Winchester Breeze Riders’ Weekend
20th-22nd May 2022
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.
The weekend runs from Friday night to Sunday late afternoon, with rides on Saturday and Sunday.
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. The first heads west through honey-coloured stone villages, perhaps stopping for coffee at a village shop before reaching the picture-postcard village of Bibury. We return by ancient sheep-drovers’ roads, with a short diversion to glimpse the home of William Morris, leader of the 19th-century Arts & Crafts movement, in its idyllic location by the Thames.
The second ride follows old lanes through tiny villages near the river Thames, before sneaking into the market town of Witney by a quiet back route. We return through more Oxfordshire villages, with the chance for another refreshment break at a working pottery.
Note: The ride routes may vary from these descriptions depending on availability of lunch stops, or if Andy comes up with an even better idea!
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 peek inside a village church to see ancient wall paintings… there’s no rush.
The main route each day will be 30 miles or so, 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 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 we can relax in the residents’ lounge, or take a stroll to one of the village’s two pubs.
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 Saturday’s ride there will be tea and cakes 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 cakes. There will also be showers available if you want to clean up and get changed before you head for home.
There may be an option to stay over on the Sunday night, depending on availability, for those of you who’d like to cycle home again on Monday. Let us know if you’re interested in this option.
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 railway station is Oxford. There are direct Cross Country trains from Winchester (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.
Cost
£310 staying in a single bedroom
£270 sharing a twin bedroom
We ask for an £80 deposit when booking, then the balance payment 6 weeks before the event.
(The prices are unchanged from the last time we did this in 2019.)
Included:
- 2 nights’ accommodation, Fri/Sat
- Dinner on Fri/Sat nights
- Breakfast on Sat/Sun
- Afternoon tea and cake at the end of the rides on Sat/Sun
- Route maps, route talks, written directions and GPX files for rides on Sat & Sun
- Suggested cycling routes from Winchester or from Oxford railway station if you want to arrive by bike on Friday
- Mechanical support on the road
- Secure overnight storage for bikes
Not included:
- Cost of lunch and coffee stops on the road
- Transport from Winchester to the venue
- Bikes (bring your own – or Andy may be able to help arrange a hire bike)
Minimum group size: 10.
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.
Sorry, now fully booked! Please contact Andy if you’d like to go on a waiting list in case of cancellations.
