u3a Group Details

Cycling

Alternate Weeks, Thursday, 10am-1pm

Venue: Meet at Market Cross, Glastonbury (Cars can be parked at Park Farm Road)

Leader: Charlie Beaton

Email: cbeaton@gmx.co.uk

Tel: 07802 422091

Meeting at Market Cross, GLASTONBURY, 10am

Next cycle ride..

Our next ride is the sixteen-mile Coxley Circle, taking in the tea room at Browne’s Garden Centre on Thursday, 7th December 2023 setting off from Glastonbury Market Place at 10am.

Routes & Maps of previous cycle rides

Hello and thank you to the five intrepid souls who joined me on the West Pennard Circle on 23 Nov 2023 and took on the floods on the Long Drove. This near-eighteen-mile ride was more demanding than expected and I had to have a snooze in the afternoon! I think it was the wind in our faces. Sorry for the unnecessary climb up Roman Way at the start. That might have contributed. We’ll skip that bit next time.

Five members enjoyed a gentle, seventeen-mile ride on the Avalon Marshes Circle via Shapwick on 9 November. Map attached. The weather was ideal for cycling, fresh and sunny. And we were very lucky to be back home just as the heavy rain arrived.

Four members enjoyed a nice, sixteen-mile outing on the Westhay “Circle” on 26 October. The weather was overcast but very suitable for cycling.

I’m pleased to report that we had another successful ride on Thursday 28 September, with eight members participating. We went on a fourteen-mile ride to Street and Baltonsborough in lovely cycling weather visiting the cedar avenue on the way. And, we had a puncture, our first “mechanical” of the series. 

We had a lovely ride in lovely weather on the Coxley Circle with refreshment at Browne’s Garden Centre on Thursday 14 September. I’m pleased to report that we had a record number of nine members on the ride and we had a group photograph! See attached. 

Two cyclists braved today’s rain (31st August) for a shorter-than-planned ride on the circular route around the outskirts of Glastonbury, stopping at Middlewick Farm Shop and Cafe for refreshment. It was a ten-mile, wet, wet, wet outing.

Six members enjoyed a sixteen-mile ride in warm weather across The Levels with one climb near Ashcott and a nice break at Sweets Tea Room, Westhay today, Thursday, 17th August 2023. 
Two members cycled the anticlockwise, sixteen-mile route from the Market Cross to West Pennard, Long Drove, Middlewick Farm Shop and back to town on Thursday, 6th July.
The weather was cooler that day so nice for cycling and we enjoyed a welcome refreshment break at Middlewick Farm Shop. 
 
 
Two members cycled to Avalon Marshes and Ham Wall on Thursday, 22nd June in glorious sunshine. We enjoyed a nice refreshment break at the RSPB stall at Ham Wall.
 
 
Thursday, 11th May, 2023
Three members took the fifteen-mile, mostly-level Westhay Circle today.
 
We saw the peat extraction and the waterfowl lakes at Sharpham, the volunteer gardening plot on Bradley Stream Road and the RSPB Ham Wall, before taking the lovely Meareway through Meare to our coffee stop at Sweet’s Tea Rooms on Blakeway.
 
Then, it was a level ride, flanked by rhynes past Westhay Moor National Nature Reserve and lovely Godney back to Glastonbury. We had nice warm weather throughout the ride.
 
The next ride is a circular outing to Baltonsborough taking in some sights of Street, setting off from Park Farm Road BA6 9NN on Thursday, 25th May at 10am, back by 1pm.
Thursday, 27th April, 2023
Three members took the fifteen-mile, mostly-level Coxley Circle today.
 
We saw Godney, the curious motte and bailey at Fenny Castle, Coxley’s former railway level crossing and the lovely tea room at Browne’s Garden Centre. Then, it was a level ride flanked by rhynes and all the wildlife back to Glastonbury.
 
We only had a little rain on our return. The next ride is to Westhay on Thursday, 11th May setting off at 10am, back by 1pm. All cyclist welcome: veterans, returners and new comers. Don’t be shy. If you can’t keep going or have a mechanical, we’ll see you home. Easy some fresh air and country scenes on easy cycling routes.
Thursday, 13th April, 2023
The Middlewick East Circle. It’s a flat ride of 10 miles. Please details on right and map below.
 
Set off 10am to cycle 50 minutes or so to the café stop; rest for 20 minutes; cycle for 50 minutes or so to the starting point. Ordinary clothing is suitable for this ride.