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Sat Apr 30th 2022

5th Saturday Special - Tetbury and Castle Combe	3*

Leader: Richard Pethybridge	Start Time: 9:00 am	Start Location: Lydiard Park, Swindon
Description: Update 23 Mar: Weather looking favourable! So far there are 6 people signed up, making a total of 8 with Nicole and myself. They are: Kath and Andy Jo and Ed Sharon B Roger P (who can offer a lift if needed). I'm about to book the pub for lunch, so would appreciate any others who want to come letting me know ASAP. Thanks! The 5th Saturday is always good for an away-day. This time I have chosen a route which begins at Lydiard Park on the west side of Swindon. The ride begins at 0900, and there are toilet facilities at the park that will be open beforehand. The route takes us north west towards Kemble to start with, before turning south to Tetbury for a coffee stop at 33km. We then head sort of southish via a meandering route to Castle Combe, before lunch at the Bell Inn at Yatton Keynell (70km). The route then heads north east, skirting the edge of Chippenham and Royal Wootton Bassett to arrive back at the start. Total distance is 101km, with 700m of ascent. I am happy to lead this group with up to 12 riders, which means there are 10 spaces to go around. Please email me or call on 07875 456521 if you want to ride. I will be booking lunch numbers, so early calls are recommended (coffee is on an ad hoc basis as the coffee shops in Tetbury are quite bijou!).
Riders: Andy Pixton Chris Bailey Eddie Little Jo Little Katherine Boyce Nicole Pethybridge Richard Pethybridge Roger Postbeschild Sharon Bedford Riders = 9 Weather: Report: Well, what a fabulous day this turned out to be! We all met up successfully at Lydiard Park and, after letting a couple of hundred ParkRunners go first we headed off in crisp Spring sunshine en route to Tetbury. The lanes to the west of Swindon are generally quiet and mostly well-surfaced and we had a great ride to coffee. We stopped at 'Veloton', a bike shop and cafe in Tetbury, which proved to be an inspired recommendation from my boss. Quick service and excellent coffee and cake - what more could you want? Shortly after leaving Eddie suffered a broken gear cable. Sadly efforts to fix it failed (and the bike shop/cafe didn't have a mechanic at weekends) so he was left with just two gears for the rest of the day. Not that anyone noticed as Eddie "Iron Legs" Little made light of the hinderance and kept going regardless. There were many high points of the route, but perhaps the prettiest was the charming village of Castle Combe. Plenty of tourists, and we didn't stay long, but well worth the effort of climbing out of the valley after the visit. Lunch followed shortly afterwards, at an excellent and very efficient pub (The Bell at Yatton Keynell) and with over 70% of the route completed. We finished off with the last north-easterly leg, again through quiet lanes, back to the start. Thanks to all who made the ride such fun, and the consensus seemed to be that it's a route we would all like to do again.
Distance: 103.00 km (64.00 mi)	Ride Details: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/88652601
Riding towards Kemble Coffe stop in Tetbury Refuelled and ready to go Climbing out of Tetbury, just before Eddie's gear cable broke... Near Westonbirt Arboretum Nicole and Katherine lead the peloton. Sharon takes the lead! CUK Wantage crew in Castle Combe. Riding through Castle Combe. Lunch at the Bell in Yatton Keynell Lunch at the Bell in Yatton Keynell At the top of the last hill, west of Lydiard Park.
Proposed Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39041947"
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Start Locations: WMP
Wantage Market Place; OMH
Old Mill Hall, Grove

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.; More Information