Past Rides and Events
Rides and Events List Navigation
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Sun 19 March, 2023Sunday ride to Benson and Checkendon
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It’s Mother Day so we will take the opportunity to have lunch at the Black Horse in Checkendon. A place that no self-respecting child would take their mother to on this day. Basic baguettes and chips. No Gluten free food. BYO if necessary.
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Sun 12 March, 2023Sunday ride to Ramsden and Tackley
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James was standing in for Jackie, the previously advertised leader. After a couple of weeks of seemingly grey weather with a cold north wind, it was good to have a warm and brighter day for a change. We headed out of town via the A 40 cycle track to Eynsham – as usual quite scenic but annoyingly noisy due to the motor traffic. At Eynsham Mark had a puncture, and gallantly sent a message telling us to go on, he might catch us up later. In the end he didn’t, partially foiled by having 2 bits of glass in his tyre, not the usual 1 piece. We used the usual route via Wilcot to get to coffee at the Charlbury Garden Centre in Ramsden. After a hilly route to Chadlington, we cashed in our A 40 head wind for some tail wind, going via Enstone and Cleverly to lunch at the Gardiners Arms in Tackley. After lunch is was a relatively short run via Blechingdon and Hampton Poyle to Oxford.
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Sun 5 March, 2023Sunday ride to Aston and Witney
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Ten of us set off from Broad Street on a cold and dull, but dry, early March morning. We were warmed slightly each time the sun attempted an unsuccessful breakthrough. At Aston we were rewarded with a guest appearance from Andrew P who joined for a quick hello and to keep us company to Carterton. The Pottery was packed with many groups of cyclists and we bumped into a few regulars from Abingdon Freewheelers. Despite the temperature, we enjoyed a lovely ride on to Witney were we were well looked after for lunch at Huffkins before a leisurely, still freezing cold but dry, return to Oxford.
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Sun 26 February, 2023Sunday ride to Abingdon and South Moreton
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We had a great turn out (15 for lunch) on a sunny day with a bit of a chilly north-east wind. An unusual route out through Sandford – walking across the lock of course. Coffee inside and out in the market place with a bonus Gruffalo post box topper. A nice lunch at a ‘new’ (to most of us) venue. It was a bit harder work on the way back into the wind. -
Sun 19 February, 2023Sunday ride to Witney and Long Hanborough
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It was a beautiful sunny day that warmed up nicely as the day went on and felt very springlike. We had a great turnout and the ride to Cogges was uneventful with a new gazebo type area to sit in. Then off on the quiet roads of West Oxon round Asthall Leigh, Langley, Leafield, Finstock, Stonesfield and Combe on our way to a very efficient lunch for 14 of us at the George and Dragon in Long Hanborough. We saw a huge number of other cycling groups out on the roads, including some friends from the midweek group. On our return, we knew the road past Worton towards Yarnton was closed due to the railway bridge collapsing there but we were still surprised by the huge queues going the other way on the quiet road that was taking us to Cassington from Long Hanborough. We couldn’t believe that that much traffic would normally be going to Yarnton from Cassington and so it turned out as the A40 was completely closed as well. The police let us on the cycle lane though which was lovely and quiet but did mean we had to cycle past a very gory scene of a motorbike completely upside down in the middle of the A40. Hopefully it was not as bad as it looked. Apart from that bit, I think everyone felt it was a lovely day to be out.
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Sun 12 February, 2023Sunday ride to Long Crendon and Bicester
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The weather seemed mild at 6C, in comparison to the last few weeks. Eleven of us gathered in Broad Street and picked up 3 riders along the way. Jackie and Marion were waiting for us at the top of Barracks Lane and Clare joined us in Worminghall. We then cycled onto Long Crendon to visit the new coffee shop, Base Coffee and Kitchen. It’s a good size but was very busy with many friends and families, though no other cyclists. Both coffee and cake were excellent, though Jackie grumbled about the lack of scones. Nine of us continued to Bicester Garden Centre with Clare peeling off after Brill. We saw many groups and single cyclists on the way and assumed the better weather was encouraging them out. After prompt service at Bicester we headed home. A pleasant ride with no incidents.
