Old Farts Cycling Club
'The Middle Way Round'
June 2008

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All images ©2008 Laurie Wilson ,Ray Hudson, Trevor McAvoy

All images ©2008 Laurie Wilson ,Ray Hudson, Trevor McAvoy

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Monday continued

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Derek straightens his bars
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it's a long ride today so we stop for an energy intake
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chocky biscuit..yum..yum...
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the pretty village of Steeple Claydon

Tuesday

Bicester to Shipston-on-Stour

(53 miles)

Todays Route

Minor country roads cross the rich agricultural  countryside of Oxfordshire, onto traffic calmed minor roads before following the towpath of the Oxford Canal to the A44. Cycle lanes alongside A44 make a safe journey to Woodstock.

 Between Woodstock and Banbury a mixture of minor roads and traffic-free paths takes the route over the rolling countryside of north Oxfordshire.

 A traffic free path takes the route around the edge of Banbury and a mixture of minor roads and tracks across the border of Oxfordshire and Warwickshire to reach Shipston on Stour.

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Ready to go at Bicester
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coffee at Woodstock
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smile!
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Lunch at Broughton near Banbury
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Ray studies the menu
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what a physique
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a long rough track
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Maize
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Ford!
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Ford!
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Morris!
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We pass through many pretty Oxfordshire villages
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Ice creams in Shipston-on-Stour
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Our B&B for the night at Blackwell Grange

http://www.blackwellgrange.co.uk/

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...err I know that Laurie & Trev are friends, but a double bed?
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evening meal at the excellent Howard Arms, Ilmington

http://www.howardarms.com/index.html
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Wednesday

Shipston-on-Stour to Coughton

(28 miles)

Todays Route

Between the start and Ilmington the route crosses the Fosse Way part of a more ancient national network of Roman Roads.

At Long Marston the route joins the Stratford Greenway, which runs for five miles along the line of the old Honeybourne Raailway, to Stratford upon Avon.

Between Straford and Wilmcote the route follows the towpath of the Stratford upon Avon Canal and then uses minor roads, with a few traffic-free sections to reach Coughton

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At the end of the Stratford Greenway a chance find for coffee at Carriages 5344 Cafe set inside a restored 1967 GWR railway carriage.

http://www.carriagescafe.co.uk/


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Evening meal at the Throckmorton Arms, Coughton

http://www.thethrockmortonarms.co.uk/

Thursday

Coughton to Lichfield

(69 miles)

Todays Route

Between Coughton and Redditch the route is mostly traffic free before it reverts to minor roads through Bromsgrove to reach Catshill.

 From Catshill to the edge of Birmingham conurbation the route follows minor roads through Frankley and Longbridge.  From Northfield through Kings Norton to Cannon Hill Park the route is mostly traffic free but the last few miles into the centre of Birmingham follow a mixture of major roads, minor roads and some traffic-free sections.

 The route leaves the centre of Birmingham along the towpath of the Birmingham Canal and follows it all the way to Sandwell.  Leaving the towpath, the route crosses under the A4041 before more traffic free paths under the M5 and the M6 to the outskirts of Walsall.

 A mixture of minor roads and traffic-free paths continue to Walsall.

Between Walsall and Lichfield the route once again passes through more open landscape.  From Walsall to Pesall is a traffic free section along the line of an old railway and near Brownhills ashort section alongside the Wyrely and Essington Canal. Between Brownhills and Burtonwood there is a mixture of traffic-free paths and minor roads, before more minor roads continue to Lichfield

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Canal highpoint at Kings Norton
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Rob with Malvern Hills in the background
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                   © Copyright 2008 KEBLAWBEN - Laurie & Kairen Wilson. All rights reserved

Many of the images on this page are  copyright Laurie Wilson/Alamy

Stock photography by Laurie Wilson at Alamy
This page was last updated on 25-06-2008.