58 Miles - Ride Time 4 hr 14 secs. Ave Speed 13.8
At last a weekend with decent weather and enough daylight to go the distance!
The 'Charities' tag doesn't refer to a ride in support of a good cause but because the route included Stoke Charity, a lovely village near Micheldever and St Cross, the hospital and alms house on the western edge of Winchester.
The route incorporated a ride from Basingstoke Winchester via Micheldever that I did a couple of years ago and a stretch of beautiful country roads further west of the City, discovered while manning a water station on the Winchester Big Ride, last September.
This ride is a big loop from Basingstoke to Winchester and back, done mainly on quiet country lanes and passing through some lovely Hampshire Villages.
From Pack Lane Sports ground to the west of Basingstoke, the first few miles took me out through Oakley and along a stretch of the Andover Road before turning south on a slow climb through Steventon up to Popham Beacons (ancient burial grounds).
Continuing south, the countryside opens out and there are good views across the fields. Micheldever is a very pretty village with lots of thatched half timbered houses and a good pub with a rather comical name, 'The Half Moon and Spread Eagle. Oooerr Madam!
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Chocolate box Micheldever
Heading westward after a couple of miles I reached the village of Stoke Charity, this time taking a look at the lake behind the church and the crystal clear waters of the River Dever.
Further west is the village of Sutton Scotney.
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Sutton Scotney Church
From here a turn south land then west took me towards Crawley and Kings Somborne, a place I was a stationed at manning a water stop on last September's Winchester Big Ride. Again, an attractive village based around the River Dever which, following all the rain, flowed swiftly through the place.
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| Crawley Village |
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| Fox & Hounds in Crawley |
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| Kings Somborne Church |
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| A River runs through it - Kings Somborne |
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| A river runs over it - a rather deep Ford at Kings Somborne |
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| Pit Stop at the end of the road - The Crown in Kings Somborne. |
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| At the Crown, I got talking to a guy who had rode in on a 1937 BSA. Lovely old machine! |
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| half way up the long gradual climb to Farley Mt - Ashley Church |
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| Looking north from Farley Mt. It's a long way back! |
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Starting the long descent into Winchester
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| St Cross - Hospital & Almshouses |
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| St Cross - main gate |
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| A noble cause - St Cross |
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| City Centre with the Cathedral Aisle just visible. |
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Couldn't pass without a pic of the cathedral!
After leaving Winchester and heading north to Kingsworthy, it was really just a case of retracing my route from Stoke Charity and Micheldever back up to Basingstoke. Hard going heading back but nothing that a few snacks couldn't sort out.
Spring rides beckon.
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