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Sun 5 February, 2023Sunday ride to Waterperry and Wheatley
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A fairly bright sunny day on the whole, though still quite chilly. We made a circuitous route via Beckley and Stanton St John to coffee at Waterperry. For the first time this year, snowdrops were out in force, and here and there a lot of yelow celendines were in flower too. While at coffee we were joined by Marion, Gill and Tony, and Christine was already in the café when we arrived. Our route to lunch was pleasant, via Oakley, Chilton and Ickford, before a busy dash through the M40 junction to the motorway services. Harry Ramsden’s fish and chips had closed since our last visit. The remaining offerings were so tempting we all headed to Waitrose to buy a picnic instead. Revived by Waitrose, we returned to Oxford via Great Milton, Cuddesdon and Garsington.
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Sun 29 January, 2023Away day ride to Preston Bissett and Bicester
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We had a good ride – grey start and chilly but not as much as recent times. Nice round about route on quiet country lanes for lovely brunch at the Tipi cafe at Preston Bissett Nursery sausage rolls and carrot and cardamon cake were popular and generous mugs of coffee. The majority of riders who train-ed out to Bicester in the morning (always an adventure!) took advantage of the brightening skies to ride back to Oxford.
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Sun 22 January, 2023CANCELLED: Sunday ride to Waterperry and Wheatley
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Lunch is at the Motorway services which means it should be quick with plenty of choice even at this busy time of year.
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Sun 15 January, 2023Sunday ride to Woodstock and Lower Heyford
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Just eight of us gathered on a cold but sunny morning in Broad Street. All 6 who were going to lunch had given names beginning with J but it honestly wasn’t a dictate. The sunshine made for wonderful scenic views, along with a few climbs to get us up to the top of ridges to appreciate them. The wind was not very kind for most of the way though, either being in our faces or a side wind both going north and coming back southwards. But for the time of year, it was still nice not to be rained on; the many views of flooded areas was a reminder that it could easily have been wet. Annoyingly I forgot to take a photo before Helen and John B, the coffee riders, left us.
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Sun 8 January, 2023Sunday ride to Waterperry and Berinsfield
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The weather forecast was for a bit chilly with some showers. We had a hazy sun as we headed to Waterperry via Horspath. It rained while we had coffee which stopped as we set off. The Wandering Kitchen near Dorchester was our lunch venue, which gave us a new route from coffee heading south. Weather was fine until near Drayton St Leonards when the sky matched the grey paint on my bike and the rain started. Fortunately we were not that far from lunch at this point. By the time we left lunch, the rain had stopped so we had a dry run back via Clifton Hampden and the Baldons. It was good to see John B back out on his bike after a spell off the bike due to back issues.
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Sun 1 January, 2023New Year's Day ride and lunch
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It was lovely weather for New Years Day. Sunny, not too cold and only a bit of headwind; such a contrast to the heavy rain of the day before. Ten people gathered at our house bringing contributions for dessert which were much appreciated. Eleven riders, including myself, set off for a short ride of 22 miles on a modified Otmoor Loop before returning for lunch. We had a very sociable meal of baked potatoes, chillies and salads and then a selection of puddings.
Donations towards Alzheimer’s Research were extremely generous and £180 was raised. -
Sun 18 December, 2022
CANCELLED: Sunday ride to Waterperry and Wheatley
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Lunch is at the Motorway services which means it should be quick with plenty of choice even at this busy time of year. The map is an embedded link from Ride with GPS. You can zoom in to see the route in as much detail as you like. For example, you can zoom in (using the + sign) to see exactly where the start is. If you’d like to see the distances, go to the Ride with GPS website by clicking on “View Full Version” (top left of map).
