Westbury Wheelers Newbury Bank Holiday Weekender 2024

On Sunday 25th of August, at 9:00 AM, twelve Westbury Wheelers embarked on  this year's pilgrimage to Newbury, departing from the Marketplace.

The route is approximately 50 miles there and 50 miles back and relatively flat for the most part.

The trip was organised by by Westbury Wheeler Sean Price, a great concept,  taking advantage of good value accommodation, the  long weekend, and the likelihood of warm weather afforded by the late August bank holiday. This trip provides the opportunity to cover 100 miles over the weekend and to enjoy the social company of fellow riders with a night out on the town in Newbury. I went for the first time last year and relished the target of completing a longer ride with back-to-back days in the saddle with the added challenge of carrying your belongings on the bike to boot! As a beginner last year I found this opportunity very rewarding and doable since I was well supported by stronger riders and truly valued the night out to talk to other club members I wouldn't necessarily ride with or get to know with under normal circumstances. This year was the same, I'd had to lay off riding as much this year and therefore hadn't written 50 miles in one go this season. I took my new bike which I thought would be lighter than my aluminium bike but 6kg  pack is a 6kg pack and the weight of the bike didn't make much difference however,  it did lack more capable gearing on the climbs.

We split into two groups from the marketplace and set off at a good pace, unfortunately I had a puncture at Erlestoke and so the second group overtook us and that was the last we saw of them until the stop at Woodborough garden centre were we could come together and had a great choice of breakfast.

The route varied slightly from last year on the outward leg and we took in a significant climb near Wilton windmill which was tough however we were rewarded with enchanting views of the village itself which more than made up for it.

We arrived a couple of hours early on the outskirts of Newbury at the Craven Arms for lunch and the two rides regrouped apart from three riders who'd been tempted by a challenging route which took on a significant amount of additional climbing (1300ft) and nine bonus miles.

I love the vibe the Craven Arms has in abundance with copious outdoors seating including massive teepees and plenty of safe space for the bikes is a great spot to get together and relax once the main chunk of the journey is done and the food is great too. Is a great place to stop over where we delay our arrival in Newbury to coincide with check in at the hotel and it affords us time to share stories of our experiences and enjoy each other's company. By the time the three weary heroes joined us the food orders were in full flourish and so our club secretary had to forego chips to replenish his glycogen stores and had to make do with an enormous steaming pepperoni pizza almost the size of him just as we're about to leave -  no pressure Marc! In the absence of a pizza box small enough to fit in his rucksack Marc managed to carefully stow his remaining pizza wrapped in napkins for later and we departed en mass, downhill into Newbury and checked into our hotel. The London Road Premier Inn is a great hotel with lifts to make taking the bikes to your room for added security really simple.

A quick dunk in the bath to ease tired muscles and then we assembled for a night out on the town complete with a meal at the Catherine Wheel, gelato and great company!

The following morning we met for breakfast before departing around 9:30 AM. The climb back out of Newbury is not as bad as it looks but I did manage to take the other mechanical for the team on the return leg and snap my chain fully laden through a bad choice of gears. I was truly fortunate to be riding in the company of such experienced riders with great mechanical knowledge who showed me how to use my chain tool and set me up with a fantastic temporary repair to see me home in the small chainring. As if by magic we met a guy passing on a mobility scooter who offered us wet wipes which were gratefully received.

I managed to sit behind Ian and got a great tow on the return. The route is really quite magical and I'm really glad to have gone along.

I'm grateful to for such an inspirational concept of a weekend away great company fantastic food in stunning countryside and the bonus is I even get to keep my bike in my room what more could you ask for? Thanks to the club for supporting this amazing experience!

Fiona Gibbs