On a hot and sunny weekend the Club had a plethora of organised rides ranging from the 35km introductory ride, through the 80km moderate and 122km tempo rides to the 220km endurance event that is the crossing of the Black Mountains. For one rider, though, that was not enough. With the Glorious Twelfth coming up, and with it the shooting season, it was a last chance to go across the Cotswold bridleways in peace. So it was that he set off from the Square with the Moderate riders but left them to skirt the Northgate construction works by way of the railway underpass and Asylum Lane (now known as Royal Lane) to head for the Cotswold Way. Ironically the vehicular section of this was the roughest, before the stones gave way to dirt. At the top of Sanatorium Lane (rechristened Buckholt Road) the ride crossed open fields to reach Brimpsfield Park and a stony descent past its fishing lakes. The path here has been resurfaced with a motley selection of builders’ rubble and broken pottery, which will at least prevent it from becomeing muddy when, at some distant date, we get some rain.
Upwards to Granny’s Pumps (aka Gloucester Beeches) and across open country to Elkstone and Sparrowthorn, then calamity on the descent to the Churn valley – a road closure! Retracing my route and joining the road to Marsden it was time for some more adventure. A wide track invited but I was astonsihed to meet not one but four vehicles, the last of which contained a gamekeeper. They had perhaps been making last minute preparations for the shoot. He was kind enough to point out that I was no longer on a PROW and directed me to an easily overlooked bridleway that, naturally, was at thetop of the hill I’d just descended. C’est la vie.
From here it was easy riding across the abandoned airfield and down to the Roman villa with its inviting café and gift shop. The clock read eleven so I knew the next group would soon arrive and reserved two tables in the cool school room admiring the imitation Roman mosaic on the floor while I waited.
Fed and watered the groups went their separate ways. The disused Midland & South Western Junction rail line is now a Nature Reserve with access restricted to Wildlife, accodring to the notice posted there. Being tame I had to continue beyond it, walking up a stony path to pick up the woodlandtrail that ran parallel to reach Tunway Gate, though the name considerably predates the galbvanised steel gate that I encountered. Henceforth it was more trails through Withington Woods, Upcote, and across the gallop to Andovesford before turning for home along the A40. What a contrast that was, presenting me with my first exposure to traffic and a rising SW wind!
Details of the route and more pictures are to be found in the Club collection here