A lovely loop out to Bampton for coffee at Lynwood's Cafe. Weather was a bit mixed and blustery as we left the marketplace but there seemed to be good sections of tailwind until we turned westward at Standlake.

It was nice sat outside on the High Street, chewing over the upcoming Committee overhaul! Great to hear others keen to help ensure Corallian continue to exist and be successful in the future.

Heading home was a bit hillier via Uffington and the weather continued to improve which was nice with great views of the White Horse and surrounding countryside.

The forecast rain may have put riders off but Pam and I enjoyed a warm wind assisted ride to Lyall’s in Eynsham. We only noticed it was raining as we got up to leave. We donned waterproofs and set off for Cumnor only to remove them at the top of the Corallian Ridge. The wind had abated for our dry return to Wantage

Ewin's Hill declined!

No company, unsurprising given the unpromising weather forecast of continuous rain (which proved accurate). Having spent an hour fitting mudguards I decided to do the ride. Light rain at first was comfortable - unfortunately it soon became heavier. At Aldbourne Time at the Forge Cafe was closed for staff holidays and the PO Cafe was very busy - just room for a small, sodden one! Re-starting in the cold and drizzle the prospect of the full route was unattractive so I headed back via Whittonditch.

A beautiful day for a ride out into the Cotswolds with the classic villages of Southrop, Eastleach, Coln and Quenington looking perfect in the sunshine. It was 50k to the cafe stop in Coln, but we made good progress in warm conditions, very flat and a nice tailwind.

The homeward route included most of the 613m of climbing and into a stronger than expected headwind for quite a bit of it, so a bit more challenging.

1st September and all of a sudden the air temperature feels cooler, but not to worry, Court Hill never fails to warm you up, so wardrobe adjustments soon began with the removal of arm warmers. It turned out to be a fantastic, late summer day, perfect for quite a challenging (lumpy!) ride across the downs, suitably rewarded with the delights of The Pantry at Yattendon. There were a few lumps on the way home too, but a speedy cruise down Chain Hill, back to Wantage market square left everyone with a smile on their face.

A great route that I totally ripped-off from the Ride Cotswolds sportive with a few improvements and rejigged to start/finish at the closest point to Wantage. Hence nicely signposted route but free from other annoying cyclists because we started half way around. So, Nick & Richard - if you could send me your entry fees that would be appreciated.

This was a two stop ride. An early coffee at Jackdaw Cafe Malmsbury (lovely sunny spot in the market square but weak coffee) and lunch at Fire & Flow Roastery north of Cirencester (excellent bougee menu and much, much better coffee) that was enjoyed by all. After such a splendid lunch it was lucky that the route was predominantly downhill to the finish. After a bit of impromptu shopping at the bike shop and the Cotswold Outdoor Sale we headed home.

It turned out to be a good day for an away ride as, by all accounts, it rained quite a lot around the Wantage area while we stayed nice and dry. All in a nice day out and I got a new fleece to show for it.

It all started so well with 8 riders eager to venture into Oxford. Louis left us just before Cumnor Hill as he was feeling the effects of very little sleep. As we approached Botley Road, unfortunately Nick D hit the kerb while moving into the cycle lane and had a nasty fall. Assistance was given while he composed himself. he was clearly in a lot of discomfort so it was decided to contact his wife to get him to the JR for a check-over. While we waited we took the opportunity to get a coffee from Taylors across the road. We safely helped Nick into this car and continued the ride, missing the planned coffee stop. While we had some tailwind assistance on the way back to Wantage it did feel like hard work at times. As we approached Wantage riders slowly dropped off and we arrived back in the market place with 4. The diagnosis from Nick was a fracture of the pelvis and fortunately no surgery. We all wish him a speedy recovery.

Sunny morning and just about the right temperature. Nice to see Jez and Nick again after a while. Not a lot to report - busy at Coleshill - just a very pleasant ride.
Thanks everyone for your company.

It was a bit of a bumpy start to the ride! The Wantage Greenway quickly reminding us why we enjoy riding on roads (despite the potholes!) and by the time we reached the Harwell Campus, the ride leader was thinking that taking the A417 to Blewbury would have been a better option.

Fortunately, the lanes from Blewbury across to Wallingford were a lot more comfortable and the views across the parched landscape as picturesque as ever. The route then took us out of Wallingford, heading for The Chilterns through Crowmarsh, with a distant view of Rowan Atkinson's "space-age petrol station" residence above Ipsden and on to visit Philip Koomen's idyllic workshop at the top of "Furniture Maker's" hill near Checkendon.

Phil kindly provided refreshments, some insight into the life and times of a bespoke furniture maker and a tour of his workshop. Fed and watered we headed back to Wantage via Goring, Aldworth and Compton, with a bit of up and down along the way!

A longer ride than usual, but enjoyable to have an interesting stop.

A loop out to Henley from Cholsey. Lots of road closures giving us quiet roads over large parts. Quick coffee stop at Henley Piazza.