfield and Tinkley Lane.
Though its car park was full the café had plenty of space, especially since the Tempo ride had yet to appear. Despite the attraction of a fiery pizza oven (unfortunately not serving before noon) a brisk tea and flapjack snack saw the ride leader back on the road just before the others arrived. Tyre marks along David’s Lane indicated where they had passed, showing that they too had experienced some gravel on their way to the café, before a signposted Restricted Byway led to the descent through Upper Luther Edge Farm to Shortwood and the Nailsworth cycle path.
The path has been swept clear of leaves and proved a joy to ride. After passing Damien Hirst’s studio with its abandoned “Masterpieces” cluttering the yard outside, the rail trail crossed the Cotswold Way and led to the canal, an Ocean, and an anti-aircraft gun tower that, thankfully, is no longer in service.
Switching from one canal to another, the Sharpness ship canal was joined at Parkend Bridge. The roughest section of path of the whole day came just south of the five-mile post, where for the first time a full sus MTB would have been welcome, just to swallow the ruts and holes. Finally, from the Pilot Inn, things improved – the sun was shining, the swans were swimming, the fishermen were fishing, boats were boating, and you can guess what the cyclists were doing on their final stretch into town.
30km off road accomplished.
MT