StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
Outstanding effort guys and girls!
Tilting at Windmills ride - Sat. 11th May
- Thread starter Flying Dodo
- Start date
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OP
OP
Flying Dodo
It'll soon be summer
Just dropped the last 2 at Tring station 4 minutes before a London bound train arrived! Now off to head back home myself
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Thanks Adam for a great ride round a lovely area that I didn't know at all. Red kites, bluebells, windmills, amphibian barriers ... what more could the heart of man desire?
Searching for enlightenment at the sacred bench.
Searching for enlightenment at the sacred bench.
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
What was the bench sniffing in aid of then?
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Charlie's spiffy red valve cap.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Incidentally - where we looked at the railway trackbed, with amphibian barriers on it is marked on the OS maps as being an extant railway. Map Here
In fact if you look at Google Earth/Streetview you can see a single track line
A bit of searching reveals that this is going to be made into an access road from the A41 to an incinerator built a couple of km to the North. See here. Section 3d of this document explains the presence of amphibian barriers.
In fact if you look at Google Earth/Streetview you can see a single track line
A bit of searching reveals that this is going to be made into an access road from the A41 to an incinerator built a couple of km to the North. See here. Section 3d of this document explains the presence of amphibian barriers.
lilolee
Veteran
- Location
- Maidenhead
Great ride, in the usual Adam manner. I got home and promptly fell asleep.
Wasn't that Mark Getty a nice man?
Wasn't that Mark Getty a nice man?
OP
OP
Flying Dodo
It'll soon be summer
Well, yesterday definitely was an ADVENTURE! Despite my warnings about the weather, when I rolled up at Tring Station, Charlie was clearly expecting sunny weather as he was in shorts. And in fact we were luckier with the conditions than I expected. Tim, Pippa, Charlie, Andrew and I set off just before 9.30 and soon we were onto the first climb of the day, up towards Wigginton. This is a fairly steady climb of just over ½ mile, topping out at about a 10% gradient, before we're onto a ridge. We were too early to spot any celebrities going to Champneys, so we headed off to our first target windmill in Cholesbury.
As Tim had his heavy duty camera, I figured his photos will be far better than mine, so I thought I'd get a shot of the master at work. This windmill is a fairly modern one having been built in 1883, on the site of earlier windmills. It's had a number of famous previous owners including the former wife of J M Barrie, a former head of BBC radio, and also the head of IBM.
Following a brief chat with Charlie's postman who lives next door, and providing a little safety talk on the dangers of the roads, we headed off again, towards Wendover.
I've cycled straight past the road quite a few times and never spotted it before! This one is about 200 years old, and around the start of the 20th Century was converted to steam power, due to the newly built houses around it affecting the wind flow, and then being converted to a house in 1931. This is in fact a rental property, available for (only) £1,550 per week. Whilst we were admiring its design, Lee rolled up, and then our peloton headed off again. I'd forgotten a sharp left turn up a hill at Butlers Cross came so soon after a rapid downhill, so Tim, Pippa and Lee went zooming past the turn, and I had to chase them down. However retracing our route, Tim spotted Coombe Hill Memorial, built after the Boer War which I'd not seen before, having only ever gone the other way along there. After a slow ascent back up the hill, Charlie was warned not to make any rude signs at Chequers (see my HS2 ride!), and then we headed off along Pink Road where we had a bonus windmill I'd overlooked, at Loosley Row.
The team were now getting used to the theme of climbs, followed by descents. When you're going along the ridges of the Chilterns, there are some spectacular views, which hopefully Tim managed to capture.
