Winchester Breeze Riders’ Weekend
16-19 May 2024
Note: This is a private event, organised by Bicycle Beano for the regular riders in the Winchester Breeze group. Bicycle Beano has no connection with Breeze or British Cycling. If you’d like a similar weekend organised for your own group, we’d be happy to discuss it with you – just get in touch.
This year’s trip runs for three nights (not two) giving us the chance to fit in an extra day’s cycling. The weekend starts on Thursday night, with rides on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, finishing late Sunday afternoon after the final ride.
The weekend takes place in the eastern Cotswolds where the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire meet – a lovely cycling area with all the prettiness of the western half of the Cotswolds but without the enormous hills!
The rides
Each day we do a circular ride, ending up back at our base.
Those of you who came in previous years can expect some variations on the classic Cotswold rides you’ve done before, plus a new ride exploring the mystical Vale of the White Horse to the south.
Our rides take in honey-coloured stone villages, bustling market towns, river valleys, gently rolling hills and old drovers’ roads that criss-cross the landscape. We see bubbling streams, water mills, old stone bridges and the mighty River Thames. (Depending on the water levels we may even get to paddle across it!)
The rides last all day, but there are plenty of reasons to stop along the way: a coffee break, a lunch stop at a pub or café, a breather to admire the view from the hill, a look round a historic woollen mill, peek inside a village church to see medieval wall paintings… there’s no rush.
The main route each day will be 30-35 miles, but there will be optional shortcuts and detours to make it shorter or longer. We use mainly quiet country lanes, though there are one or two short, optional, easy off-road sections available.
Each day we provide a route map, turn-by-turn route directions and a morning route talk to tell you about the options and some of the things you’ll see along the way. GPX files are available for those with GPS devices or apps.
There are no “leaders” as such – you can go at your own pace. Normally we end up in several smaller groups on the road, with riders of similar ability cycling together and helping each other with the route-finding. A helper will be cycling along at the back of the main route, ready to help with mechanical problems.
The venue
We stay at Windmill Farm, a residential outdoor activity centre based in converted Cotswold stone farm buildings in the village of Clanfield. It offers modern, comfortable ensuite bedrooms and a secure bike store. In the evenings you can relax in the residents’ lounge, or take a stroll to the village pub.
All the bedrooms have ensuite shower or bath facilities. You can book a single bedroom or share a twin room. (If you’ve already arranged with someone that you’ll share a twin room together, both of you please mention that on your booking forms so that we can pair you up when allocating rooms.)
At the end of each day’s ride there will be tea and cake waiting for us back at the farm, after which there’s time to get changed and maybe have a drink of something before dinner.
At the end of Sunday’s ride, again there will be cake. There will also be showers available if you want to wash and get changed before you head for home.
Getting there
By car the venue is around 60 miles from Winchester.
For the keener cyclists we can suggest a lovely cycle route all the way there.
By train and cycle, the nearest convenient railway station is Oxford. There are direct Cross Country trains from Southampton (very limited bike space, booking advised). From Oxford it’s a scenic 22-mile ride through sleepy villages to the venue. There’s a big climb out of Oxford, then the rest of the ride is mostly flat or downhill. It’s also possible to cycle from Swindon or Charlbury stations, though getting to either of these will require changing trains at least one more time.
We’ll provide more detail on routes in the information pack closer to the date.
Cost
£520 staying in a single bedroom
£410 sharing a twin bedroom (or a triple bedroom – there are a couple of larger rooms with 3 beds)
Please share a room if you can: these weekends are popular, and sharing rooms means more of you can come on the trip. If you agree with a friend to share a room, please both mention this on your booking forms when you book, so we can match you up.
We ask for an £80 deposit when booking, then the balance payment 8 weeks before the event. (All pre-payments are protected by an independent trustee; details provided with the booking acknowledgement.)
Included:
- 3 nights’ accommodation, Thu/Fri/Sat
- Dinner on Thu/Fri/Sat nights
- Breakfast on Fri/Sat/Sun
- Afternoon tea and cake at the end of the rides on Fri/Sat/Sun
- Route maps, route talks, written directions and GPX files for rides
- Suggested cycling routes from Hampshire or from Oxford railway station if you want to arrive by bike
- Basic mechanical support to keep you on the road
- Secure overnight storage for bikes
Not included:
- Cost of lunch and coffee stops on the road
- Transport from home to the venue or back
- Bikes (bring your own – or Andy may be able to help arrange a hire bike)
Minimum group size: 14.
Booking form
This is a private event for members of the Winchester Breeze cycling group. Please only fill the form in if you’re a member of that group or have been specifically invited to join the trip.
Data protection: We will only use your personal data in connection organising this event. We will not sell your data to anyone else. We may share some personal data with our trustee (see “Payment protection” below) and with our accommodation provider where necessary.
