On Sunday (30 Oct) I decided to go exploring and took a train out into Hampshire. I found this:
which was completely new to me. I thought I had cycled through this village before, but a very long time ago, so maybe before this green man had been created. Or maybe I’d never been there. Anyway, how many of you know which village this is? There are lovely quiet lanes in all directions.
The weather was grey as we set off from Winchfield station for the quiet, twisty lanes through Mattingley and Stratfield Turgis to the excellent coffee shop at Bramley Bakery, but it steadily improved to become a lovely day, mild with sunny intervals. Leaving the café, the trainspotters among us had the good fortune to have to wait for three trains to pass before the level crossing barriers rose. More lanes took us to Ramsdell and the very busy A339 Basingstoke-Newbury road, where a most unusually cooperative articulated-lorry driver signalled us to cross and slowed right down to let us do so, so we were soon on our way, looking at his long tail of cars that would otherwise have delayed us considerably. What a gent! Must be a cyclist.
Now we were into the downs, and the gradient started to warm us up more than the sunshine was doing. Then after a long freewheel down from Ibworth we followed Malshanger Lane, a delightful avenue that was completely new to me. From Church Oakley to our lunch stop in North Waltham the downland lanes looked at their best with glowing sunlit autumn tints and a few resplendent cock pheasants, all enhanced by the evocative smells of the season in the breeze.
The Fox is an excellent traditional pub serving good food and beer. Recommended.
The concensus was for a direct return to Winchfield so we followed the well liked lanes through Axford, Upton Grey and Odiham (tea and cake at Fountains Coffee Shop), arriving at the station just five minutes before our train. It’s good to use the train to get beyond our normal orbit into the quieter roads of less populated countryside.
This was a great ride, planned by Phil, which started and finished at Micheldever. It was great to cycle outside of our usual area, particularly when the route was so good….. and so quiet! There was very little traffic and what a pleasure that was! Below are some photos including one in the churchyard of St Peter’s parish church in St Mary Bourne; we stopped there for a moment to focus our thoughts for a few moments on Ron Richardson, whose funeral was today.
We were a large group of 18 people for some of the ride. A couple of our number got stuck for well over an hour in a jam on the M3, following an accident, on their way to the start of the ride, so they didn’t join us till later on the ride. Other than that, the day went smoothly enough and in fine cycling conditions. The pub wasn’t bad either.
Near the summit of Walbury Hill
In the churchyard at St Mary Bourne
Walbury Hill again
Lunch
Another from Walbury Hill
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‘Little Ron’, 85, June 2010
I was very sad to hear from Steve on yesterday’s gr 2 ride, confirmed later by Rico, of the passing of our fellow cyclist, ‘Little’ Ron.
‘Little’ is a misnomer, as Ron Richardson was a giant of our club and it was good to see that his contribution was celebrated with a special birthday cake presented to him by our leader John M at the annual dinner in 2015. The cake, with a cycling motif, was to celebrate Ron’s 90th birthday.
On my first ride with the club a good few years’ back I remember asking Ron when he began serious club cycling. ‘1942’, he replied! It was when he was in the British army during World War 2. This was before most of us in the club (with honorable exceptions) were born, yet he was still outstripping many of us up hills well into his 80’s. I seem to recall that for his 85th birthday, he did an 85-mile ride.
I remember climbing up the hill with him in Windsor Great Park leading to the polo ground and coffee at Savill Garden from the Blacknest gate and him telling me that he was present – as an observer – at the same spot during the final climb in the London Olympics Road Race, 1948.
It was an inspiration to have him ride with us. Many of us will have strong memories of him in his red and white stripey Hounslow& District Wheelers shirt, a reminder of his racing and time-trialling credentials, which would match even the hardest of our hard riders.
I visited him at his home in West End earlier this year to discuss the future of our paper magazine, ‘West Surrey Cyclist’, which he very much hoped would be revived. He introduced me to the editor of the thriving ‘Quarter Wheeler’, Hounslow & District’s magazine in the hope that we could emulate it, but sadly that wasn’t to be. He was still cycling to the shops and on short rides even then.
Ron will be remembered as an absolute gentleman, a humble and honorable man. I’m sure that most of us who rode with him will always have at the back of our minds this thought: ” I hope I’m still riding a bike when I’m Little Ron’s age”! He was an inspiration to all of us who knew him.
Paul Gillingham
My own personal recollection of Ron is that only about 5 years ago, when he was at least 85, he attended the West Surrey AGM, and then excused himself after some somewhat turgid discussions, explaining that he had to get out on his bike and marshal on an event. For me, that summed up what was truly important.John Murdoch
Ron’s 90th birthday presentation
Bill and Ron, Windsor Great Park, June 2010
Ron (85) on Windsor Great Park Hill, Dec 2010