Although I've been on most of yesterday's route, I'd admitted I hadn't checked out this southern portion, and had relied on bikehike, which produced the first error, as after crossing over the M40 at Stokenchurch, the expected road was a track. So a little change of route brought some lovely swooping downhills towards the quaint little hamlet of Fingest, where sadly Charlie had a front and rear puncture. As mentioned above, there was some frantic searching under a bench to find his bling valve cap, whilst some of the others admired the Norman church, with its unusual double gable, one of only 2 in the country. To get to our next destination, the Cobstone windmill, known more famously for its role in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, we would have had to go up an almost 15% cliff, so we opted for the next road along which did give some good views, although sadly this then lead to the next minor navigational error as my track had us going through what was the old Paul Getty Estate. However, as the signs said the private road was also a bridleway, we headed off into the unknown. As Lee and I got the exit gate on the other side, a beefy chap in a 4x4 drove up pointing out there wasn't a through route, although as we were so apologetic, we got away with it! Emerging onto the main road, it was apparent there'd been a lot of rain, although we'd only had a couple of spots, so clearly posh people are able to divert rain. We then dropped off down the Chilterns and made a fast run towards the lunchstop in Thame, where Rebecca had been waiting in the pub, having taken the direct route rather than opting to do the hills.
After Pippa headed off to get a train, the rest of us headed northwards towards Brill, which of course meant another climb. But the windmill at Brill was worth it, being an unusual squat design, and one of the oldest surviving windmills.
From there, it was only about another 10 miles to the final windmill, at Quainton, which is still owned by the family that built it.
Whilst sheltering from the rain which had started, I fixed a puncture that Rebecca had picked up, and in view of the fact we were behind schedule, rather than go up onto the hills to go around Aylesbury, we took advantage of the tail wind, meaning the heavy rain was mainly behind us, and headed through the town centre where Charlie wisely opted for a warm train home, whilst the rest of us headed towards Tring. Rebecca headed for home, whilst I guided Tim & Andrew to the train station, and after leaving them just after 7 pm, to catch up with Rebecca, the heavy rain then started, so I was glad it hadn't intruded too much. Near Ivinghoe, I took a quick photo of Pitstone windmill which I would have included along with one in Chinnor, if we'd had time.
Still overall, it was a fun day, and I hope you all enjoyed your day out in the Chilterns.
As Tim had his heavy duty camera, I figured his photos will be far better than mine, so I thought I'd get a shot of the master at work. This windmill is a fairly modern one having been built in 1883, on the site of earlier windmills. It's had a number of famous previous owners including the former wife of J M Barrie, a former head of BBC radio, and also the head of IBM.
Following a brief chat with Charlie's postman who lives next door, and providing a little safety talk on the dangers of the roads, we headed off again, towards Wendover.
I've cycled straight past the road quite a few times and never spotted it before! This one is about 200 years old, and around the start of the 20th Century was converted to steam power, due to the newly built houses around it affecting the wind flow, and then being converted to a house in 1931. This is in fact a rental property, available for (only) £1,550 per week. Whilst we were admiring its design, Lee rolled up, and then our peloton headed off again. I'd forgotten a sharp left turn up a hill at Butlers Cross came so soon after a rapid downhill, so Tim, Pippa and Lee went zooming past the turn, and I had to chase them down. However retracing our route, Tim spotted Coombe Hill Memorial, built after the Boer War which I'd not seen before, having only ever gone the other way along there. After a slow ascent back up the hill, Charlie was warned not to make any rude signs at Chequers (see my HS2 ride!), and then we headed off along Pink Road where we had a bonus windmill I'd overlooked, at Loosley Row.
The team were now getting used to the theme of climbs, followed by descents. When you're going along the ridges of the Chilterns, there are some spectacular views, which hopefully Tim managed to capture.
Although I've been on most of yesterday's route, I'd admitted I hadn't checked out this southern portion, and had relied on bikehike, which produced the first error, as after crossing over the M40 at Stokenchurch, the expected road was a track. So a little change of route brought some lovely swooping downhills towards the quaint little hamlet of Fingest, where sadly Charlie had a front and rear puncture. As mentioned above, there was some frantic searching under a bench to find his bling valve cap, whilst some of the others admired the Norman church, with its unusual double gable, one of only 2 in the country. To get to our next destination, the Cobstone windmill, known more famously for its role in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, we would have had to go up an almost 15% cliff, so we opted for the next road along which did give some good views, although sadly this then lead to the next minor navigational error as my track had us going through what was the old Paul Getty Estate. However, as the signs said the private road was also a bridleway, we headed off into the unknown. As Lee and I got the exit gate on the other side, a beefy chap in a 4x4 drove up pointing out there wasn't a through route, although as we were so apologetic, we got away with it! Emerging onto the main road, it was apparent there'd been a lot of rain, although we'd only had a couple of spots, so clearly posh people are able to divert rain. We then dropped off down the Chilterns and made a fast run towards the lunchstop in Thame, where Rebecca had been waiting in the pub, having taken the direct route rather than opting to do the hills.
