Ye Olde Pounde café, Liveridge Hill; Sarehole Mill

John and Hilary led longer rides (two groups of six and five riders) to Ye Olde Pounde café at Liveridge Hill, near Henley-in-Arden.  

The route is here.

There were three 10.00 departures.  Steve led a group of five to Sarehole Mill via this route and Jane F and Alan also led shorter rides.

A fine early autumn day.

Cherry Lane garden centre, nr Clent; Rafters café, Rubery; Warley Woods

Four rides on a dry cool day with a blustery wind:  

Seven riders on the 9.30 longer outing led by John and Hilary via a hilly route to Cherry Lane garden centre near Clent.  The route is here.

A group of eight led by Alan to Rafters café in Rubery, a new Saturday destination 

Two groups of six led by Richard and Steve via different routes to Warley Woods, where the café is now open again

Alvechurch, Beckett's Farm, Woodgate Valley

Twenty-six riders turned out today.  Following updated guidance from Cycling UK on the the number of cyclists who can ride together (details here: https://www.cyclinguk.org/news/coronavirus-advice-and-guidance-group-cycling), there were three groups, including a group of ten on the longer ride to Alvechurch, where both Morso and the community cafe were open.  The cafe at Beckett's farm was also open.

A clear sunny day with a blustery cool wind.

Thanks to Andy for forwarding the following message about a police surgery on 5th September.

This message is to inform you all of a Police Surgery taking place next week.

On Bournville Green on Saturday 5th September from 11.00am till 2pm the Bournville PCSOs will be on the Green.  Come and meet us, talk about the things that are important to you.

We will be offering bike marking and advice on Neighbourhood Watch and Street Watch.  We are always looking for new members for both of these.

Pop along and see us.  It would be great to see you all.

Regards

Paul and Lisa

Message sent by Paul Blackford (Police PCSO, Selly Oak)

Manor tea rooms, Earlswood, and the city centre via various routes

Eleven riders turned up for the additional option of a longer ride, leaving at 9.30.  Hilary and John led two groups to the Manor tea rooms in Earlswood, where we had a breezy outdoor café stop.  

Mild and sunny, one short shower on the way home, very windy.

The route is here.

A total of 15 riders turned up for the shorter Saturday rides, split into groups heading into Birmingham, either taking in the Harborne Walkway, Edgbaston Reservoir or the Soho Loop.

Two short sharp showers and a little breezy. 

Cannon Hill park (long way round); Edgbaston reservoir; city centre via Cole Valley and Grand Union canal

Twenty riders in three groups led by Steve (Cannon Hill), John and Hilary (Edgbaston reservoir) and Richard (city centre).  Pleasant cycling weather, warm and breezy.

The Cole Valley/Grand Union route is here.

Longer ride to Broadacre Fisheries Hanbury.

Five riders went on the longer ride to Ditchford Bank Fisheries on a very warm day.  It was very pleasant sitting outside overlooking the fishing pools. 

The route is here.

There were 16 riders for the shorter rides.  Steve led a group to Sarehole Mill and on to Moseley Bog.  Nick and Richard led two groups to Shirley Park.  A hot day, but a pleasant picnic in the park.  Returned via Trittiford Lake.

Alvechurch, Drakes Cross, Edgbaston reservoir, Waseley

Nineteen riders to four different destinations.  In marked contrast to yesterday, which was the hottest day of the year, a cool and cloudy day.

Sarehole Mill, Moseley, Waseley, Hawksley, Earlswood

An even bigger turnout this week: 28 riders, divided into four groups of six and one of four.  Richard reports:

Destinations included Sarehole Mill, Moseley, Waseley and a circular route taking in Hawksley and Longbridge . There was also a longer ride to Ambleside Nurseries, Earlswood.  Thanks to all riders who volunteered to guide the groups on their various routes.  I hope the one torrential downpour didn't dampen the spirits too much.

Waseley, Woodgate, Edgbaston reservoir, Hockley Heath

Another good turnout for a second week of socially distanced rides.  More than 20 riders split into groups of six or fewer for three rides to regular destinations and one, longer and faster than usual, to Wedges Bakery at Hockley Heath.

First rides since March

Twenty people turned up to join rides organised according to lockdown rules of not more than six in a group.  Two groups went separately to Waseley, one to Woodgate Valley and one to Edgbaston reservoir.  The cafe at Waseley is open for takeaway food and drink, and there is plenty of outdoor seating.  

A dry cloudy day, with short spells of warm sunshine.

Morso cafe, Alvechurch

A beautiful day for an outing to Morso café, Alvechurch.

Six riders.

The route is here.

Edgbaston reservoir

Two firsts today.  A first Saturday group visit to the café at the Leslie Road entrance to Edgbaston reservoir, and on the way home our first use of the new bridge which connects Bourn Brook walkway with Harborne Lane.  This is a significant improvement to one of our regular routes, as it cuts off the awkward corner and path beside the garage.

Sixteen riders.

The route is here.

