Our Secretary Brian did much of the organising of this year’s Guy Barber Ride and he reports:
Now in its 12th year this challenging ride attracted eighteen riders from the CTC groups in Northampton, Milton Keynes and Kettering. This was the first year of a route to Oxford with two start options of Northampton and Buckingham giving three rides of 94, 66 or 55 miles, all meeting up at Oxford for lunch.
Despite the early morning drizzle ten riders left East Hunsbury at 8.30 a.m. for the first leg to Buckingham of the 94-mile ride. This took us on mainly quiet roads through Blisworth, Pury End and Leckhampstead. The drizzle stopped, and the sun emerged from the cloudy skies, as the group made Buckingham at 9.45am. Perfect timing to meet the eight MK riders who had cycled out from Stony Stratford and beyond.
The Northampton group set off for the first café stop seven miles away in Twyford whilst the remaining group signed in and left a little later. An early puncture close to the start split the second group and this was further split when the Community Café at Twyford had unexpectedly closed that morning. The shop was open but, after a brief stop for snacks, the first group motored on to Oxford leaving a second group to pick up the punctured riders.
As we meandered through the small villages of Marsh Gibbon, Piddington, Boarstal and Stanton St John, there was little traffic on the roads. The sun came out and we had ideal cycling weather.
Oxford “arrived” when we met the ring road, a dual-carriageway roundabout with a couple of underpasses. Then we were through Headingley on a separate cycle path at and then onto marked tracks alongside the main road. After a steep hill down into the centre of Oxford. it was only a short distance to Café Couscous for lunch. Just to add to the “best laid plans” the last stretch of road before the café was closed for road works. So much for the recent reconnoitre!
The first group arrived at noon and had just finished lunch as the second group arrived at 1.00 p.m. This was good timing for the café. The forecasted midday rain did not materialise and we enjoyed sun and blue skies at the café.
One rider’s lunch at Café Couscous: vegetarian tagine!
The first group took the route back to Northampton via Islip, Kirtlington, the Heyfords and on to Aynho where Ian peeled off to Buckingham and a stop at Stowe Park for tea (the only rider to complete the 66m route) whilst the rest rode on to Farthinghoe for the last café stop. Only twenty-two miles now, on familiar quiet roads, back to Northampton via Helmdon, Wappenham and Greens Norton. This group arrived in Northampton at around 5.00 p.m.
The second group finished a very good lunch by 2.00 p.m. and split for the return journey. The MK riders returned via Beckley, Brill (hill !), Ludgershall and onto Buckingham, stopping at the Green Dragon Eco Centre near East Claydon for tea and possibly even cakes!
This left 4 riders to return via Islip and a detour via Brackley for tea and cookies, sitting in the late afternoon sun outside a café before returning to the original route to Northampton arriving at 6.15 p.m.
A donation of £85 has been sent to http://www.headwaynorthampton.org.uk/
Who was Guy Barber ? Please see our web site http://www.ctc-northampton.org.uk/history.html
Thanks to all who supported this event.
CTC Northampton 