Sunday 1st Feb 2015 long ride. My ride. Followers: John MacMillan and John Hare. Off we go East along Whitehall Rd. Having battled against a strong head wind to get to Uxbridge, it's nice to have it pushing us along at the start of the journey. Continuing through West Drayton, we are soon at the mercy of the Westerly as we turn the corner at Sipson towards our first stop at Datchet Water Sailing Club. There is a crowd of potential sailors for an event due to take place today, which is cancelled on safety grounds due to the wind strength. After drinks and John Hare's bacon butty we are off again, joined by Chris Kinsey who has just arrived. John H leaves us somewhere near Datchet and the rest of us continue past Windsor. At Eton Wick my rear tyre is getting soft. It becomes apparent by Dorney that I need to change the inner tube. Getting the tyre off the rim is a real pig. Finding the cause of the puncture is easy enough, removing the offending object not so. After nearly half an hour we are on the move again, through Fifield and Drift Road, to our lunch stop at Bird Hills Golf Club. I choose the cheap option, a cheese tart, with a fancy French name that I can't remember, plus new potatoes and salad. Very nice. Off again, North this time, through Holyport, Bray and the Jubilee River. John Mac leaves at the A4 junction at Slough. Chris and I carry on through Trenches and Iver to our respective homes, negotiating a flooded path en route. The day was dry and cold. The wind was forecast to ease, but didn't seem to. It either helped or hindered our progress, and certainly blew any cobwebs away. Regards Bernie