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| Botley... on the road. We'll be here next weekend enjoying tea and cake |
No Phil this weekend and none of us ventured out on Saturday due to other commitments, but Andy and I were at the green on Sunday morning (7th June) and we decided to ride to the Tatsfield Churchyard.
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| Looking down the steps from the Tatsfield Churchyard, Sunday 7th June |
On the way back – after tea and chocolate chip BelVita biscuits – we discovered that the Botley Hill Farmhouse pub was under new management – the same people who run the White Bear in nearby Fickleshole. They've introduced 'Botley on the Road', a grey mobile catering van that's going to be around most weekends serving tea, coffee and snacks. There's even two wooden tables and chairs so we can sit there and enjoy it. The plan is to ride to the Churchyard next week but not stop. Instead, we'll cycle back to the Botley for tea and possibly cake in the open air, weather permitting.
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| Andy brought the racer to the churchyard... |
The Botley is also hiring out bicycles – not a bad idea as pub goers can ride out from the pub along some interesting country lanes; they can ride to Westerham or Tatsfield Village and back or they can ride to Godstone Green or even make a wide circle into Woldingham, back up Slines Oak and right on to the 269 heading towards the pub. The permutations are endless – St Leonard's Church, Hesiers Hill, even Biggin Hill.
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| Bikes for hire at the Botley... |
While it was sun and blue skies on Saturday there was also a cool breeze. On Sunday there was no breeze at all, in fact, I got a decent tan through spending most of the day in the garden doing my Sir Lawncelot bit. I also cleaned the car inside and out and then sat at the very top of the garden in the early evening, concealed from view by shrubs, and enjoyed a bottle of Banks's Bitter – you can't beat a bottle of Black Country beer in my view. In fact, you can't beat a bottle of beer, full stop.
Good weather's been promised for the entire week so this morning (Monday) I waltzed off to work without my black raincoat only to discover that it clouded over at lunchtime and was chilly as I walked home (briskly) this evening, trying to keep myself warm. I've got the day off tomorrow, so hopefully it'll be warmer than today...although I doubt if I'll have time for a ride.
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| Our bikes at the Tatsfield Churchyard... Sunday 7th June |
