A very pleasant 12mile ride to the tea stop at Hindhead took us through stunning, varied scenery, pine forest, heath land and gorse, stopping only briefly to strip a layer of clothing as the day warmed. A new tough climb up Gibbet Hill showed who had tired legs, (most of us), definitely a hill to try again soon. Although the rush to be served first at the tea stop showed the recovery rate of those legs was fairly swift! Half an hour at Devils Punch Bowl and we headed south down Beacon Hill, a mile long descent over rocky dry ground.
On to the stunning open ground of Rushmoor where we posed for a picture before making a very tricky descent down a deep sandy path that everyone found a challenge. Next stop Tilford, a pretty village with a deep river crossing (for those not choosing the bridge, Marcus) see attached link to you tube. Four miles to go, riding through a birch wood at Crooksbury Common and back to the Shackleford road, an enthusiastic group at the front started to ride the whole loop again, shows how much attention they were paying.
A brilliant day, thanks to everyone who came.
Dave.