After Pippa headed off to get a train, the rest of us headed northwards towards Brill, which of course meant another climb. But the windmill at Brill was worth it, being an unusual squat design, and one of the oldest surviving windmills.
From there, it was only about another 10 miles to the final windmill, at Quainton, which is still owned by the family that built it.
Whilst sheltering from the rain which had started, I fixed a puncture that Rebecca had picked up, and in view of the fact we were behind schedule, rather than go up onto the hills to go around Aylesbury, we took advantage of the tail wind, meaning the heavy rain was mainly behind us, and headed through the town centre where Charlie wisely opted for a warm train home, whilst the rest of us headed towards Tring. Rebecca headed for home, whilst I guided Tim & Andrew to the train station, and after leaving them just after 7 pm, to catch up with Rebecca, the heavy rain then started, so I was glad it hadn't intruded too much. Near Ivinghoe, I took a quick photo of Pitstone windmill which I would have included along with one in Chinnor, if we'd had time.
Still overall, it was a fun day, and I hope you all enjoyed your day out in the Chilterns.
Brilliant fun, thanks everyone. The day got off to a good start when Pippsy was on the train after all, along with that nice Dogtrousers. We loitered hungrily at Tring station while the wee cafe thing resolutely stayed shut. CharleB and then FD turned up and off we went. As noted elsewhere, there was quite a lot of UP involved, but the scenery was gorgeous. Lovely wooded lanes, bluebells, kites, lots and lots of kites. However I failed to photograph much of it at all. Got lots of pictures of windmills for some reason...
I had a little moment at Fingest when Pippsy demonstrated her pumping action. Goodness. We kind of stumbled into in the Wormsley Estate, armed with a Mk1 Winning Smile, which got deployed by the Opera House to a nice man in a bit of a a beaten up car. Was that really Mark Getty? We picked up some bridleway signs so relaxed a little, although the Big Man in the Big Range Rover was a bit grumpy about it. Never mind. Soon we were at lunch, which was handy. 45 miles on two cereal bars and a bottle of water is pushing it a bit. Pint of BEER and the Food of Champions, together with idle chit chat and all was well. Apparently I'm not the only one who records plays off the radio or who listens to Paul Temple. Pippsy and Lilolee left us, but Rebecca joined us. She was ever so pleased to find her bike had received a free lube job, courtesy of the leaky kitchen extractor dolloping grease all over it.
The weather was no where near as bad as promised and the, by now, tail wind was what was needed. A couple more windmills, a bit of puzzling over railway workings and a fairy visitation that was fixed undercover during the heaviest of the rain made for a pleasant afternoon. FD delivered Dogtrousers and me to Tring station with just a couple of minutes to wait. The bike space was somewhat occupied with young men who, drink having taken, were in a state of shambles, so we elected to stay with the bikes in the doorway. They did put their impressive haul of beer cans into carrier bags though.
Dogtrousers and I went our separate ways at Euston, whereupon I promptly got lost. Something to do with one way systems near Kings Cross. I engaged The Shard mode of navigation, coupled with Names of Places I Recognise and made it down to London Bridge. I skipped the first train in favour of a pasty and finally got home by half nine. Pics, mostly of windmills, here.
