Pompey one-off, no Hummers Wednesday night ride

[Clare]

Coming soon* to a Toby Inn near you me, the replacement Weds night ride.

Meet at the Toby Inn on Copnor Road by 18:15, we will then ride up to Portsmouth's number 3 dogging spot the car park behind the ship-on-the-hill to meet Vernon who will be riding there from Havant. The plan then is either to ride to the Hampshire Bowman for food and BEER or to the Wheatsheaf at Shedfield for the same reason, pub choice will depend on the weather.

This is a ride led by me and as such will go at the pace of the slowest rider  . If anybody would like to join us (not you Hummers) you are most welcome.

Hummers, if you appear at any point on this ride we will ignore you until you go away again - have a good Hardboiled, see you next week  .


*Weds 29th April only.

[rogerzilla]

No Hummers?  You'll be packed out with blushing violets and maiden aunts.

[Oscar's dad]

This maiden aunt will be there.

[Tourist Tony]

Was thinking of this while riding in the Forest this weekend. A private ad in Brock Tesco shows a musician seeking others to form a band. They apparently must have a good sense of hummer.
Oh dear.

[Hummers]

I suppose I could have just one pint.

 

Have a good one m'dears and a pint of Pots Gold for me at the Wheatsheaf.

H

[Clare]

I suppose I could have just one pint.

 

Have a good one m'dears and a pint of Pots Gold for me at the Wheatsheaf.

H

Hummers dear, you could never have just one pint  . We'll raise one to all you Hardboiled types at the Wheatsheaf  .

[Oscar's dad]

Just setting off from home, bike on roof of car.  Got a meeting with a customer in Fareham at 3pm and then to The Toby for a quick change.  Looking forward to the ride!!!

[Oscar's dad]

Clare un Vern,

Thanks for a most excellent evening, every aspect was extremely good.   That Bowmans Southsea Spice was quite possibly the most delicious beer I have ever drunk.  3 pints just slipped down and I enjoyed every drop.

See you both soon.

[Hummers]

Clare un Vern,

Thanks for a most excellent evening, every aspect was extremely good.   That Bowmans Southsea Spice was quite possibly the most delicious beer I have ever drunk.  3 pints just slipped down and I enjoyed every drop.

See you both soon.

Did you make it to the Wheatsheaf as well? If not, that is well worth planning in for a visit although next week's ride goes north in a loop, returning to the Fox and Hounds, Denmead. The food is OK but their london Pride is reasonably priced and normally very well kept.

H

[Oscar's dad]

Clare un Vern,

Thanks for a most excellent evening, every aspect was extremely good.   That Bowmans Southsea Spice was quite possibly the most delicious beer I have ever drunk.  3 pints just slipped down and I enjoyed every drop.

See you both soon.

Did you make it to the Wheatsheaf as well? If not, that is well worth planning in for a visit although next week's ride goes north in a loop, returning to the Fox and Hounds, Denmead. The food is OK but their london Pride is reasonably priced and normally very well kept.

H

No, the niceness of the beer (and food) at the Hampshire Bowperson kept us there longer than anticipated (3 pints long).  We then hatched a plan to head for the Hole in the Wall as Clare un Vern had been telling me all about Grandma's Weapons Grade Ginger Beer (5.5%ABV  ).  However, we left it too late and caught a last orders pint of Type 42 (destroyer not frigate I think) in the Churchillian.  I hit the hay at just before midnight having rode 31.6 miles and achieving 40mph going down the back of Portsdown Hill on the outward leg.

As mentioned, a most splendid evening. I do like riding to pubs, I imagine this is what bicycles were invented for.

[Hummers]

We then hatched a plan to head for the Hole in the Wall as Clare un Vern had been telling me all about Grandma's Weapons Grade Ginger Beer (5.5%ABV  ). 

That should be eminently doable next Wednesday.

For future reference, The George does a better range of beers than the Churchillian.

H

[Clare]

Ah, I was considering the George, but as we only just made last orders at the Churchillian, we might not have made it with the extra few metres down the hill. We also got to sit in the window and look at the pretty lights, so worth it for that  .


Anyway, the ride: We met up at the Toby and swiftly exited stage right, well I say swiftly, in reality we sat at the car park entrance for a good few minutes waiting for a gap in the traffic, but we finally got going and immediately put our lives in danger getting onto the old army escape road over the A27, thence up *the* hill and down the other side to Southwick, Newtown, Soberton, Droxford and finally to Dundridge with that beautiful roll down the hill to the Bowman.

Beer and food, what more can one ask? Add pleasant company to that and you have the makings of a great evening. We spent some time regaling OD with the history of the Oakleaf Brewing Co. and then described Grandma's Weapons Grade Ginger Beer, at this point a plan was hatched to hoon to the HITW and get a pint of the aforementioned brew.

And we were off, up that annoying little hill with the tiny chevroned bit, then on to Sherrel Heath and  Wickham where we realised that we would never make the Hole in time, so decided to head up the hill and get a quick one in at the Churchillian instead. As we left the pub a few spots of rain began to fall, but no big deal as we only had to roll down the hill, over the roundabouts and a short pedal home. Except something wierd happened; first of all the lights on Portsdown Hill were against us, then we had to stop at all the roundabouts because of traffic on them, finally the lights by the Toby were also red. We usually get a straight run through at that time of night and decided that we were suffering the Essex Effect to get stopped at every junction.

It was great fun, the weather was generally beautiful, the spots of rain didn't really become anything much and we got to ride past fields full of lambs and a load of horses and foals. The only downside was when I heard a yell of "I've dropped me bag!" and was just beginning to pull over to sort things when Vernon explained that it was an erudite and considerate young gentleman in a car yelling "Get off the [expletive] road." I must get my hearing sorted  .

[Clare]

We then hatched a plan to head for the Hole in the Wall as Clare un Vern had been telling me all about Grandma's Weapons Grade Ginger Beer (5.5%ABV  ). 

That should be eminently doable next Wednesday.

Yebbut OD isn't with us next Wednesday, I think his next visit is 12th May (?) for which we could go out west (yeehah) taking in the Wheatsheaf, then back to Southsea via Titchfield and the Gosport Ferry for a pint of the spicy stuff.

This plan is the limit of my knowledge of that route; over to you Hummers  .

[Regulator]

Was OD well behaved, Clare?  He has a certain reputation after a few pints... 

[Oscar's dad]

Was OD well behaved, Clare?  He has a certain reputation after a few pints... 

Git.  I was the model of restraint!  I am quite safe in polite company.

[Clare]

Was OD well behaved, Clare?  He has a certain reputation after a few pints... 

He was perfectly well behaved with us*, it must just be you the company he keeps  .





* Well, apart from that wierd thing where he made the traffic lights go red and cars to mysteriously appear at every roundabout  .

[Vernon]

* Well, apart from that wierd thing where he made the traffic lights go red and cars to mysteriously appear at every roundabout  .

Perhaps he is the God of traffic lights, and they change their lights to red in order to give them time to worship his greatness and perform proper obeisance?