Four of us gathered at the Moreton-in-Marsh start point. Unfortunately we only had three and a half pairs of cycling shoes between us. So, while Claire switched to Shanks's pony to explore the area, three of us made our way along beautiful rollercoaster like lanes to the early coffee stop at the Moo's Cafe in Todenham Manor Farm. Set on the smartest working farm I have ever seen, this is a great cafe with good food, chatty service, impressive views plus friendly pigs & horses for entertainment.

We continued on almost deserted back lanes passing through some stunning villages made all the more enjoyable by the lack of any tourists in this edge of the Cotswolds. Lunch stop was at the popular Touchdown Cafe on Wellesbourne Airfield. The all-day breakfast was well worth the 20 minute wait, during which helicopter and light aircraft movements kept us entertained. Before moving on we paused to examine the Vulcan bomber parked at the end of the runway, which you can get close enough to touch.

Stratford-on-Avon was absolutely heaving with tourists at the huge waterside market and funfair so we didn't hang about. Leaving town on the Stratford Greenway, a disused railway line now a national cycle route, we passed alongside the racecourse where a horse race meeting was in full swing.

Soon back onto empty back roads again, we had to deal with sensory overload of twee Cotswold scenery and also a number of punchy climbs before we got back to M-in-M. Here we reunited with Claire who had enjoyed a 22km walk in our absence. After a quick ice cream we set off to drive home.

An absolute belter of a day out, thanks for coming everyone.