Past Ride
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Sun Jun 21st 2015
| Summer Solstice Ride | 3* |
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Leader:Katherine Boyce |
Start Time:3:45 am |
Start Location:WMP |
Description:Long ride from Wantage to see the sunrise on the longest day of the year.A classic bit of Wantage CTC teamwork. Leader down (hope the arm heals quickly Des) a new plan needed, phone lines humming and new plan hatched. We'll get to Hackpen summit in time to see the sun rise before going on to Chisledon for a coffee stop at the 24hr service station that has Costa. Then it's on to Avebury to see if there's any interesting sights remaining after the solstice. If our timing is right we'll make the Tutti Pole cafe in Hungerford for 9am with their legendary full English breakfasts. Then a final hill back up to the ridgeway and home. You'll obviously need lights for the first part of the ride and food to keep you going until breakfast. The ride is about 120km with a fair few climbs. But these will be done at a reasonable pace. With these hills the overall pace is likely to be at the low end of 3*. Please check the website Saturday night because if it's going to be wet Sunday morning I'll cancel the ride - we won't be able to see the sunrise 😀 |
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Riders:Andy PixtonChris Rolls Chris Walters John Tranter Katherine Boyce Louis Hall Nick Stokell Phil Ward Riders = 8 Weather:   Report:7 of us gathered in the Market Place ready for a 3.45am start. Not sure who was the most bemused: us or those leaving the late night drinking spots of Wantage!A quick trip to the Ridgeway via Hackpen and we were waiting for sunrise before 4.30. It was amazingly busy - not with Solstice waiters but an organised 52 mile Ridgeway walk that had started on Saturday afternoon and was finishing at Barbury Castle. We spotted Chris W's lights coming up from Great Shefford and we all hung around until 4.50 to make absolutely sure that we were not going to get any glimpse of the sun rising, despite a late break in the clouds  .Our spirits undampened by the lack of sun, we ventured on through the peace and quite of the early Sunday morning, with the dawn chorus generally being the loudest sounds to be heard. Through Lambourn, Ashbury, Fox Hill, we seemed to arrive quickly at our coffee stop. Who knew that a 24 hour garage on the outskirts of Swindon could produce such good coffee at 6am! A bit of a climb out of Wroughton and into what was for a few of us new territory. We knew we were approaching Avebury because all the laybys were shut and the no parking cones stretched way out of the village. With quite a few strange folk wandering through the village and the Stones packed with solstice revellers we barely paused. A few hairy moments with pedestrians jumping out of hedges and car drivers attempting to overtake on blind bends and we were well into the Marlborough Downs. A stop to allow legs to decramp and those off the front were left wondering where most of us were. Reunited we arrived at Pewsey for an interesting set of paths through and out. Onwards to more familiar territory and Hungerford for breakfast. Most of us had full English in various sizes and managed to cause great confusion with who was having what. With the stop taking longer than expected, a few were starting to run out of time. We said goodbye to Chris W before we reached Great Shefford and Nick and Louis as we started to leave the A338 towards Chain Hill. And then a wonderful swooping decent into Wantage, a cut through to the Market Place and the ride was finished. Over 120km completed before lunch. We saw 3 Wiltshire White Horses and crossed the Ridgeway at least 4 times. A great bunch of riders. In no way could I be said to the be the leader. Everyone took a turn on the front and Chris W had devised a great route that we all really enjoyed. Pictures courtesy of John Tranter can be seen on his facebook page. | ||
Distance:122.10 km (75.87 mi) | Ride Details:https://www.strava.com/activities/330190387 | |
| Proposed Route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/8541253" | ||
Comment on this ride | ||
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- Categories
- 1* - Suitable for irregular, social, beginner or family riders, pace will match the slower riders. Not hilly or long. Expect rides up to 3 hours. Gentle exercise.
- 2* - Suitable for regular riders who prefer to cover some distance but at a more relaxed pace. Likely to be half-day rides. Solid exercise.
- 3* - Suitable for experienced riders, may be hilly, long, quick, or any combination! Likely to be half or full-day rides. Challenging exercise.
- 4* - Suitable for athletic riders who can ride safely above the 3* standard. Quick rides for the fit.
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