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Sun 11 December, 2022
CANCELLED: Sunday ride to Uffington and Longcot
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It’s our annual ride to White Horse Hill for mince pies and mulled wine. A long stretch to coffee with a climb over Boars Hill and a hard climb to the top of White Horse Hill before mulled wine and mince pies. Like many local clubs, we will join Cycling UK Wantage’s annual festive ride in support of the Whiz-Kidz charity. Make it more of an event by adding Antlers and /or tinsel to you or your bike.
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Sun 4 December, 2022Sunday ride to Stadhampton and Thame
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After a fairly chilly start, the threat of some very fine drizzle didn’t come to much and we at least stayed dry all day. The bad news was that The Crazy Bear Café only does takeaway these days, having not reinstalled the tables and chairs since their removal during lockdown. We decided it was too cold to sit around outside and decided to push on to Thame for refreshment. After pausing only for a photo call to record passing Clare’s own personal village, we arrived earlier than scheduled for our lunch stop and we were treated to a most superb brunch at the Whats Cooking Café where even the coffee was remarkably good. After a most relaxing end enjoyable break, we set off back to Oxford noticing the temperature had dropped further, becoming “decidedly chilly”, rather than just the “fairly chilly” of the morning.
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Sun 27 November, 2022Sunday ride to Twyford and Launton
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A small group resisted the lure of the food market in Broad St. The rain had cleared and there were occasional glimmers of sun. Twyford stores was as welcoming as usual. Conversation varied from the inevitable World Cup football, Scandinavian living standards, decapitation (don’t ask!) and how many beans in a 5 bean chilli……
A ride leader’s dream – a lovely easy to manage group, arriving on time at stops, a ‘road closed’ that was open, flooding that wasn’t and reassuringly uneventful! -
Sun 20 November, 2022Away-day ride to Bourton and Burford
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It was a beautiful sunny morning as 8 of us left Witney for a scenic and hilly ride into the Cotswolds. Our coffee stop was a good 18 miles into the ride so we were ready for our cake by the time we got to Bourton on the Water. There was some more significant climbing to be done before we got to Burford for our lunch and that was also when the rain decided to pay us a short half an hour visit. But it just made us pedal faster! We went to Burford Garden Centre for lunch where we found a big mirror which helped me take a selfie much more easily than by normal efforts. After lunch the sun came out again and the low sun behind us for the short ride back to Witney really highlighted the views again.
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Sun 13 November, 2022Sunday ride to Abingdon and Berinsfield
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Quite a turnout for a fairly gloomy start, 17 riders set out from Broad Street, picking up another couple en-route. Although the plan was to arrive in Abingdon Market Place before the 11:00 remembrance stop, we were running a little behind schedule so we pulled off the road by Abingdon College for a couple of minutes, although we still arrived at the Market Place in good time to watch the Parade pass by. By now the sun had come out and we set off along Route 5 through Sutton Courtenay, Appleford and Brightwell cum Sotwell towards The Wandering Kitchen at Oxford Wet and Wild, near Berinsfield where we enjoyed a lovely lakeside lunch in the sun. Unfortunately this was marred by an excessive wait for everyone’s lunch to arrive and a dearth of anything gluten-free. A relatively short ride home through Drayton St Leonard and Garsington still enjoying the sunshine and feeling not at all like mid-November.
