On a sunny (but fresh) April morning 10 (sorry 9) riders set off from the square on their way to the Tetbury Goods Shed Cafe. We travelled out of town along Eastgate Street and up Barton Street and straight on into Matson. Along the way we were briefly joined by the leader of the “off road” ride, however this was short lived as he gained a ride companion and duly adjusted his route to lead this ride. Just past the M5 bridge we turned left into Birchall Lane and briefly thought of turning right up high street heading for “Portway” however given the debate concerning the published route i.e. the Caudle Green Climb, I suspected a mutiny would ensue so on to Nuthill it was.
Almost at the top of this climb we encountered the 10 th Rider who obviously took advantage of the pre-published route and made his own way to liaise with the group. Turning right at the junction along the Painswick Road and then regrouping at the foot of the Buckholt Road climb, some riders suggested a right turn to go through Cranham, but this was never going to fly. Regrouping at the top of Buckholt Road we turned right to drop back down to Cranham and left along the Climperwell Road dropping down into Caudle Green.
Unfortunately, one rider had a minor mechanical that caused a premature return to base, in addition to another rider who had indicated that his ride would be reduced. Yes, the drag out of Caudle Green was tough as expected but everyone seemed to enjoy it, or was it just my imagination. As we climbed out of Caudle Green, we encountered some excellent Spring views and although still a little brisk in the dappled sunlight we made really good progress with the wind on our backs, spring seemed definitely on the way. As we passed over the A419 into Cherington we unfortunately encountered some aggressive driving especially by a young man in a blue BMW who proceeded to wave his hands and flashed his lights to us to get out of his way coming the opposite way, but this could not spoil our day (unfortunately this is an everyday occurrence), and as we made our way through the village every house look as if was staged for a film set. We are on the last lap now, flat roads, sunshine, and the wind on our backs. Over the London Road and into Tetbury and the Cafe beckons. We are a little ahead of our normal schedule however a longer coffee stop seemed better that an extra loop to make up
the time.
At Coffee, the off-road team appeared shortly after us in addition to a “loan rider” who made his own way to the venue. Our return was with a slightly reduced number as some opted for an extended route to their pub stop. The remainder of us made our way out of Tetbury via Chavenage Lane, over the A46, Kingscote, B4058, Bath Road, Frocester Hill, Stonehouse, Gloucester. I was a bit tough against the wind, but a good day out with good company.