Costa Coffee, Shirley

A dry mild day with cheering signs of spring, including daffodils, emerging buds and occasional blossom.  We headed for the Two Mugs café in Shirley, which was being extended when we last visited.  It was busy, and even with the extension there wasn't room for our group, so we went on to Costa Coffee.

Ten riders.

The route is here.

Warley Woods

Dry breezy day for a ride to Warley Woods, led by Steve. 

Fourteen riders.

The route, with some guess work for the last couple of miles, is here. 

Ambleside garden centre, Earlswood

Bright and dry, with a chilly breeze, especially on the way home.  Fields, verges and some roads still wet from recent rain, but no flooding.

Eight riders.

The route is here.

Cannon Hill Park

A forecast of yet more bad weather later today, so one of our shorter rides this morning.  No rain and some sunshine, but a cold wind, a lot of standing water in Calthorpe and Cannon Hill parks and a lot of rushing water in the River Rea.

Twelve riders.

The route is here.

No ride today

Heavy rain all morning.  One of those rare occasions when the weather was so bad that the ride was called off.  

Waseley Hills

A dry very windy day for a ride to Waseley Hills.  

Thanks to Richard O for the photos, taken near the reservoir on the way home.  Between the road and the reservoir (over the hedge in the pics) we saw six herons standing in a ploughed field.  We quite often see herons near the canal, but rarely more than two or three during a ride, so six together is an unusual sight.

Twelve riders.

The route is here.

The Potting Shed

A cold wind and squally showers for a ride to the Potting Shed.

The route is here.  From Longbridge island on the way home the group split into two.  The map is a guess at a route back to Rowheath taken by the group without the Garmin.

Seven riders.

M and S, Longbridge

Another short ride to our bad weather destination.  Strong wind, some rain, but not cold.  A fairly sheltered route along the Rea Valley, with the wind behind us as we returned the same way.

Eight riders.

The route is here.

M and S, Longbridge

A short ride today, to avoid remnants of storm Ciara which were forecast from midday.  Strong winds on the way out, calmer on the return and rain after we got home.

Seven riders.

The route is here.

Costa Coffee, city centre

Steve led a group of sixteen to Costa Coffee in the city centre via the University, Harborne walkway and a circuit of Edgbaston reservoir, where the completion of a surfaced path all the way round has made cycling a pleasure.

The route is here.

St Andrew's church, Church Hill, Redditch

A new destination: a small café attached to St Andrew's church on the edge of Redditch.  

A bright, breezy, dry day.  Six riders.

The route is here.

M and S, Moseley

A ride to M and S in Moseley on a bright blustery day, with some strong gusts of wind, especially on the way home.  

Nineteen riders.

The route is here.

Warley Woods

Chilly, but no wind and no rain - good weather for a winter ride.  Richard and Steve led eleven riders to the golf club at Warley Woods via Haborne walkway, various paths and back streets and Lightwoods Park.  

The route is here.

Morrison's, Five Ways

Steve led a ride which took in numerous parks and public spaces around the city, a good test of bike handling skills along paths, through gates and especially in avoiding bumping into the (street) furniture.

Unfortunately, the ride was marred by the discovery after the coffee break that Nick's bike had been stolen from the area in the car park underneath Morrison's.  The bike, like all our bikes, was locked to one of the stands, but the area is in a corner of the car park which is easily visible and accessible from the street but not visible from the café, nor from anywhere in the store, so less secure than we would like.

Fifteen riders.

The route is here.

Cherry Red, city centre

A frosty morning, with patches of ice in places.  Four riders took the blue route into the city centre, with a coffee break at Cherry Reds in John Bright Street.

Woodgate Valley

In contrast to the cloud and rain of recent weeks, today we had blue sky, sun and a heavy frost.  A very cold start, with icy patches and slushy muddy areas on the rougher paths, slightly warmer on the way home.

Eighteen riders.

The route is here.

Costa Coffee, city centre

A regular destination via a longer route.  We followed the Cole Valley route and joined the canal in Small Heath.  A section of the towpath near Ashted tunnel is now open after a two year closure, enabling us to ride into the city via the path beside the locks, an enjoyable but fairly challenging route on a damp and blustery day.

Six riders.

The route is here.

Asda, Barnes Hill

A cloudy day with a strong gusty wind.  John led 18 riders to Asda, Barnes Hill via Merritts Hill, Bartley reservoir and Senneleys Park, returning along Bournbrook walkway, where there has been extensive clearing of trees on either side of the path.

The route is here.

Morso café, Alvechurch

A cold dry breezy day for a ride to Alvechurch.  We came back via the road, as the towpath from Alvechurch was likely to be muddy.  The long climb up the hill from Hopwood was helped by a welcome following wind.  

Seven riders.

The route is here.

Costa Coffee, city centre

Richard led a group of 18 to Costa Coffee via the towpath and Edgbaston reservoir, where we were pleased to find that a large section of the previously muddy path (accessed from Rotton Park Road) has been surfaced.  

A dry fine day, with bright sun on the way home.

The route is here.