After pilling 5 bikes and one yeti into the back of the quiksilver bus at Reigate Hill a convoy of 10 eager riders headed to down to Poole sandbanks. We boarded the chain ferry at 1000am and after a safe crossing we started our ride heading down ferry road.
All was going well until I took the wrong turning off the road into a organised trialothian event. My apologies to those competitors. Heading further up ferry road we found the correct turning and headed towards Rempstone Heath negiating a maze of woodland. Back on the right track the ride started to gather pace. We rode around pictureesque Corfe Castle and then onto Church Knowle. After admiring the scenery we sprinted down the road and headed towards Kimmeridge. It was here where we found the biggest climb of the day, climbing up a disused quarry and then up along the ridge to Heavens gate. The scenery from the summit was stunning with views to Portland in the west and the Needles in the east. From here we sprinted back down the hill to our pub stop in Langton Matravers.
Once well stocked up on sandwiches we bypassed Swanage and undertook the last and most difficult climb of the day to the top of Ballard down ridge. John Griffin almost completed the climb, an incredible achievement considering his pie and chips. We then decended down to Old Harry, an eroded cliff face off Studland Bay. It was from here where we spotted the enormous rain cloud making its way to us and therefore resulted in us all sprinting back up ferry road to finish in record time.
The ride went very well , and I intend to search this area further to make up a new route for later in the year. My thanks to John T for his help in backmarking, John Griffin for his map reading and Steve Grant for his photography
Lee