Following a great night out at The Fountain on Saturday, the ride leader can report that Ham Hill with a hangover is one of the world’s least enjoyable experiences. The hills kept coming, one after the other, but at least our rewards came after Hawling, with great scenery for the rest of the ride. A rather blind right turn onto the A44 at Bourton on the Hill took us swiftly into the busy Moreton-in-Marsh and very welcome coffee at Cotswolds Cycles.
The character of the ride changed after coffee, as we followed the Evenlode valley through beautiful Cotswold stone villages, before crossing over to the equally stunning Windrush valley. Reaching the Windrush gave us a psychological boost, as it returned us to familiar territory, and gave a feeling that we were heading home. A stop at Sherbourne Post Office to fill up with that scarce resource, Thames Water, set us up for the route home.
Great company from a well matched group of riders. My Garmin reported that I needed 3 days to recover, so that’s my excuse for not going out tomorrow.
82 miles, 5,150’ ascent @ 15.9mph