Group ride with Alec Gore.

The weather was perfect for Alec's Level 3 ride to Wantage on Sunday. Clear skies and sunshine
throughout the day, with temperatures rising from 17C at the start to 24C at the finish. Maybe a
tad too warm for some in riding gear at the end. 13 riders left Winnall at 9.30am after the briefing,
and all had signed up in advance. That's a first! Wantage is a regular Level 3 ride destination, but
for a change, Alec led it in an anti-clockwise direction and to a new lunch location.

We went up through Stoke Charity, Micheldever and Overton - great series of bends - heading
north to Kingclere and then Ashford Hill, stopping at Shell, Tadley for a leg stretch. The ride
continued skirting Grazeley, Burghfield and Theale, then across through Bradfield and
Ashampstead Common to Compton, going under the A34 at East Ilsley and taking lanes across
the beautiful West Berks downs, through Stanmore to the B4494, down to Peasemore and then
past RAF Welford to the A338, riding the sweeping bends up to the Ridgeway south of Wantage
and our refreshment stop at Court Hill Centre, near Letcombe Regis.

It's a former youth hostel converted from old barns, now a conference centre with a cafe and gardens. The views across the Vale of White Horse are superb. (A group from Wye Valley Advanced Motorcyclists (WVAM) was leaving as we arrived.)

We continued after lunch down through horse racing country to Chilton Foliat, via Lambourn, on the B4001, then through Hungerford Common climbing up over fabulous downs again through Combe and down into Hurstbourne Tarrant on a quiet but pretty good forestry road. We then followed the B3048 through St Mary Bourne to Hurstbourne Priors and the B3400 up to Whitchurch. From there it was an easy run down the A34 to finish at Sutton Scotney services.

Thanks to all riders who took part, including some with relatively fresh experience of advanced riding. Good to see riders stretching themselves and building confidence and having fun! That's what makes Group Rides so worthwhile. Paul Farrar did a great job of looking after the tail, as usual. Thanks also to Neil Escott for helping bring the back part of the ride to the lunch stop, because an extra marker for the entrance would have been a good idea! Sorry for that!