On Friday May 3rd we held the Old Brewery Cafe Spring Ride and lunch. The weather forecast was not very good with a lot of heavy rain the day before and some unpleasant weather north of the M4, luckily we stayed well to the south but conditions did affect the Meetup ride numbers which dropped from 15 to a final 9 hardy souls. In the end the weather was actually quite good so it shows what a mugs game it is trying to second guess the British weather!
The Old Brewery Cafe was originally Cafe Corsa which was also part of the Italian motorcycle dealership at the same location and was a much loved venue for rides and lunch. the Old Brewery has continued in much the same way and as the owner is a motorcycle enthusiast so there is a good motorcycle display but now the cafe has enough room to seat guests and the dining experience is a bit more enjoyable. A large number of the guests are still motorcyclists.
The idea behind the spring ride was to find a route that avoided main roads completely especially the A303 which can be a byword for gridlock. As our ride was the Friday of the bank holiday weekend the route was route off the beaten track was very important. From Tothill services we proceeded to Andover and then on some minor roads to the Cholderton Farm Shop for a coffee stop before continuing with the second part of the ride. I have ridden this route a few times now and you do not tire of it with some lovely open views over the Salisbury plain and some interesting villages to provide a change of scene. The final drop down to Gillingham offers some very fine views and we even bypassed the town centre to come to The Old Brewery by the back lanes.
After lunch the ride dispersed but four of us decided to take the cross country route back via Maiden Bradley and Westbury with a stop at the Three Daggers Farm shop near to the newly renovated Westbury White Horse. The return route would have made a good ride in its own right.
Many thanks to the 9 riders and pillions who came on the ride and gave a generous collection of £36 for TVAA. Look forward to seeing you on more Meetup Rides as the weather improves.
PS If you have not a member of the Oxford Motorcycle Riders meetup group you are very welcome to join in please follow this link for more information. How to Join Oxford Motorcycle Riders Meetup.
