I was pleased to find that six riders joined my ride, making us a lucky seven. Whilst the air was very chilly, thankfully it stayed dry. We headed out of the city centre towards Upton St Leonards, to begin the Nut Hill climb after approaching from the North by going through Abbeydale. Taking it very steadily and safely managing the junction with the A46, we were on our way to Buckholt Road. After stopping near the top of this third climbing section up to the Cotswolds to take a photo, we made a right turn to begin a very long descent, ending up nearly into Stroud.
At the bottom of this descent through Slad, the ride leader opted for a left turn and some additional climbing past two car parks, in an attempt to bypass the majority of the busy Stroud town centre. Most of us, if not all, had never cycled this way and we got quite a shock at the steepness! However it was an interesting detour to try out, and placed us nicely at traffic lights that would let us cross a main road to start the ascent of Butterow Hill up to Minchinhampton common. This was a challenging and winding climb but thoroughly enjoyed, especially after tackling the first long section of fairly high gradient and it began to get gentler.
To get to our café destination the ride leader had chosen to descent ‘The W’, with its multiple hairpin bends. This required a lot of care and patience to be done safely! We were all pleased to arrive at the bustling Canteen in Nailsworth having done a lot of good climbing. Tcoconut milk matcha latte whe ride leader tried a hich was very much enjoyed, even after it arrived very late along with most of the hot drinks ordered by our table. Sumptuous hot savoury food and cakes were devoured too, before we made a move to begin the return journey.
All seven riders started out together for the return journey along the planned route, and much to our delight the sun came out in glorious fashion as we left Nailsworth to begin the Horsley climb. Now well fuelled by our very satisfying elevenses, we made short work of the ascent. Once at the top we could take in lovely views of Cotswold farmland in the sunshine as we continued along the B4058. We made a right turn to eventually end up at the top of Frocester Hill, before tackling that descent. Going straight on at the crossroads, we took a route through Eastington and the Nupend housing estate. The group was then temporarily split at the level crossing on Oldends lane, when the four riders at the front were met with an amber light and continued over. The three riders only a short way behind decided to play it safe seeing the flashing amber and stayed together as the gates came down. What was to be a dark grey passenger train took its sweet time and finally passed through, a good four minutes later! The group was reunited and continued, taking a minor detour through Little Australia to come out at the northern end of Stonehouse.
From there we followed the familiar way (very well-travelled by the club) to Haresfield, where five riders continued on home. The remaining two stopped at the Beacon Inn to enjoy a drink and the company of three other club members, two of them having come from the Novice ride. Two out of this five even sampled the Sunday lunch on offer, which was plentiful and excellent quality.
50 miles with 3,400 feet of climbing
EB