Reading to Hook (and back again) 01/03/20 (
route)
Headed for Burghfield Road from Southcote and then over
Burghfield Bridge.
I made a mistake just after the Cunning Man. I should have taken the left fork at the Bridge Cafe as I have done many times before but I thought maybe it was the next turn (it was not!). Consequently, I ended up having to take the road over the M4 motorway, which I hate, because there is always a nasty headwind and then a maelstrom of noise as you cross the M4.
The logical next alternative was the upcoming left turn called 'The Mearings'. This is marked as a private road but I have never had any problem being stopped and it is always very quiet.
It runs past
AWE Burghfield. It looks like the kind of place I can imagine being detained in isolation when one catches the Corona Virus.
At the end of this road took a left turn onto James Lane past Burghfield sports club.
I got a bit confused at this point and had to consult the map. I have an offline app,
Maps.me, on my phone. It is not as good as google maps/streetview but it means I can turn off the wireless on my phone; which extends the battery life. Whenever I am a bit lost, I consult the map. Generally, I try to avoid this as it slows me down but it is a very useful resource. The most annoying thing about it is that the map is split into regions of the country which can be downloaded when the phone is connected (by wireless). There have been several occasions when I was cycling in a region (e.g. East of England) which was not on the phone and I did not have a map.
I had approx 3 hours before it got dark, and I had forgotten to bring bike lights; it turns out I did - see later; so if I did not reach my destination by 4.30 I would have to turn around. I did not want to be stuck on dark country lanes, or worse, an A or B road in the dark.
Along Goring Lane (heading east) and then right onto Goodboy's Ln. This a nice road through the woods. On a warm day (20°C and above) in the late spring this is a glorious bit of riding - I wonder if there a bluebells in those woods. The daffodils are out and the weather was Sunny but it was a bit cold (about 7°C). It had been forecast rain all day so I had a lucky break.
Goodboy's Ln ends at some kind of plush golf club (De Vere Wokefield Estate Golf Club). I stopped there once and had lunch. I went just inside the gates and sat down on the grass. I remembered because that was the day when I left my water bottle on the wall of the entrance and only realised after 2 miles further down the road; and had to go back for it.
Turned east onto Cross Lane and then a right fork just after crossing over the Reading to Basingstoke railway line - I was a bit too far west due to my earlier mistake of not taking left turn at Bridge Cafe. This led me to a cross-roads where I took a right turn onto Grazeley Road heading for Beech Hill. This ends at old church (name?). There is a quiet graveyard which is another good place to stop and have a break.
A useful tip I picked up somewhere is that graveyards are a good place to fill up your water bottle. They tend to have public taps (for people to water the flowers left by the graves). I will have to check this one next time I am there.
Turn right onto Beech Hill Road and then left just after The Elm Tree pub onto Trowes Lane. This is another of my favourite roads. It starts with a step hill, and you can practically coast all the way to the River Loddon crossing. If you pedal hard you get to Stratfield Saye in minutes. You need to make sure to take the right fork otherwise you head for the A33 much to early.
For the next 10 minutes you need to essentially follow the perimeter of
Stratfield Saye House; you will see big gates on your left and some with yellow entrance lodges either side. Make sure to turn left when you see a sign for "The Iron Duke" pub. Over a bridge across the river Loddon (again) towards the A33. After this, there is long picket fence on the left which seems unending, but eventually you reach the the Wellington Arms, which is another good place to stop; There are picnic benches there.
Immediately across the A33 (slightly to the left) is a small road with a sign to Mattingley (and Daneshill school) - take care crossing the busy road. This road meanders through more woods and comes to an end about 500m past the school. I took a left towards Mattingley - in retrospect, I should have gone right to Hartley Wespall but more about that later.
I followed Bottle Lane due east. I missed a turning to the right, which I ignored because it looked like a farm track, and consequently after about 10 minutes I ended up at the Leather Bottle pub on the B3349. This was too far North; I had been intending to meet this road further south to avoid the fast traffic.
The next section down the B3349 was just grin-and-bear-it riding. Most cars are really responsible and give you plenty of room. Occasionally I would pull over to let a queue, which had built up, clear. About every 5 minutes you get somebody giving you a close pass, which is a bit scary. This usually happens because there is traffic coming the other way and the driver does not want to wait so they just squeeze between you and the approaching vehicle, forcing you into the gutter. You can moan about it all you want but it does not change the reality of the situation.
