Cycling UK Logo
  • Home
  • Rides
  • Statistics
  • Route Sheets
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Cafes
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Log in

Past Ride

We send details of upcoming rides in a weekly email newsletter. If you would like to be added to our mailing list please contact [javascript protected email address].

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:
sunnysunny intervals
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
Riding towards Kemble
Coffe stop in Tetbury
Coffe stop in Tetbury
Refuelled and ready to go
Refuelled and ready to go
Climbing out of Tetbury, just before Eddie's gear cable broke...
Climbing out of Tetbury, just before Eddie's gear cable broke...
Near Westonbirt Arboretum
Near Westonbirt Arboretum
Nicole and Katherine lead the peloton.
Nicole and Katherine lead the peloton.
Sharon takes the lead!
Sharon takes the lead!
CUK Wantage crew in Castle Combe.
CUK Wantage crew in Castle Combe.
Riding through Castle Combe.
Riding through Castle Combe.
Lunch at the Bell in Yatton Keynell
Lunch at the Bell in Yatton Keynell
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.
At the top of the last hill, west of Lydiard Park.
Proposed Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39041947"
Comment on this ride

Ride Filter
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
Ride Calendar
« Oct 2026 »
MoTuWeThFrSaSu
1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031
Recent Rides
Sun Oct 18th 2026
—Half Day Ride
69km 8 riders

Sat Oct 17th 2026
—1* Saturday Half-day Awayday Ride from Uffington
27km 9 riders
—Off Road Saturday Autumn Ride Cancelled
—4* Saturday Shortie

Thu Oct 15th 2026
—Daytime 1* Thursday Ride, Harwell Campus
25km 3 riders
—Daytime 2* Thursday Ride
8 riders Ride has photos

Tue Oct 13th 2026
—Tuesday Evening 4* Ride
—Virtual Turbo
8 riders

Sun Oct 11th 2026
—3* Sunday Shortie

Sat Oct 10th 2026
—2* Saturday Half Day Ride - Abingdon
61km 9 riders Ride has photos

Thu Oct 8th 2026
—Daytime 1* Thursday Ride - Stanford loop
27km 3 riders
—Daytime 2* Thursday Ride - Aston
52km 11 riders
—Daytime 3* Winter Fitness Ride
45km 6 riders

Tue Oct 6th 2026
—Tuesday Evening 4* Ride
—Virtual Turbo
7 riders

Sun Oct 4th 2026
—Off Road Sunday Ride
—3* Awayday Ride
85km 5 riders

Sat Oct 3rd 2026
—RIDE CANCELLED - 4* Saturday Shortie

Thu Oct 1st 2026
—Daytime 1* Thursday Ride - Bagpuize and Southmoor
27km 6 riders Ride has photos
—Daytime 2* Thursday Ride
58km 12 riders Ride has photos
—Daytime 3* Winter Fitness Ride
54km 3 riders

Tue Sep 29th 2026
—Tuesday Evening 4* Ride
—Virtual Turbo
5 riders

Sat Sep 26th 2026
—2* Saturday Half Day Ride to Clanfield
47km 3 riders

Thu Sep 24th 2026
—Daytime 1* Thursday Ride
27km 4 riders

Ride has photos Ride has photos
Ride has comments Ride has comments

Ride Archive

*

© Cycling UK Wantage 2026, PHP v7.4.33

Our Facebook Group Blog RSS Feed

Valid XHTML 1.0 Strict