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Sun 6 November, 2022Sunday ride to Bampton and Aston
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Twelve riders set off from Broad Street in our waterproofs but the rain had stopped by the time we reached the top of Cumnor Hill, so we stopped for a clothing adjustment. We picked up two additional riders before coffee at Bampton Garden Centre. As we tucked into our scones and cakes we heard the rain starting to pelt down on the roof. Several riders left to return back to Oxford, but 7 intrepid souls decided to brave the weather and continue on a beautiful loop round to Aston. The rain was not too bad as we set off but after a few minutes, the rain became a deluge. Fortunately, Jackie then had a puncture in her new performance tyre. We huddled under a tree whilst Jackie worked on her wheel. By the time we set off again, the rain had stopped and as we continued on small, quiet back lanes the sun started to make its way through the clouds. We arrived at Aston Pottery a little after the time I had told them but our table for 10 awaited us. I apologised for our reduced numbers but they did not seem
to mind. After a delicious lunch, we all set off on our different journeys home and made it back to Oxford before it was dark. -
Sun 30 October, 2022Sunday ride to Witney and Finstock
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The forecast was for rain at times, occasionally heavy but we rode the whole ride with just 2 drops of rain and lovely sunshine. The roads were awash after lunch so it had obviously rained heavily just previously. We had coffee and cakes at Cogges and went onto the Plough at Finstock for lunch. The photo was taken at the back as the front was scaffolded.
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Sun 23 October, 2022Sunday ride to Waterperry and Bicester
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The start was delayed from 9:30 to 11am as there were very heavy downpours for the first part of the day. It turned out to be a good decision as the Met Office forecast was correct with torrential rain followed by beautiful sunshine by the time we set off. Due to the late start, the ride was shortened to cut out the coffee stop at Waterperry and we made our way more directly to the Bicester Avenue GC for lunch. Maybe it was the weather forecast or the lack of a coffee stop but our numbers were down to just 6 of us. We hadn’t been riding for very long before I had a puncture in my back tyre but luckily it was in a beautiful spot with great views out over Otmoor in the sunshine with hardly a car on that small road. If we had left at the right time, that puncture would have needed repairing in the pouring rain! But Barbara said I may not have had a puncture if we had left at the right time. So were we lucky or unlucky? Despite the small turnout and the puncture, we still enjoyed the ride in the lovely sunshine.
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Sun 16 October, 2022Sunday ride to Watlington and Nettlebed
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A chilly start from an unusual location, by Carfax Tower, due to the Half Marathon selfishly closing Broad Street. The day quickly warmed up as we were treated to blue skies and sunshine most of the way. Whilst enjoying our coffee and cake at the bottom of Watlington Hill, a mutiny developed enforcing a change of route and lunch venue from The Cheese Shed in Nettlebed to The Maker Space Café at Nuffield – which in fact offered a far more varied menu with a south facing back garden in which to relax. We still had to conquer Watlington Hill first, however. After lunch, a gentle cruise back to Oxford on a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon.
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Sun 9 October, 2022Sunday ride to Frilford and Uffington
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It was probably the chilliest morning of the autumn so far, but warm in the sun. We set off with a clear blue sky. As the day went on, cloud gradually appearing, enough to keep the sky interesting, but not to block the sun. A route over Boars Hill through Marcham got us to Millets for coffee. Millets was very busy with pumkins and things spooky in the run up to halloween. A route through the Vale of White Horse and West Challow got us to lunch. The pub had wanted numbers in advance, we had 10, 5 cancelled (2 due to post flu/covid jab queasiness) but 3 late-comers (if there is space) asked to join lunch, so we had 8, which kept the landlord happy. After lunch, we stopped to answer the lunch time query of “What is the blue plaque across the road?” – it was where Sir John Betjeman lived for some years (he grew up a bit further south on the downs). After passing through the pretty village of Woolstone, we turned east for the long fairly straight run back to Oxford in the autumn sun.
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Sat 8 October, 2022Saturday off-road Charlbury Leafield
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It was a beautiful day to be out and riding off road. The ground conditions were great, not overgrown or boggy. We stopped for lunch at the pub in Ramsden and it was even warm enough to sit comfortably outside. Autumn colours were starting to shine through and combined with the sunshine, the views were stunning. The cycling gods were with us as my rear tyre needed a couple of pumps and then the sealant worked and Helen’s front tyre was completely flat when we got it off the bike rack at the end of the day yet it had been fine right up to the end of the ride.