Here lies the body of Henry Gray
He died defending his right of way.
He was right, dead right, as he rode along,
But he’s just as dead as if he'd been wrong.
As you approach Hook there is a steep downhill section which is great fun racing down. I am not sure it will be so much fun on the way back though.
I made it to Hook without any further mishaps and visited a friend. I had a nice cup of tea, some biscuits and a 15 minute chat, but then had to set off pretty sharpish. The reason; it would be dark soon.
The Return Leg (
route)
Earlier, on the B3349 approaching Hook; when looking for safer, quieter routes for the way back; I had spotted a turn-off for
Rotherwick, just before the downhill section approaching Hook. I targetted this exist to avoid the heavy traffic on the B3349. I had to negotiate the steep hill first though. I stopped halfway to let a queue of cars pass which had built up behind me and got a few appreciative waves. The turnoff is not far from the crest of the hill. Death averted for the present. :-)
The next mile was a very pleasant; a quiet run through the woods which ended at a crossroads in Rotherwick. I stopped for a banana, which had turned a deep shade of brown at the bottom of my backpack. I consulted the
offline map and saw that the road heading north (Wedman's Lane) changed to a bridleway further up; but basically headed in the right direction. I though I would chance it. This decision was influenced by the fact I discovered I did have my lights after all; so I would not to completely stranded if it got dark.
The bridleway turned into a muddy quagmire very quickly. I should have anticipated this considering all the puddles I have been through, some about 6 inches deep! I returned to the crossroads, and headed west through the village.
I've cycled through Rotherwick village before. It is very pretty. There is an old classic
red telephone box which has been converted to a mini-library. I'll have to take a look next time I go there.
Passed through the village past the church then left onto Frog Lane followed by Rotherwick Lane to Hartley Wespall. I almost messed up again here were there is a fork. You need to take the right fork along Turgis Green Lane.
I followed this to the end where a sign indicates Stratfield Saye to the left; Mattingley to the right. I took the left option. It leads to a BP Garage on the A33. I decided to cycle along a short section of the A33 to the Wellington Pub. There is actually a section of pavement for about 400 metres to the Jeckyl and Hyde pub but then it is back on the road. The traffic was ok though. The road surface is also much smoother than the B3349 (see earlier). Retrospectively, I noticed there is an alternative left turn about 400m before the Wellington Pub. I'll have to investigate this next time.
It's a funny thing; cycling make you much more aware of rivers, and river valleys generally. When planning a route, which I like to make as direct as possible, I constantly run into problems where the smaller roads just end, due to the presence of a river. For example; this route seems to constantly run up against the
River Loddon and you have to detour and plan route around it. The nicest thing is when you find a small road that providentially has a bridge and allows a more direct route.
From the Wellington pub was really just a retrace of my earlier route. The most memorable thing here was that it started to (a) rain and (b) get dark. The sun was setting and I could see dark rain clouds in the west and heavy rain falling over Reading in the distance.
Passed through Stratfield Saye, Beech Hill and Grazeley then onto one of my favourite well-known routes; Pump Lane and Kybes Lane. In Kybes Lane it really started to get dark and it was difficult to avoid the puddles and the potholes. I only hit one which made a nasty bang, but no damage.
Back over the M4; past Green Park and then crossed the railway and along Berry's Lane. This time I found the shortcut, indicated by 2 big concrete bollards; leading the the Bridge Cafe and the Cunning Man pub.
I found the etymology of the name
Cunning Man quite interesting. It seems to derive from a local legend of a Wizard in Tadley.
The final section between the River Kennet and the Holy Brook was a bit scary. Although I had lights the batteries were a bit low. I was worried a car would not see me as a crossed the bridge, which narrows at the apex. Fortunately, there was no traffic.
We had stopped to fix the puncture on a traffic island with a nice bench, next to a bus shelter, in Hartley Wespall. A kind lady stopped her car to check if we were ok. She said her husband had a garage full of tools and could help if we needed. We did not need the help but it was a nice gesture.
