Red Gold & Green - Pics from Autumn rides: September to November 2011

A full-on schedule through October and November meant little time for leisure rides but I still managed to cycle to my training destinations through some fine and mild weather during October and November.
May the dark months of December and January pass quickly!



Fluffy Clouds - Greywell




Ominous clouds - Newnham




Tunworth




Sherbrone St. John




Golden lines - Tunworth



Sunset - Up Nately

Sunset - Up Nately



Sunset - Up Nately



Basingstoke Canal at Odiham - dusk

West Green

Road to the end of the rainbow - near Bramley

Red, Gold & Green - Near Bramley

Yellow leaves - Stratfield Saye

Near Bramley

Gold n lovely - LB Mattingley



West Green



Golden Oak - Dipley



Red ahead. The Street - Rotherwick



Bobbly trees - Old Basing

West London - Return Ticket

Phoenix Green - Ealing & back - 30th September

79.99 miles
Tm 5.48
Av 13.9mph
  
Met the GMV crew for Friday evening drinks in Ealing. No work today so planned two rides separated by 4 hours gap, a couple of drinks and a large re-fuel. The way out, though hot, was at a steady pace and much of it spent in the shade of leafy suburbia. Night-time return on a different route home. Very dark roads near Chobham but the stars were bright. Felt strong both ways.

Day off Saturday methinks!

Once clear of the A30 and Bagshot, the camera comes out for some of the prettier bits of Surrey and Berks.

Windlesham

Towers of Windlesham

Route here fairly flat but include a big downhill with great views from Preist Hill, North of Englefield Green.

Englefield Green

Nice to see Carter's Steam Fair still doing the rounds. Fond memories of taking the kids to this fair on Hersham Green when we lived in East Molesey.

Carter's Steam Fair on Englefield Green

Windsor Castle ahead

Castle Gatehouse - Windsor

Thames near Datchet

At West Drayton the route continues for the last ten miles or so down the Grand Union Canal, allowing the chance to escape the traffic. The Towpath surface is mostly in good nick and amazingly deserted at this time.

Joining the G.U. Canal

Nestle Factory - Hayes

I used to work near here and the place is surrounded by a very recognisable odour, bitter and metallic, the smell you get if you stick your head into a large tin of Nescafe Instant Coffee!

Swan's Way - Hayes' quiet canal towpath

Boat yard with Sri Guru Singh Sabha temple, Southall, in the background

  

Nearly there - Hanwell Locks with Ealing Hospital in the distance

Hanwell Locks

No pics for the return trip by night.

The Route

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Sun, The Sands & Scenery in Surrey - 22nd September 2011

Crondall - Farnham - The Sands - Shackleford - Elstead - Frensham - Dippenhall & back - 42 Miles

Perfect morning for a ride out to the western end of the North Downs.  

The Sands, set in forests south of the Hog's Back, is Surrey's own Beverly Hills. I'd never seen so many palatial mansions with high security gates! The local through road is beautifully manicured like somone's private drive and the local golf course looks a tad exclusive!

The Sands - Typical abode

From these rather posh surroundings, there was a long descent over a distance of about two miles into Shackleford.

Shackleford

Last time I was here, about eighteen months ago, I was doing a ride from Puttenham and stopped at a good pub called The Cyder House Inn. No stop this time as time was short. Continued south to Peper Harrow and then west to Elstead.

Peper Harrow Park - Looking south

Crossing the Wey near Elstead

I followed the long straight Thursley Road past Elstead Moat and down to Jumps Road, running past the Devil's Jumps south of Frensham Little Pond and into Churt. Lovely mix of smells here......Pine and wood smoke.

Running short of time for the return ride, I decided to include a section of the A287 which runs north along Frensham Great Pond and towards Farnham.

Frensham Great Pond

Dockenfield

 Cutting back east across quiet lanes I rode up to Blacknest and the Alice Holt Research Station before crossing the A31 and hammering it back towards Crondall.
 

Route

 

White Hill climb........and white knuckle ride down

Rotherwick - Bramley - Sherfield - Pamber End - Charter Alley - Ramsdell - Wolverton Townsend - Kingsclere - Hannington - Ibworth - Monk Sherborne - Ramsdell - Bramley and back

45.34 Miles
2.47.56 Time 
16.2mph Av Speed

Did White Hill, just south of Kingsclere, last Autumn on a cold bright day. This time, following a cold start it got really warm out there.

Cut across country and through some lovely villages.

Church at Ramsdell

Coming into Kingsclere

Church at Kingsclere

After a bit of refuelling during a 10 minute stop here, I set off down the street and soon saw White Hill looming ahead. Looks a bit daunting from this angle!

White Hill on the skyline ahead.

It's a steep climb but worth the views at the top.

View looking North from White Hill

View looking West

 
Got 35 coming down the more gradual descent on the south side.

Descent southwards

Joined a section of the the A339 at Ibworth down to Monk Sherborne to save time but it wasn't too busy. After about a mile I was back on quieter lanes with good views heading back towards Bramley at a decent pace.

Monk Sherborne

....and nearer home, time for a little reward in Rotherwick!

 

 

Rode back the last few miles chatting with a lady who had been out on a Mountain Bike for about two hours. Ahh, the camaraderie cycling offers us!

The Route