I had a little moment at Fingest when Pippsy demonstrated her pumping action. Goodness. We kind of stumbled into in the Wormsley Estate, armed with a Mk1 Winning Smile, which got deployed by the Opera House to a nice man in a bit of a a beaten up car. Was that really Mark Getty? We picked up some bridleway signs so relaxed a little, although the Big Man in the Big Range Rover was a bit grumpy about it. Never mind. Soon we were at lunch, which was handy. 45 miles on two cereal bars and a bottle of water is pushing it a bit. Pint of BEER and the Food of Champions, together with idle chit chat and all was well. Apparently I'm not the only one who records plays off the radio or who listens to Paul Temple. Pippsy and Lilolee left us, but Rebecca joined us. She was ever so pleased to find her bike had received a free lube job, courtesy of the leaky kitchen extractor dolloping grease all over it.
The weather was no where near as bad as promised and the, by now, tail wind was what was needed. A couple more windmills, a bit of puzzling over railway workings and a fairy visitation that was fixed undercover during the heaviest of the rain made for a pleasant afternoon. FD delivered Dogtrousers and me to Tring station with just a couple of minutes to wait. The bike space was somewhat occupied with young men who, drink having taken, were in a state of shambles, so we elected to stay with the bikes in the doorway. They did put their impressive haul of beer cans into carrier bags though.
Dogtrousers and I went our separate ways at Euston, whereupon I promptly got lost. Something to do with one way systems near Kings Cross. I engaged The Shard mode of navigation, coupled with Names of Places I Recognise and made it down to London Bridge. I skipped the first train in favour of a pasty and finally got home by half nine. Pics, mostly of windmills, here.
CharlieB
Junior Walker and the Allstars
- Location
- Therivermeadowatthepileofstones
Just a couple of idle thoughts that I mulled over today…
Thame - where we stopped for lunch. Lovely small town with a thriving main street containing a mix of independent and chain shops. Contrast this with Chesham, where the high street is basically dying a slow and painful death. One difference that has been discussed at length in the local papers is that our high street is pedestrianised. Thame isn't. That and the fact that Oxfordshire is probably a lot more affluent may also be a factor. It was just such a hugely noticeable difference. FD - you could probably say the same about Dunstable, although that hasn't been (and couldn't be) pedestrianised.
Second thought - when I looked at the Garmin trace coming back into Aylesbury, there we were, negotiating a series of roundabouts and zig-zagging our way through green fields. That is, until they plonked another housing estate there. This quite a way out of town, too. Probably down to the new train station they opened up there three years back.
Thame - where we stopped for lunch. Lovely small town with a thriving main street containing a mix of independent and chain shops. Contrast this with Chesham, where the high street is basically dying a slow and painful death. One difference that has been discussed at length in the local papers is that our high street is pedestrianised. Thame isn't. That and the fact that Oxfordshire is probably a lot more affluent may also be a factor. It was just such a hugely noticeable difference. FD - you could probably say the same about Dunstable, although that hasn't been (and couldn't be) pedestrianised.
Second thought - when I looked at the Garmin trace coming back into Aylesbury, there we were, negotiating a series of roundabouts and zig-zagging our way through green fields. That is, until they plonked another housing estate there. This quite a way out of town, too. Probably down to the new train station they opened up there three years back.
Ah. Does this mean Chesham isn't Thame by comparison?
(Sorry. I'd been looking for a hook for that one the whole ride)
And did anyone see the "Arla" signs round Aylesbury? Googling turns up that it's "mega dairy" just like they have in The Archers.
(Sorry. I'd been looking for a hook for that one the whole ride)
And did anyone see the "Arla" signs round Aylesbury? Googling turns up that it's "mega dairy" just like they have in The Archers.
lilolee
Veteran
- Location
- Maidenhead
Yes I must say Thame looked nice. I even commented on it to the wife.
srw
It's a bit more complicated than that...
Thame is nice. I wonder whether part of the difference is that Thame still has local employers, and doesn't have a rather self-confident big brother overlooking it from the top of the hill. It probably doesn't hurt that Thame's rail link is slightly out of town and is a rapid comfortable service into the West End. Chesham's rail link is, even after the upgrade, quite rackety, stops everywhere and feeds points East.
CharlieB
Junior Walker and the Allstars
- Location
- Therivermeadowatthepileofstones
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